Lesson video

Hi, I'm Miss Mia.

Thank you so much for joining me in this lesson.

Let's get started.

In this lesson, you will be able to describe what conflict was like in World War I.

Your key words are on the screen now, and I'd like you to repeat them after me or write them down.

Front.

Trench.

No Man's Land.

Morale.

Super.

Let's find out what these words mean.

Front.

A front refers to the line where opposing armies meet in battle.

Trench.

A trench is a long, deep hole, dug in the ground, where soldiers fought from, lived in, and used to shelter from the enemy.

No Man's Land.

The piece of land in between the defensive trenches of rival armies was called No Man's Land.

Morale is a feeling of positivity about what is happening.

Super.

Let's move on.

This lesson is all about trench warfare on the Western Front.

We have three lesson cycles today.

Our first lesson cycle.

Where were the major battlefronts in World War I?

Then we're going to be looking at what life was like in the trenches.

And lastly, how did soldiers communicate home?

Let's begin.

Here we have a map of major World War I battles.

Battles during World War I were fought on a vast scale.

Battles took place around the world across different fronts in Europe, Africa, and Asia.

On the left, we have a map showing the Western Front, 1914 to 1918.

The two major European fronts where major battles took place were the Western Front and the Eastern Front.

Fighting battles to the west of Germany was referred to as fighting on the Western Front during World War I.

The Western Front was located in France and Belgium.

So who fought here?

Britain and France, and then later, the USA.

They fought against Germany.

Fighting battles to the east of Germany was referred to as fighting on the Eastern Front during World War I.

And here we have a map showing the Eastern Front.

So just to recap.

The Eastern Front was located in Eastern Europe, and covered areas like Russia, Poland, and surrounding regions.

Countries that fought there were Russia and its allies, against Germany and Austria-Hungary.

Over to you.

The two major European fronts where major battles took place were called the, A, Northern Front, B, Eastern Front, C, Southern Front, or D, Western Front.

What do you think?

You can pause the video here and click play when you've got the answers.

So what did you get?

If you got B and D, you are correct.

The two major European fronts were the Eastern Front and the Western Front.

Well done if you got that.

Let's move on.

Here we have a photo of a World War I memorial to remember those who lost their lives.

These battles resulted in huge numbers of deaths.

In some battles, like the Battle of the Somme in 1917, there would be thousands of dead or wounded soldiers in just one day.

It is estimated that around 8.

5 million soldiers were killed during World War I.

So that is a very large number.

To help picture it, it is more than the population of many whole countries, it would fill thousands of large sports stadiums, and this number counts soldiers only, not civilians.

Millions more soldiers were also injured, disabled, and missing after battle.

Over to you.

True or false?

All battles took place on the Western Front.

Is this true or is this false?

You can pause the video here and click play when you've got the answer.

So what did you get?

If you got false, well done.

Why is this?

You can pause the video again and click play when you've got the answer.

So what did you get?

Well, there was also an Eastern Front, and fighting which took place in Asia and Africa.

Super.

Let's move on.

Task A.

I'd like you to explain to your learning partner the difference between the Western and Eastern Front.

You can pause the video here and click play once you've completed this task.

So how did it go?

Your answer could include something like this.

"Battles fought to the west of Germany were fought on the Western Front, and battles fought to the east of Germany were fought on the Eastern Front.

" Well done if you got that correct.

Let's move on.

Lesson cycle two.

What was life like in the trenches?

Let's begin.

Here we have a photo of a World War I trench.

There was fighting on the Western Front for all four years of the war.

The armies fighting along the Western Front each dug large trenches.

Soldiers dug these trenches to protect themselves from the enemy while they fought.

Both sides bordered their trenches with barbed wire, to protect themselves from the enemy.

The soldiers had to live in trenches.

They ate, cooked, washed, and slept in them.

Over to you.

True or false?

Soldiers did not have to live in the trenches.

Is this true or is this false?

You can pause the video here and click play when you've got the answer.

So what did you get?

If you got false, well done.

Why is this?

You can pause the video again.

So what did you get?

Well, soldiers ate, cooked, washed, and slept in the trenches.

So they did live there.

Let's move on.

Here we have an illustration of No Man's Land.

The piece of land in the middle between the trenches of the rival armies was referred to as No Man's Land.

No Man's Land was an extremely dangerous place, and any soldier trying to cross risked being shot at by the enemy.

Have a look at the illustration of No Man's Land.

What can you see?

Well, I can see open ground with mud, craters, and barbed wire.

It looks like there's destroyed equipment, broken trees, and debris.

This area looks like it's been constantly under fire from enemy guns, and it could be tens up to hundreds of meters wide.

Back to you.

No Man's Land was the name of the?

A, trenches on the Western Front.

B, land in between the trenches.

C, trenches on the Eastern Front.

What do you think?

You can pause the video here and click play when you've got the answer.

So, what did you get?

If you got B, you are correct.

The land in between the trenches is known as No Man's Land.

Well done if you got that.

Let's move on.

Life in the trenches was incredibly hard.

The trenches filled with water when it rained, and it was impossible for the soldiers to stay clean and dry.

Here we have a photo of a water-filled trench.

Many soldiers suffered with trench foot, a disease caused by the wet, cold, and dirty conditions of the trenches.

Here's a poster showing soldiers how to avoid trench foot.

If a soldier got trench foot, their feet would become numb, swollen, and painful.

Skin could turn red, blue, or black.

If their feet were left untreated, it could lead to serious infection or gangrene, sometimes requiring amputation.

Here we have a photo of British soldiers in the trenches.

The trenches were very dirty, smelly, and cramped.

Soldiers had to live with lice, fleas, and rats, and they had no proper beds.

Living with lice, fleas, rats, and no proper beds, caused discomfort and poor sleep, illnesses from bites and infections, low morale, making life in the trenches mentally and physically hard.

Back to you.

Which two things made life difficult for soldiers in the trenches?

Is it A?

Soldiers had too many beds to choose from.

B, the trenches filled up with water.

C, there was a disease called trench hands.

Or D, trenches had rats and lice.

You can pause the video here and click play when you've got the two answers.

So what did you get?

If you got B and D, you are correct.

The two things that made life difficult for soldiers in the trenches were, B, the trenches filled up with water, and D, the trenches had rats and lice.

Well done if you got those two.

Let's move on.

Task B.

Explain why life in the trenches was difficult.

You might wish to use the following words in your answers.

Trench foot.

Rats.

Lice.

You can pause the video here and click play once you've completed the task.

So how did that go?

Well, your answer could include something like this.

"Life in the trenches was difficult because the conditions were very bad, cramped, and there were overflowing toilets.

It was constantly wet, and many soldiers suffered from trench foot.

There were lots of large rats and lice in the trenches, making life for the soldiers even harder.

" Well done if you managed to include those key points.

Let's move on.

Lesson cycle three.

How did soldiers communicate home?

Well, historians know about what life was like in the trenches due to surviving World War I letters and diaries.

Letter writing was the only way soldiers could communicate with their families.

Here's a photo of a letter from a World War I soldier.

Life in the trenches during World War I was very hard, and soldiers often felt lonely, scared, or homesick.

One of the most important ways that we can see here that helped soldiers stay connected to family and friends was through letters.

Soldiers wrote letters home to tell their families how they were.

Families sent letters, postcards, and parcels with food, socks, and small gifts.

Letters helped soldiers feel remembered and supported.

Reading letters reminded soldiers they were loved and not forgotten.

Letters gave them hope and courage to keep going in hard times.

Sometimes soldiers wrote funny stories or jokes to cheer up their friends.

Ultimately, letters boosted morale in the hard, dangerous life of the trenches.

Over to you.

How did soldiers communicate with their families during World War I?

Is it A, through letters?

B, through using a telephone?

Or C, writing a telegraph?

What do you think?

You can pause the video here and click play when you've got the answer.

So what did you get?

If you got A, you are correct.

Soldiers communicated with their families during World War I through using letters.

Let's move on.

Back to you.

Why was letter writing so important for soldiers in World War I?

Is it A, it helped keep up soldiers' morale?

B, it helped soldiers communicate with loved ones?

Or C, it helped families to learn about battle plans?

What do you think?

You can pause the video here and click play when you've got the answer.

So what did you get?

If you got A, you are correct.

Writing letters was important for soldiers because it helped keep up the soldiers' morale.

And if you got B, it helped soldiers communicate with loved ones, fantastic.

That is also the correct answer.

Let's move on.

Task C.

Write one paragraph to explain why letter writing was important for soldiers in World War I.

A good explanation will include these words.

Communicate.

Morale.

And here we can see a photo of the soldier writing a letter home.

You can pause the video here and click play when you've completed this task.

So how did it go?

Well, you may have written something like this.

"Letter writing was very important for soldiers in World War I, because it meant soldiers could communicate with their families and stay connected, even though they were far apart.

It also helped soldiers' morale, so they would keep on fighting even though it was very hard.

" Well done if you managed to include those key points.

Fantastic work.

We're now at the end of the lesson.

Let's summarize our learning.

So this lesson was to do with trench warfare on the Western Front.

You now understand that World War I had many fronts, and battles were fought on the Western Front, the Eastern Front, in Africa and in Asia.

The Western Front saw the use of trench warfare, where the conditions were terrible, with rats, lice, and diseases like trench foot.

In some battles, like the Somme in 1917, mass attacks led to thousands of dead or wounded soldiers in a day.

Historians know about life in the trenches because of soldiers' letters and diaries.

Lastly, writing letters home was important for morale.

Thank you so much for joining me in this lesson.

I hope you enjoyed it.

Bye!