The Great War
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what World War I was.
Key learning points
- WWI was a war that took place between 1914 to 1918 and involved countries from across the globe.
- It was the biggest war that had ever been fought at the time which is why it was called the Great War.
- Old treaties meant that many different countries were pulled into the war at the same time.
- Soldiers from the British Empire fought during the Great War against Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire.
- Much of the fighting that British and imperial troops were involved in took place in Belgium and France.
Keywords
Globe - the globe refers to the whole world
Allies - countries who support each other during war are known as allies
Treaty - a treaty is a formal agreement of support between two or more countries
Imperial - imperial refers to things or people which were part of the British Empire
Common misconception
Children may think that the word 'Great' when referring to WWI may mean that the war was a great idea.
To remind pupils that 'Great' in this context refers to the both the size and scale of the war.
Teacher tip
This unit is designed to support a local history project. Whilst this lesson gives general information about WWI, you will need to find out about WWI in your local area. Share this with the children so they can start to ask their family or local community members WWI history.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does the word 'war' mean?
Q2.Which sentence describes a world war?
Q3.Britain was involved in World War One.
Q4.In Britain, how do we remember those who lost their lives in war?
Q5.Why are some historical events more significant than others?
Q6.How could you find out about the history of your local area?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.How many years did World War One last for?
Q2.The word 'treaty' means which of the following?
Q3.Soldiers who fought for the British Empire came from countries all over the world.
Q4.Germany, Austria-Hungary and their allies were known as the...?
Q5.Great Britain, France and Russia were known as the...
Q6.Why was World War One referred to as the 'Great War'?
To help you plan your 6 history lesson on: The Great War, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 history lesson on: The Great War, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 history lessons from the The Great War: how did the Great War affect local people and their communities? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.