Trench Warfare on the Western FrontFebruary 4-5, 2014Objective: Students will examine a type of

combat known as trench warfare that characterized much of the fighting during World War I and describe conditions inherent to this type of military defense through videos, novel excerpts, photos and written response.

Warm-Up: Define stalemate.

stalemate –a situation in which neither side can get the advantage to win.

Synonyms

In war, what are ways that a stalemate might occur?

Map of Allied and Central PowersAllied Powers

Major powers British Empire (1914–

1918) France (1914–1918) Italy (1914–1918) Russia (1914–1917) United States (1917–1918)

Central PowersMajor powers

Austria-Hungary (1914–1918)

Germany (1914–1918) Ottoman Empire/Turkey

(1914–1918)

The Western Front - what was it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXtsiqrhqsU

Opening Scene: “All Quiet on the Western Front”, Erich Maria Remarque.

Trench Warfare 1. From this graphic, explain why stalemate occurred along the western front.2. Using this graphic, what strategies would you suggest to end the war?

This book tells the story of Paul Bäumer, a German soldier who joins the army shortly after the start of World War I. He arrives at the Western Front with his friends and schoolmates (Tjaden, Müller, Kropp and others). They meet an older soldier, Kat. While fighting at the front, Bäumer and his comrades have to engage in frequent battles and endure the dangerous and often dirty conditions of warfare.

All Quiet on the Western Frontby Erich Maria Remarque

1. Write down the powerful images that come to

mind as you view these photos.

2. Write down the feelings and thoughts that these

photos trigger in you.

You will have 20 seconds to view the following photos.

The year is 1917 and you are a soldier fighting in the trenches on the Western Front during World War I. Write a 1-2 page letter in your notebook to

a loved one such as your mother, father, brother, sister, boyfriend or girlfriend. Describe your life in battle and in the trenches. Use what you heard in the novel excerpts, saw in the videos, photos and PP presentations to compose your letter home. Your details must come from these texts.

A Letter Home