TRENCHES IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR

An activity aimed to include weaker or distracted students

Phase 1. Students are divided by groups. Each group is given a couple of pictures showing some aspects of the life in the trenches. Each group should elaborate cooperatively a description of the pictures and each member of the group should prepare to expose it.

To help students to elaborate the descriptions, the teacher asks some questions such as:

-                       What was like the environment in which soldiers lived and fought?

-                       What are doing soldiers showed in the pictures?

-                       How do you think that soldiers are feeling?

-                       How are they dressed?

-                       Which weapons are they using?

-                       Can you see non european soldiers?

-                       In your opinion, where did they come from?

Phase 2. The groups are mixed as follow: each new group is composed by students coming from all the preceding groups. In this way, each group has one and only one student that can talk about a couple of the pictures that you have distributed, and each student is called to show and explain to his new groupmates the content of the pictures. Students belonging to these new group are encouraged to ask questions to the temporary relator for clarification. In this way, also students that are shy or distracted have the opportunity to engage themselves in a mutual teaching/learning activity.

In both steps of the activity, the teacher seats in turn with each group in order to verify that the interaction is positive and, if necessary, to give suggestions on how to keep it on.