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Battle of the Somme

A collection of classroom resources by Scoilnet

 

 


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Articles

War does not determine who is right only who is left  - Bertrand Russell

Sources from the Battle of the Somme - WW1

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/...ucation/greatwar/g4/cs3/default.htm Added: 30 Jun 2016 Contributor: Scoilnet Resource type: Reference

No battle in the Great War is better known than the Battle of the Somme in 1916. At the time, its huge casualties made Britain realise that the war would be long and hard.

After the war, in the 1920s and 1930s, people came to believe that the losses at the Somme were unacceptable. Many thought that it was the result of incompetent officers who did not care about their men. In this case study you will see whether the original sources from the time support this view. You will probably find it helpful to study the Background before you start looking at the sources.
Use the Worksheet as you look through the sources. This will help you plan your research and think about how to present your findings.

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How it maps to the curriculum

5-6
SESE History

Strand: Eras of Change & Conflict

Strand unit: World War I

Content objective:
This resource should enable a child to:

  • become familiar with aspects of these periods
  • examine and become familiar with evidence which informs us about the lives of people in the periods studied, their thoughts and concerns, especially evidence which may be found locally

Suggestions for use: Allow students to examine primary sources with this digital record of collections from General Haig's letter to newspapers, orders to British commanders, experiences of the army units, telegram from Haig after 1st day of battle, Haig's summary of the battle, map showing land captured and a diagram of the German forces on the western front.

JC
History

Strand: 3. The History of Europe & The Wider World

Strand unit: 4. World War I / World War II

Suggestions for use: Allow students to examine primary sources with this digital record of collections from General Haig's letter to newspapers, orders to British commanders, experiences of the army units, telegram from Haig after 1st day of battle, Haig's summary of the battle, map showing land captured and a diagram of the German forces on the western front.

Key Skills: Communicating Managing Information and Thinking Managing Myself

Asset type: Online Resource
Rights: All rights reserved
Special Needs:

Battle of the Somme Prezi.

https://prezi.com/-i6bxpq2ufwl/the-battle-of-somme/ Added: 29 Jun 2016 Contributor: Scoilnet Resource type: Presentation

Transcript and presentation on Battle of the Somme. This presentation will answer all the questions students will have about the Battle. Video clippings and photograph footage are embedded throughout and are best viewed in full screen. Find out the technology used in the war, the number of people killed, why the battle is named after the Somme and why the battle occurred.

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How it maps to the curriculum

5-6
SESE History

Strand: Eras of Change & Conflict

Strand unit: World War I

Content objective:
This resource should enable a child to:

  • become familiar with aspects of these periods
  • examine and become familiar with evidence which informs us about the lives of people in the periods studied, their thoughts and concerns, especially evidence which may be found locally

Suggestions for use: Use presentation as a class presentation to encourage communication on the topic of the Battle of the Somme. Use at a centenary remembrance assembly. Or advice students to use the presentation as a means of research.

JC
History

Strand: 3. The History of Europe & The Wider World

Strand unit: 4. World War I / World War II

Suggestions for use: Use presentation as a class presentation to encourage communication on the topic of the Battle of the Somme. Use at a centenary remembrance assembly. Or advice students to use the presentation as a means of research.

Key Skills: Communicating Managing Information and Thinking Managing Myself

Asset type: Presentation
Rights: All rights reserved
Special Needs:

On the first day of the battle, there were 19, 240 deaths

Great War Trench Game

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/...cation/greatwar/g3/game/default.htm Added: 30 Jun 2016 Contributor: Scoilnet Resource type:

Can you deliver an important message before the time runs out?

Please note that this game uses Flash and will not be playable on iPads. We apologise for any inconvenience.

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How it maps to the curriculum

5-6
SESE History

Strand: Eras of Change & Conflict

Strand unit: World War I

Content objective:
This resource should enable a child to:

  • become familiar with aspects of these periods

Suggestions for use: Use game as a way or embracing the war noises and urgency within pupils. Use game as a starter to the lesson. Brainstorm the challenges in getting a message from one side to the other during wartime.

Asset type:
Rights: All rights reserved
Special Needs:

War is War...You Kill or be Killed - Jack Campbell's Memory of the War

Survivor: Jack Campbell RTÉ Archives

http://www.rte.ie/archives/exhibiti...41-jack-campbell-war-is-war/?page=1 Added: 29 Jun 2016 Contributor: Scoilnet Resource type:

Jack Campbell’s outstanding memory of the war is the loyalty of his comrades to the cause and the oath.
Mr. Byrne asks Jack Campbell what is his attitude to the war now? For Jack loyalty to his oath, comrades and the cause were the most important things. When asked about the Germans he killed Jack replies,
“It was kill or be killed. You killed them or they killed you, one or the other. It was just a game. War is war. You kill or be killed.”

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How it maps to the curriculum

5-6
SESE History

Strand: Eras of Change & Conflict

Strand unit: World War I

Content objective:
This resource should enable a child to:

  • become familiar with aspects of these periods
  • examine and become familiar with evidence which informs us about the lives of people in the periods studied, their thoughts and concerns, especially evidence which may be found locally

Suggestions for use: Excellent video to use as a starter to your lesson on World War 1/ Battle of the Somme. Students will be mesmerized by the words of Jack Campbell who depicts the true reality of war. No-one is a winner.

JC
History

Strand: 3. The History of Europe & The Wider World

Strand unit: 4. World War I / World War II

Suggestions for use: Excellent video to use as a starter to your lesson on World War 1/ Battle of the Somme. Students will be mesmerized by the words of Jack Campbell who depicts the true reality of war. No-one is a winner.

Key Skills: Being Creative Communicating Working with Others

Asset type: Video
Rights: All rights reserved
Special Needs:

BBC How Did so Many Soldiers Survive?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMU582aqztk Added: 30 Jun 2016 Contributor: Scoilnet Resource type: Audio / Video

Find out more about surviving the trenches in World War One: www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3kgjxs Dan Snow busts the myth that trench fighting was one long bloodbath by exploring the story of Percy Boswell, a British soldier who died at The Somme during World War One

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How it maps to the curriculum

5-6
SESE History

Strand: Eras of Change & Conflict

Strand unit: World War I

Content objective:
This resource should enable a child to:

  • become familiar with aspects of these periods

Suggestions for use: Use video clip as a starter discussion activity to the Battle of the Somme. Allow students time to research the soldiers of the war like Percy Boswell

Asset type: Video
Language: English
Rights: All rights reserved
Special Needs:

Battle of the Somme Speeches (Audio Recordings)

http://www.history.com/topics/world...724c3c2e&s=undefined&f=1&free=false Added: 01 Jul 2016 Contributor: Scoilnet Resource type: Audio / Video

The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, was one of the largest battles of the First World War. Fought between July 1 and November 1, 1916 near the Somme River in France, it was also one of the bloodiest military battles in history. On the first day alone, the British suffered more than 57,000 casualties, and by the end of the campaign the Allies and Central Powers would lose more than 1.5 million men. These are audio clips of speeches from the time of the battle.

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How it maps to the curriculum

5-6
SESE History

Strand: Eras of Change & Conflict

Strand unit: World War I

Content objective:
This resource should enable a child to:

  • examine and become familiar with evidence which informs us about the lives of people in the periods studied, their thoughts and concerns, especially evidence which may be found locally

Suggestions for use: Use video clip as a starter to introduce the brutality of the battle of the Somme.

Asset type: Video
Language: English
Rights: All rights reserved
Special Needs:

RTE Clip : Ulster Veterans Return To The Somme 1976

http://www.rte.ie/archives/exhibiti...r-veterans-leave-for-commemoration/ Added: 30 Jun 2016 Contributor: Scoilnet Resource type: Audio / Video

A video of the Veterans of the Ulster Division preparing to leave Belfast to attend a commemoration at Thiepval. (60 years after the Battle of the Somme)

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How it maps to the curriculum

5-6
SESE History

Strand: Eras of Change & Conflict

Strand unit: World War I

Content objective:
This resource should enable a child to:

  • become familiar with aspects of these periods

Suggestions for use: Use the video clip as a starter to introduce the battle of the Somme to students.

JC
History

Strand: 3. The History of Europe & The Wider World

Strand unit: 4. World War I / World War II

Suggestions for use: Use the video clip as a starter to introduce the battle of the Somme to students.

Key Skills: Communicating Working with Others

Asset type: Video
Rights: All rights reserved
Special Needs:

Battle of the Somme Secret Tunnel War Video

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0195wsn Added: 29 Jun 2016 Contributor: Scoilnet Resource type: Audio / Video

Conditions for the tunnellers were not only life-threatening but also eerily silent. This video explore the tunnel war tactic used during the Battle of the Somme.

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How it maps to the curriculum

5-6
SESE History

Strand: Eras of Change & Conflict

Strand unit: World War I

Content objective:
This resource should enable a child to:

  • become familiar with aspects of these periods
  • examine and become familiar with evidence which informs us about the lives of people in the periods studied, their thoughts and concerns, especially evidence which may be found locally

Suggestions for use: Use video as a starter on WW1/ Battle of Somme. The driving question should ; Why are the soldiers in the tunnels?

Asset type: Video
Rights: All rights reserved
Special Needs:

 

 

Peace cannot be Kept by Force; It can only be Kept through Understanding - Albert Einsten

Deeply regret to inform you that your husband was killed in action

World Book Web

Battle of the Somme

 WordBook has great differentiated information about the Battle of the Somme from foundation, intermediate and advanced resources such as articles, images, videos, journals and lesson plans.

Irish Times Digital Archive:

Read newspaper articles from the time of the battle of the Somme.


The Telegraph

Day by day, how the Telegraph reported the events of 1914 to 1918.



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