Teaching World War I in the 21st Century 1 | Page 55

A LOOK AT
SOLDIERS’ DAILY
LIVES IN WORLD
WAR I
Brian Weaver, Central Bucks
High School - West, Doylestown,
Pennsylvania

GRADE LEVEL

9-12

At the conclusion of this lesson, students will be able to

OBJECTIVES:

• Compare the average day in Leland Linman’s life to what they have previously learned
about trench warfare

• Identify the myriad responsibilities a soldier had to fulfill during World War I

• Analyze Linman’s firsthand account and summarize the hardships that he encountered
as a soldier

• Develop their writing skills by completing their paragraph and editing a peer’s paragraph
• Synthesize the Linman experience by writing a letter from his point of view that includes
information from his diary (this objective applies if using the corresponding extension)

Given the usual descriptions of trench warfare (going over the top, hunkering down in trenches),
does the average life of a soldier match up to that description? Or are there parts of the war that
are always present that we never think about?

GUIDING QUESTION:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary
sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.

CONNECTIONS TO COMMON CORE:

CCCCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.3 Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine
which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters
uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.8 Evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence by
corroborating or challenging them with other information.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.9 Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and
secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
Lesson Plans & Activities

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