Lesson 4: Major Battles Library Jigsaw Research Task

Verdun; Military Cemetary from Photos of the Great War

Hello Year 12-

This task follows on from our work last lesson on the Schlieffen Plan, which was devised to break the stalemate on the Western Front. This lesson we will be looking at the purpose and impact of the major battles of the Western Front.

Instructions:

In small groups you will be assigned one of the following major battles to research: Verdun, the Somme, Ypres- Passchendaele, Operation St Michael, Allied counter-offensive to Marne. You will be given one hour during the double period to research your battle as a group. You will have access to all resources in the library, including AV resources. You will be split up into jigsaw groups at the beginning of the second lesson, in which you will orally present your findings to your classmates.

Use the headings below for recording information you find in a Word document, answering the final question as a group. In looking at the aims, casualties and tactics, be sure to locate allied and German information in order to gain a balanced perspective. Once you are finished, save your document in your school folder, post the text as a comment on this posting, and print a hard-copy to hand in to your teacher.

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Organisational Headings

Name of battle:

Date/s:

Aims:

Casualties:

Tactics:

Results:

Synthesis Question: Why can this battle be regarded as significant within the course of the War?

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A good starting point for your online research can be Google or First World War. Com.

Good luck!