Self-Directed Resources for teachers visiting IWM North
Academic year 2009-10 KS2 First World War
KS2
First World War:
History
Learning at Imperial War Museum North
Our award-winning Museum and its stunning displays provide a unique
learning experience for visitors of all ages and backgrounds. Imperial War
Museum North is about people: your students will deepen their understanding
of history through the artefacts and personal stories on display.
? TimeLine Our TimeLine runs around the perimeter of the Main Exhibition
Space and covers from 1914 to the present day.
? Silos are 6 areas linked by theme.
o Experience of War
o Women and War
o Impressions of War
o Empire, Commonwealth and War
o Science, Technology and War
o Legacy of War
? Large Objects such as the Artillery Piece and the German Trench
Mortar are on open display.
? Action Stations A series of interactive displays for multi-sensory
learning e.g. The Trench Action Station near the beginning of the Timeline
allows your group to consider the conditions that soldiers encountered in
the trenches.
? TimeStacks are trays of objects linked by theme. Press the button to
bring down the Trench Life TimeStack tray near the Artillery Piece or
select Journeys from the North in the TimeStack near the Tank. ? Big Picture Show is a 360 degree audio visual experience using
images and sounds from our archive.
11.00 & 14.00 Children and War
12.00 & 15.00 The War at Home
13.00 & 16.00 Weapons and War
? Please visit http://north.iwm.org.uk and click on ‘What’s On’ to see what
Special Exhibition is showing when you visit.
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Self-Directed Resources for teachers visiting IWM North
Academic year 2009-10 KS2 First World War
Before your visit
You will get more from your visit to Imperial War Museum North if you prepare
with your students before you arrive. Make sure you read, sign and send your
confirmation form to us before your visit.
Recommended preparation for students
? Why do we have museums?
Talk to students about what a museum is and that one of the important
roles of museums is to look after objects of historical value. Ask them
to think what sort of objects a museum collects and why.
? Where do the objects come from?
Many of our artefacts have been donated to the museum by veterans
of war or their families. Do your students have any possessions which
they treasure? If they were to give this special item to somebody else
how would they want it to be looked after?
? Discuss behaviour
Explain that they will be sharing the museum with other people, some
of whom will have experienced war themselves and that they should
consider the needs of others in a public place.
Explain to your students that Imperial War Museum North has a
number of objects on open display which it is important not to touch
because acids on our skin will, over time, eventually damage the metal.
? Prior knowledge
It is useful but not essential for your group to have some prior
knowledge of recruitment, trench conditions and home front.
You may find the following WebQuest useful for your group.
How do we remember? (KS1-2 Citizenship/RE/History)
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Self-Directed Resources for teachers visiting IWM North
Academic year 2009-10 KS2 First World War
Recommended preparation for accompanying adults
Brief each accompanying adult who will be attending on the day. A well-
briefed adult goes a long way to ensure a successful visit.
The briefing should include:
? The itinerary for the day
? A map of Imperial War Museum North
? Dos and don'ts about behaviour
? Background information to support any activity
? A meeting place for anyone who has become separated from their
group (we suggest the Information point on the ground floor)
Remember a visit to a museum is about being inspired and learning how to question as much as it is about finding answers. It is fine to not know all the
answers to students’ questions. Enquire together. Ask a member of museum
staff. Make sure that all adults have a paper and pen to jot down any
outstanding questions. These can be explored further back at school.
If you are using the Learner sheets it may be a good time to hand these out
along with the relevant parts of this document.
Download the Learner sheets you wish to use at www.iwm.org.uk (specific link to be announced)
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Self-Directed Resources for teachers visiting IWM North
Academic year 2009-10 KS2 First World War
During your visit
Your visit to IWM North can cover a great number of areas, but above all it
can develop skills in interpretation and analysing sources, including the
museum itself as a source.
Potential Learning Outcomes
? Knowledge/ Understanding
o Gaining a deeper knowledge of what life was like for soldiers and
civilians during the First World War through personal stories
o Learning facts and information from a particular object
? Skills
o Speaking and listening
o Observation
o Historical enquiry
o Making links between the object and other sources such as the
photography archive
o Making links between different topics such as recruitment and
trench conditions
? Attitudes and values
o Students will empathise with the experiences of the individuals they
have discovered in these resources
o Students will go back to school with a greater motivation for the
subject
? Enjoyment/Inspiration/Creativity
o Students should become more confident in visiting other museums
? Activity/Behaviour/Progression
o The activities in the Learner sheets link to work which can be
followed up at school
o Students may want to visit the museum again, either with school or
with their families
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Self-Directed Resources for teachers visiting IWM North
Academic year 2009-10 KS2 First World War
Highlights by area
All the main exhibits are on the First Floor. Go up the staircase or the lift to
the Main Exhibition Space. Please use your map to help navigate.
Highlight of the Timeline 1914 - 1918
Find this...
Object number 8
It is in the case near the
flamethrower
British Army Biscuit
Biscuits could be so hard that sometimes they had to be crushed or mixed
with hot water to form a paste before being eaten.
The biscuits were extremely hard and some people found them so hard to eat
that they found other ways to make use of them.
Questions for your group
? What has been written on the biscuit?
? Why have they written this on the biscuit?
It was too hard to eat. Because ‘Your King and Country Needs You’
was a slogan that was used in recruitment campaigns during the First
World War.
? How do you think the person writing this felt?
There are no right and wrong answers here but angry, betrayed, upset,
are all possible.
? Imagine you are a soldier in the trenches.
You are very hungry and cannot eat the biscuit you have been given as
it is too hard. What might you write on it? What photograph might you
put in it?
Activity - Draw your own biscuit
Ask the students to draw two rectangles in their notebooks. In one rectangle
they write a message. In the other rectangle draw the photograph.
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Self-Directed Resources for teachers visiting IWM North
Academic year 2009-10 KS2 First World War
Highlights of Silo 1: Experience of War
Find this...
Object number 4
It is in the Recruitment case near the drum
Photo of Alfie Knight and letter
Look at the letter from Alfie Knight which is in the cabinet and the enlarged
extract on the Learner sheet. Alfie was a nine year old boy who asked Lord
Kitchener if he could join the Army.
Questions for your group
? Why do you think Alfie wanted to join the Army?
Encourage the children to come up with their own suggestions. Alfie’s
letter suggests that he was quite adventurous – he probably thought it
was going to be very exciting. Picture books featured anti-German
propaganda and that may have influenced him. Some boys wanted to
prove that they were grown up.
? If you were Lord Kitchener how would you reply to Alfie’s letter?
Ask the children to imagine they are Lord Kitchener. How would they
reply to this letter? If the children have notebooks they can write down
their replies to Alfie. If not you can have a discussion as a group or in
pairs.
? Why did men lose the right to choose if they went to fight?
In 1916 conscription was introduced. This meant that men received a
letter informing them that they had to join the army. This came about
due to the fact that so many soldiers had been killed or injured that
there were not enough volunteers to replace them.
Extra information
Before 1916 people volunteered to join the British armed forces.
Field Marshal Lord Kitchener was the Secretary of State for War. In August
1914 Kitchener asked for 100,000 volunteers between 19 and 30 years of age.
Within a few weeks half a million men had volunteered; five times more than
Kitchener had asked for.
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Self-Directed Resources for teachers visiting IWM North
Academic year 2009-10 KS2 First World War
Highlights of Silo 4: Empire, Commonwealth and War
Find this...
Object number 16
It is in the case ANZACS at Gallipoli
Princess Mary’s Gift Fund Box
Princess Mary was the daughter of King George V and Queen Mary.
On the 15 October Buckingham Palace gave out a letter signed by the
Princess which explained the purpose of the Princess Mary Fund.
Questions for your group
? Why did Princess Mary want to send a gift to the troops?
Many believed that the war would be over by Christmas. When it
became clear that this was not the case the present was a way of
thanking the troops and showing them they had not been forgotten.
? Who was the gift for?
It was for all British and Commonwealth soldiers and sailors and
nurses serving overseas and the parents of those who had been killed.
? What do you think was inside?
All boxes contained a Christmas card and photograph of the Princess.
The Smoker’s Gift Box had tobacco and a pipe. The Indian Sikh’s tin
contained sugar candy and a box of spices. Nurses received a packet
of chocolate.
? What do you think the letter ‘M’s stands for?
Mary
? What do the countries named around the edge of the box have in
common?
They were Britain’s allies at the time.
? How would you feel if you were a soldier, sailor or nurse receiving
this gift?
? What might a 2009 Christmas gift box contain?
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Self-Directed Resources for teachers visiting IWM North
Academic year 2009-10 KS2 First World War
Highlights of Silo 6: Legacy of War
Find this...
Object number 3
It is next to the Remembrance display in the case
low down called Loss of a loved one
Next of Kin memorial plaque, scroll and medals
These plaques were given to the next of kin for all service men and women
who had died between 4 August 1914 and 10 January 1920. In 1916 the
Government decided that there should be some form of commemoration to
give to the families of people who died during the First World War. In 1917 a
competition to design these plaques was announced. The competition was
won by a man named Edward Carter Preston. His initials are on the plaque.
Questions for your group
? Why has this been made?
As a way of remembering those who died.
? What do you think the person and animals on the plaque might
represent?
? The robed figure is Britannia: a classically inspired figure which was
meant to represent Britain. The lion represents the strength of Britain.
The dolphins are a reference to British naval power. The lion and the
eagle at the bottom of the plaque represent the British lion defeating
the German eagle.
? Why do you think this plaque was given the nickname ‘Dead
Man’s Penny’?
It looks like a coin. In particular, an old penny, which has not been in
use since 1971, except much larger.
? What else is in the case?
A scroll: tribute from the County of Stockport, medals issued
posthumously to Nicholson, a photograph of Nicholson’s grave in
Ypres, rose petals taken from the grave as a keepsake by Nicholson’s
widow and a photo of Nicholson as a police officer, about 1909.
? Is the plaque a good way to remember a soldier?
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Self-Directed Resources for teachers visiting IWM North
Academic year 2009-10 KS2 First World War
? Was a Memorial Plaque like the one you are looking at ever made
to commemorate a woman in the First World War?
Yes. Some women were killed while serving, often as nurses, close to
the fighting. However Next of Kin memorial plaques featuring a
woman’s name are rare.
? How else do we remember people who have been killed in wars?
Individuals remember lost loved ones in a variety of ways. You may
want to mention the following:
? Memorials in public places such a plaques or statues
? Remembrance Day – attending a service or wearing a poppy
? The two-minute silence
? Families keep items such as letters, photographs and medals to
help them remember
? Visiting battlefields
Activity
If you have brought notebooks you can ask the children to design a
remembrance plaque. They can look at the First World War section of the
timeline to find objects, stories and information to inspire them.
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Self-Directed Resources for teachers visiting IWM North
Academic year 2009-10 KS2 First World War
After your visit If your group took any photographs or made any sketches of their visit they
can make a collage.
If the students know of any relatives or family friends who fought and died in
the First World War you may wish to visit the Commonwealth War Graves
Commission website which can be found at http://www.cwgc.org/.
Alternatively students can enter their surname to see if anyone who shares
their surname is commemorated there.
You may wish to visit a local war memorial ask the students to select a name
from it and look them up on the website.
You could also plan some craft activities linked to this theme such as
designing a recruitment poster or you could try one of the craft activities listed
below.
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