War is...

Upon consideration of the perspectives on war from their classmates, the poet Stephen Crane in "War is Kind," and various characters from All Quiet on the Western Front, students will write an editorial for the school newspaper in which they share opinions about war.

A lesson plan for grade 10 English Language Arts

By Rhonda Dillingham

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Related topics

• Learn more about All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque, character motives, editorials, language arts, literature, novels, poetry, war, and writing.

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• analyze the idea of war from the perspectives of classmates, the poet Stephen Crane, and various literary characters from All Quiet on the Western Front.
• write an editorial for the school newspaper in which they share opinions on war.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

2 days

Materials/resources

• class set of All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
• copy of Stephen Crane’s poem “War Is Kind”
• teacher-selected copies of editorials with opposing views on the topic of war to use for examples

Activities

1. In writing, students should complete the following statement:
   “War is_________.” Then, students should write a paragraph explaining their response.
2. In a class discussion, the teacher will survey the students for their responses and will display them in a bubble map on the overhead.
3. After class discussion the teacher will share the poem “War Is Kind,” leading the class in understanding the poet’s attitude is sarcastic. (It is suggested that the teacher show only the title before revealing the entire poem in order to engage the students’ interest).
4. The teacher will also share various quotations from the All Quiet on the Western From that reveal characters’ differing attitudes toward war.
5. Students are divided into small groups. Each group is given one quotation and asked to determine the character’s attitude toward war. Groups will choose one group member and that member will share with the class as a whole.
6. The teacher will then share various appropriate editorials of opposing opinions with the class. Not only will the teacher point out the differing perspectives on the topic, but she will also discuss the requirements of an editorial by sharing the article “How to Write an Editorial”.
7. Students will be given the Editorial about war homework assignment.
8. The next day students will pair up and evaluate each other’s editorials using the Peer Edit: Editorials Rubric (attached). Students will then revise and write a final draft.

Assessment

Teacher should read the students’ “War Is…” journals, writing comments and/or questions meant to prod students in extending their ideas. Teacher grades students’ editorials using the Peer Edit: Editorials Rubric.

Supplemental information

Comments

Because of Operation Iraqi Freedom, students have been eager to discuss the topic of war, making the teaching of All Quiet on the Western Front relevant and timely. In fact, teachers are encouraged to point out that Crane’s sarcasm in “War Is Kind” can be turned around when students consider the perspective of the Iraqi people. Also, this assignment can be extended to create a “War Is…” bulletin board of wartime images. Finally, the length of the editorial may be altered to suit the needs of the students.

This lesson was created as part of the NCDPI Writing Lessons for Writing Features Workshop (feature: focus).