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K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

World War I - The Impact of WWI on Mecklenburg County

This is a fun and engaging computer activity designed to help students understand how a war in Europe can affect a town in North Carolina. This lesson is part of a unit on World War I. This lesson may be used in a World History class or United States History class. It will deal with the creation of Camp Greene in Mecklenburg County and the impact the camp had on the inhabitants of Charlotte. The lesson will also focus on changes that occurred in Charlotte during WWI.

A lesson plan for grades 9–12 Social Studies

By Billie Clemens

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Learning outcomes

Goals:

  • Students will draw connections between WWI and North Carolina.
  • Students will analyze the impact of migration and emigration on the Charlotte Mecklenburg area during WWI.

Objectives:

  • Students will be able to describe specific changes that resulted from the creation of Camp Greene on the inhabitants of Charlotte.
  • Students will be able to describe the role of women on the homefront.
  • Students will create posters illustrating the changes.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

2 days

Materials/resources

  • Pen and regular notebook paper for each student.
  • Different colored markers for the posters.
  • Six pieces of poster board-one for each group.
  • Computer lab with access to the Internet for all sutdents.

Technology resources

Computers with internet access for each student.

Pre-activities

Students should:

  • know the causes of World War I.
  • be able to identify major battles and their outcomes.
  • have a clear understanding of the various alliances of WWI.
  • have analyzed the changes that occurred on the homefront during WWI.

Activities

Introduction: Explain to the students that Camp Greene was created during WWI to train soldiers and was dismantled at the end of the war.

  1. Divide the students into six groups. It is best if there are 3-4 students per group. Each group should select a leader. The leader directs the group, assigns tasks, and is the spokesperson for the group.
  2. Assign one of the following topics to each group. These questions are just meant to be guidelines. The questions are designed to prompt the students in independent research. Students are to thoroughly explore their topics.
    • How did Camp Greene come to Charlotte? What did citizens have to do in order to get the camp created in Charlotte? What process was involved in the construction of the camp?
    • How did the role of women change as a result of WWI? What happened to women’s roles because of the emigration of hundreds of men from Charlotte to fight in the war. How were women affected because of the creation of Camp Greene?
    • What was life like in the camp? What were the living conditions like? Were there any health issues related to the camp? What role did the Charlotte Observer play in the soldiers’ lives?
    • How was the business community affected by the creation of camp? How was the business community affected by WWI? What type of jobs were created as a result of the camp and the war? How was pay affected?
    • How did Charlotte accommodate the soldiers? How did they make the soldiers feel at home? What social organizations were set up to help the soldiers?
    • What type of changes did Charlotte have to make as a result of Camp Greene? What were some of the cultural differences the town experienced? How did they solve the problems?
    • What happened to Charlotte after the War? What happened to Camp Greene? What was the impact of Camp? How was Charlotted different after the war?
  3. Go to the following website: http://www.cmstory.org/ww1/Each group should explore the different sections of the website: “The Great War” (This is a large section.), “The Doughboys” (Click on Registration Card Information Page.), “The Echo of the Bugle Call” (Click on the Online text. Students can explore different chapters relating to their topics. This is a very big section.), “After the War”, and for fun, the “Image Gallery.”
  4. Each group is to explore the website to research its given topic. The leader of the group should direct the individuals in the group to different parts of the web and coordinate the research. The students will not need to go to any other website. All the information is located on this website.
  5. Allow students 1-1/2 hours in the computer lab to access the website and the information.
  6. Each group will create a poster depicting the information it has learned. Posters may be in chart form. Each group will then present its findings to the class. The whole group must present.
  7. Allow students 1/2 hour to work on their poster. Each group should be allowed 3-5 minutes to present its information.
  8. The teacher should then conclude the lesson by summing up the information presented to class.

Optional Writing Activity

  1. Students should go to the Soldier’s Diary Section.
  2. Read any two of the following diary entries:
    • Chapter 1 - “Leaving the USA”
    • Chapter 2 - “Crossing the Atlantic”
    • Chapter 9 & 10 - “At the Front”
    • Chapter 15 - “The Battle of Bellicourt”
  3. Analyze the individual’s character, motivations, and opinions. Look for how the individual changed over the course of the diary.
  4. In an essay, you are to address the above issues. Focus on how the war and leaving Charlotte have changed this man. Add your own closing paragraph: What do you think happened to him once he returned home?
  5. Standard format for the essay. Minimum of five paragraphs. Use only one side of the paper. Type (double space) the essay, or write with pen.

Time frame: As a homework activity, two days - one night to read the diary and one night to write the essay.

Assessment

Assessment may take a variety of forms.
Teacher observation is a primary option. During the computer portion of the activity, the teacher should monitor for time on task. One option to evaluate this is to have each student write on his/her name on a piece of paper and the numbers 100, 80, 60, 40, 0. Each time the teacher has to call the student for being off task, a line gets marked through the highest number. This provides an easy and objective way to give a daily grade for the computer lab.
The teacher may evaluate posters and presentations with the following criteria: accuracy of information, neatness, organization, and clarity of information.

Supplemental information

None

Related websites

The Doughboys and Camp Greene:
http://www.cmstory.org/ww1/default.asp
This site provides all the information that students will need to research their topics.
This website was originally accessed through the NC Echo portal
http://www.ncecho.org/
This is a portal to hundreds of different websites across North Carolina that access a plethora of primary source and archival information on a variety of topics.

Comments

This lesson may be extended to include writing that can be used in the history classes or with the 10th grade English classes if they study “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

See the extra credit portion in the Lesson Activity section.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

Social Studies (2003)

Grade 9

  • Goal 5: Global Wars - The learner will analyze the causes and results of twentieth century conflicts among nations.
    • Objective 5.01: Analyze the causes and course of World War I and assess its consequences.

Grades 11–12 — United States History

  • Goal 8: The Great War and Its Aftermath (1914-1930) - The learner will analyze United States involvement in World War I and the war's influence on international affairs during the 1920's.
    • Objective 8.03: Assess the political, economic, social, and cultural effects of the war on the United States and other nations.

Computer Technology Skills (2005)

Grades 9–12

  • Goal 3SS — Social Studies: The learner will use a variety of technologies to access, analyze, interpret, synthesize, apply, and communicate information.
    • Objective 3SS.01: Select and use appropriate technology tools to efficiently collect, analyze, and display data.
    • Objective 3SS.02: Use databases to collect, record, analyze, and display data.
    • Objective 3SS.03: Use electronic resources for research.
    • Objective 3SS.04: Select and use technological tools for class assignments, projects, and presentations.
    • Objective 3SS.05: Adhere to Fair Use and Multimedia Copyright Guidelines, citing sources of copyrighted materials in papers, projects, and multimedia presentations.