Letters Back Home: A Soldier's Perspective on World War I

World War I traumatized many of the soldiers that participated in the war. It had a lasting effect on the political, economic, social, and cultural lives of Americans during the 1920's. By reading letters that one soldier wrote to his family back home. Students can gain insight into the reasons why the “Great War” had such a profound impact on the United States in years following the war.

A lesson plan for grades 11–12 Social Studies

By George Gray and Jr.

About the authors

I am a 28 year veteran of Garner Senior High School in Garner, NC. During that time I have served as the social studies department chairman and have taught a variety of courses in the social studies. Presently, I teach Honors U.S. History. This plan is the result of my work at UNC through the Masters of Education for Experienced Teachers Program.

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Learning outcomes

U.S. History: The Great War and Its Aftermath (1914-1930). The learner will analyze the United States involvement in World War I and the war’s influence on international affairs during the 1920’s. They will assess the political, economic, social, and cultural effects of the war on the United States and other nations.

Specific Lesson Objectives:

1. Students will read and comprehend letters written by a World War I soldier serving in the United States Army.
2. Students will read and comprehend biographical information concerning a soldier that fought in World War I.
3. Students will be able to make a distinction between primary and secondary sources in researching a topic in history.
4. Students will imagine themselves as soldiers and compose letters to love ones back home.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

2 days

Materials/resources

• Teachers need assess to the UNC at Chapel Hill’s website, Documenting the American South: North Carolinians and the Great War.
• This lesson can be taught in a computer lab or with the use of a data projector.
• If a computer is not available to students, teachers can make printed copies of the materials from the DocSouth website.
• Teachers should review or explain the differences between a primary source document and a secondary source document. See sidebar for additional information.

Technology resources

Computer access to the internet and, in particular, the North Carolinians and the Great War website, which is part of Documenting the American South at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Pre-activities

• Students should have a firm foundation on the causes of World War I and some concepts concerning the type of fighting the men had to endure.
• A good video to use to help prepare the students is The American Experience: The Great War – 1918 that is available through PBS.
• Teachers can use The Great War Background and Video Questions to help the students understand the video.
• Teachers should also be familiar with the Documenting the American South website and be able to navigate various layers of the site before teaching the lesson.

Activities

1. Students will access the Documenting the American South website from a computer. Following Collections link, the students should click North Carolinians and the Great War. This is a large collection of primary documents that relate to North Carolina’s involvement in World War I. The collection can be used in a variety of ways in the classroom. The main emphasis of this lesson is to read a letter from Paul Green to his sister, Erma, back home in North Carolina.
2. Next, the students should click Browse this Collection by Topic, which will take them to a portal from which they can access the material in the collection.
3. The students should go to The Soldier’s Experience A link to Paul Green can be found under Personal Narratives. Within the Full Text section, students can read transcripts of the letters that he wrote from the summer of 1917 to the summer of 1919 to various members of his family.
4. Make sure that the students explore the life of Paul Green by going to Summary of this title and About Paul Eliot Green, 1894-1981.
5. As the students explore this material have them write down five facts about Paul Green.
6. Direct the students to the letter that Paul Green writes to his sister, Erma, on August 25, 1918 while he is in Belgium. This letter provides an excellent forum to discuss to emotional aspects of war.
7. Students can used the Letters Back Home Guided Reading Activity to help them understand the letter.

Assessment

This lesson provides teachers with many opportunities to assess student learning. Here are few suggestions:

1. Teachers can check The Great War Background and Video Questions and Letters Back Home Guided Reading Activity for accuracy.
2. After completing the pre-activities and the activities associated with the lesson, the teacher can assess student learning by conducting a seminar on World War I.
3. Students can compose their own letters back home. Their letters should reflect the things that they have learned about World War I from the activities in the lesson. Use the Letters Back Home Rubric to evaluate their letters.

Supplemental information

The Documenting the American South website can be very challenging for the average high school student to navigate. It is important for teachers to become very familiar with the site before attempting this lesson. This is a valuable resource with a wealth of information. The Paul Green letter is an easy way to use the site and to bring a primary document into North Carolina classrooms. Other websites on World War I that could be used in connection with the lesson are listed under Related Websites section.

Related websites

• Wars and Conflict: World War One. This website is created by the BBC and gives the British perspective on World War I. There are timelines, secondary historical accounts of the war, and a multimedia section with video and audio.
• Teachnology The Web Portal for Educators. This website gives teachers an easy way to create rubrics for classroom use.

Comments

If a computer lab is not available at your school, a copy of the Paul Green’s letter can be downloaded and printed for classroom use.