First World War Session Information 

 This session can be taught: 

• as outreach in your school 
• as an online session 

The content of these sessions does vary, but we try to keep them as similar as possible.

Find out more about our online resources.

Outreach Day at School:

• Object Handling and Investigation – we show the children how to be mini archaeologists, while looking at and holding artefacts in our First World War collection. We ask them to use their observation and historical enquiry skills, as well as any prior knowledge to form a theory about what they are and were used for. They will share some of their theories before we reveal what archaeologists think they are. 
• Historical Debate – using a range of historical sources, the children will debate what kind of a person Field Marshall Douglas Haig, the leader of British troops for much of the First World War, actually was. Was he the ‘Master of the Field’, or the ‘Butcher of the Somme’? 
• Dadaist Poetry – not everyone supported the First World War. Some turned to poetry to express their anger, sadness and sense of betrayal, while others set out to show their opposition in a new and radical artistic direction, the Dadaist art movement. This session brings both together as the children create their own Dadaist anti-war poems. 

Need to know:

• For an outreach day, we aim to arrive at school to begin teaching at 9.30am, fitting in around the established school breaks of your school, until approximately 20 minutes before the end of your school day.  
• We can teach up to three classes on the same day on outreach, but early bookings are essential so we can allocate the required number of staff to make it possible. 
• The cost for outreach is £5 per pupil, with an additional flat rate charge of £20 towards transport costs. 

Online Session:

• Object Investigation – we show the children how to be mini archaeologists, using our overhead camera, to give them a detailed look at our First World War artefacts. Having modelled how to use our artefact investigation sheets, we ask the children to independently use their observation and historical enquiry skills, as well as any prior knowledge to form a theory about what they are and were used for. They will share some of their theories before we reveal what archaeologists think they are. 
• Historical Debate – using a range of historical sources, the children will debate what kind of a person Field Marshall Douglas Haig, the leader of British troops for much of the First World War, actually was. Was he the ‘Master of the Field’, or the ‘Butcher of the Somme’? 

Need to know:

• An online session is two hours in length.  
• Session times are 9.30am – 11.30am and 1pm – 3pm, but we can accommodate slightly different timings. Please ask at the point of booking if this is something that would be helpful for you.  
• You will need to book a short test call with us to check that you can see and hear us on the whiteboard in your classroom. These are available at 3.30pm, 3.45pm and 4pm. 
• We ask you to book separate sessions for each of your classes so we can keep them as interactive as possible. 
• You will be sent an email with resources to print out before your session. 
• The cost of the sessions is £45 per class. 

National Curriculum Link: 

History - Key Stage 2: A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils historical knowledge beyond 1066. 

Develop a chronologically secure knowledge. 

Use of historical terms. 

Understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources. 

Address and devise historically valid questions. 

Session costs