Are you teaching World War I, and looking for ways to have your students analyze primary sources? Maybe you're hoping to have your students gain a better understanding of trench warfare? I've put together a gallery walk stations activity that incorporates primary sources all based around trench warfare of World War One.
This classroom-based learning activity will get your students out of their seats. This activity is set up similar to a museum or gallery. Students will view primary source images from World War I organized by topic.
Students rotate through stations, and record data to reach a conclusion regarding the overarching inquiry-based question of "What was life like for a soldier on the front lines of World War I?"
New to Gallery Walks? You can read more about how I set up a gallery walk in my classroom here.
4 Gallery Stations:
Students will view 33 images with descriptive text on the following topics:
- Trench Warfare
- Chemical Warfare
- Tank Warfare
- Stormtroopers & Flamethrowers
All of these images include descriptions. They are designed so that students use higher-level thinking skills to reach a conclusion to the overarching question of "What was life like for a soldier on the front lines of World War I?"
Gallery Walk Student Tasks:
A student booklet is included for your students to record data and write a final conclusion essay. Instead of having papers everywhere, I've made things simple. Students complete all of their work within their own booklet. This not only keeps students accountable but makes things much more organized for you.
Printing Set-Up:
The setup for this activity is very minimal, and I've organized everything to make printing a breeze! Print the student booklet and triple staple. Print the images. All the images are organized by the corresponding station. You don't need to laminate, but if you plan to use this activity over multiple classes or years, you might consider laminating for durability and to make prep easier next year.
Here's what teachers are saying about this activity:
"My students were struggling to make visual connections to life during WW1. These illustrations kept them engaged and they loved sharing what they discovered!" -J.C.
"I used part of this to introduce trench warfare to my students. It was a powerful lesson on the history of that time, as well as the differences between primary and secondary documents." E.W.
You can find this activity included within my entire World War I Unit, or grab the activity here:
