This teaching resource is designed as a series of lessons for Year 9 students. The lessons use explicit instruction and an inquiry approach. Guide students to critically analyse primary sources as they learn about an Australian soldier’s wartime experience. The task uses service records from the National Archives of Australia and online primary sources from the Australian War Memorial.
- Presentation slides20.42 MB
- Worksheet 1 Apply COPE243.75 KB
- Worksheet 2 First World War soldier profile327.2 KB
- Worksheet 3 COPE analysis 257.96 KB
- Worksheet 4 Primary Source Investigation273.08 KB
- WWI war service extract for Edward Cleaver2.27 MB
- WWI war service extract for Clarence Dakin1.77 MB
- WWI war service extract for Reginald Gardiner1.93 MB
- WWI war service extract for Raymond Membrey1.87 MB
- Abbreviation guide274.94 KB
- Glossary308.52 KB
Teacher notes
Learning intentions
This educational resource will help students use and evaluate primary sources to understand an Australian soldier’s experience in the First World War.
The activities are designed to develop students’ historical skills, such as:
- locate and select primary sources
- identify the origin and content of sources
- explain the purpose of primary source
- explain the usefulness of primary sources
- analyse the reliability of the primary sources
- read war records.
Lesson resources
- Presentation slides in PowerPoint and Google Slides formats
- Using Primary and Secondary Sources: Handy History Hints video (coming soon)
- 5 war service record extracts with transcriptions
- 4 student worksheets:
- Apply COPE: worksheet 1
- Soldier profile: worksheet 2
- Service records COPE analysis: worksheet 3
- Primary source investigation: worksheet 4
- Abbreviation guide
- Glossary
Additional primary sources
About this resource
We've provided a biography to introduce the soldiers that students can investigate. Extra supporting notes are provided in the 'Notes' pane under the slides in the presentation.
The investigation uses COPE (content, origin, purpose, evaluate), a scaffold to help students analyse and critically read historical sources.
The service records extracts have been transcribed to help all students engage with the material. Students can use both the original documents and the transcriptions. All efforts have been made to ensure the transcriptions are correct.
Extra military correspondence
Due to copyright law, DVA cannot reproduce military correspondence in the form of letters written by citizens or any material originating from another country. However, the full war service records contain primary sources your students may find interesting.
If time permits, encourage students to access the full war service record held by the National Archives of Australia.
Edward Randolph Cleaver [NAA: B2455, CLEAVER E R] includes:
- a letter from Adeline Cleaver about her brother on pages 15 and 16.
Raymond Edward Membrey [NAA: B2455, MEMBREY RAYMOND EDWARD] includes:
- a record from a German POW Camp on page 9
- a letter from Ray to his family on page 15
- a letter from Ray’s brother to Base Records about his missing brother on page 23.
William Edward Peach [NAA: B2455, PEACH WILLIAM EDWARD] includes:
- a written note from William’s parents to the attesting officer giving their consent for him to enlist on page 3.
Australian Curriculum
Knowledge and understanding
Students learn about the places of significance where Australians fought, their perspectives and experiences, including the Gallipoli campaign, the Western Front and the Middle East. AC9HH9K09
Students learn about the effects of the First World War on Australian society, such as the role of women, political debates about conscription, relationships with the British Empire, and the experiences of returned soldiers. AC9HH9K11
Skills
- locate, identify and compare primary and secondary sources to use in historical inquiry AC9HH9S02
- identify the origin and content of sources, and explain the purpose and context of primary and secondary sources AC9HH9S03
- explain the usefulness of primary and secondary sources, and the reliability of the information as evidence AC9HH9S04
Teaching sensitivities
Teachers are advised to be sensitive to students' perspectives and emotions while using this resource. When working through the activities, teachers will need to consider their students' religious and cultural beliefs, any experiences of war or conflict, or parents serving in the defence forces. It is the responsibility of teachers to consider whether it is appropriate to use this resource with their students.
Copyright
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
