Topic: The beginning of the World War I

Target group

7th‑grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

7th‑grade students of elementary school

XXV. First World War. Pupil:

2) lists the main reasons for war – political and economic, indirect and direct.

General aim of education

Students learn the main causes of the war - political and economic, indirect and direct, combining these reasons with the knowledge of the growing conflicts between the European powers at the beginning of the 20th century.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• to define the most important reasons for the beginning of World War I;

• to characterize the approach of European nations towards the incoming war;

• to indicate the focal points of political conflicts and countries that belonged to military blocs on the map of the world and of Europe.

Methods/techniques

• activating

  • discussion.

• expository

  • talk.

• exposing

  • film.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

1. The teacher asks pupils to repeat information about European political crises on the eve of the war, based on the lesson: Is this already a war? European political crises in the early twentieth century. He also asks for a repetition of information regarding the formation of the Triple Entente and Triple Alliance blocs..

Introduction

1. The teacher explains the students the purpose of the lesson, topic and the criteria for success.

2. The teacher reminds students of the following historical facts: 1908 - annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by Austro‑Hungary, 1911 - (second) Moroccan crisis; 1912‑1913 - two Balkan wars. Students analyze the maps and talk to the teacher about the effects of the events mentioned. The teacher draws their attention to non‑European colonial conflicts as a factor in the growing tension of war.

Realization

1. Students do Exercise 1, matching individual illustrations to the rulers of countries. Then the teacher gives them basic information on family connections of European monarchs, referring to the information contained in the e‑textbook. In conversation with the teacher, the students ponder the answer to the question: Did dynastic relationships prevent war? The teacher announces the transition to the next stage of the lesson - to analyze the direct causes of the outbreak of war. Tells students about the attack in Sarajevo as a direct cause of the launch of military alliances.

2. Students analyze a map showing military alliances and do Task 1, followed by Task 2. In pairs, they answer the following questions: Who is responsible for the outbreak of war? Will you agree with the thesis that weaker countries have drawn stronger allies into the war? Which state belonging to the military blocs did not fulfill all their allied commitments? Students should justify their answers. The teacher comments on the results of their work, answers questions.

3. The students analyze the photographs in the e‑textbook showing the recruits going to the front and bidding their farewells. They talk with the teacher about what they managed to read from the photographs. Then they do Task 3. They analyze two fragments of texts and write in the points the most important arguments confirming that war was supported en masse and arguments that contradict this thesis. They try to make their own assessment of people's attitudes towards the upcoming war, they point to those that appeal to them the most (individual opinions of students), which convince them more. Checking their opinions takes place in the form of free discussion.

Summary

1. The teacher asks students to do Exercise 2. Students after listening to the recording share their reflections.

2. The teacher assesses the students' work during the lesson, taking into account their input and commitment. For this purpose, he may prepare an evaluation questionnaire for self‑assessment and evaluation of the teacher's work and other students.

Homework

1. The teacher sets homework (it is not an obligatory part of the scenario): On the basis of statistical data in the textbook (subsection: Instead of a summary), evaluate which of the countries mobilized the most people.

2. The teacher also suggests reading popular science books about 1914 in Europe.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

The beginning of the World War I

The direct cause of the outbreak of the First World War was the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. This caused a military conflict between Austria and Serbia. In the following months, other countries joined the war.