Historical Perspectives on the Great War

Grade Level:

8th Grade

Subjects:

Language Arts, Social Studies, Information Literacy

Focus:

Students will learn to recognize the historic themes and diction of the late 19th and early 20th centuries by analyzing newspaper articles from Colorado's Historic Newspaper Collection database online. Students also will learn to understand identified aspects of a newspaper and journalistic writing.

Standards Assessed

History Standard 2: Students know how to use the processes and resources of historical inquiry.

Information Literacy Standard 2: Student evaluates information critically and competently.

Assessment-
See attached rubric

Standards Addressed

History
1. Students understand the chronological organization of history and know how to organize events and people into major eras to identify and explain historical relationships.
3. Students understand that societies are diverse and have changed over time.
4. Students understand how science, technology, and economic activity have developed, changed, and affected societies throughout history.
5. Students understand political institutions and theories that have developed and changed over time.
6. Students know that religious and philosophical ideas have been powerful forces throughout history.

Reading and Writing

1. Students read and understand a variety of materials.
2. Students write and speak for a variety of purposes and audiences.
3. Students write and speak using conventional grammar, usage, sentence structure, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling.
4. Students apply thinking skills to their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing.
5. Students read to locate, select, and make use of relevant information from a variety of media, reference, and technological sources.
6. Students read and recognize literature as a record of human experience.

Information Literacy

1. The information literate student accesses information efficiently and effectively.
3. The information literate student uses information accurately and creatively.
Independent Learning.
4. The information literate student is an independent learner who pursues information related to personal interests.
5. The information literate student is an independent learner who appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information.
6. The information literate student is an independent learner who strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation.
7. The information literate student contributes positively to the learning community and to society and recognizes the importance of information to a democratic society.
8. The information literate student contributes positively to the learning community and to society and practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information technology.
9. The information literate student contributes positively to the learning community and to society and participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information.

Time:

Four hours of class time.

Materials/Teacher Preparation Section:

• Access to the Internet and computers
  
• worksheet and rubric
  
• Training on use of the Colorado's Historic Newspaper Collection database online
• The World War I Document Archive

Possible Procedures:

Introduce students to the Colorado's Historic Newspaper Collection database online.

• A good introduction is the lesson A Wilderness Journey

Have students complete the assignment:

1. Have students look at What's Here in the left-hand column of the database and answer the questions about newspaper titles in the assignment.
   
   
2. Using the keywords about the Great War listed on the last page of the assignment, have students complete the following sections of the assignment using CHNC. One section of the assignment must be completed using information from The World War I Document Archive . All keywords must be used in the assignment, or defined separately, by the completion of the assignment.

• Headlines
• Advertisements
• War-Related Deaths
• Photographs
• Major News Events (using one of the events listed in the keywords)
• Search Activity

1. Students will discuss as a class the "treasures" discovered.
2. The students' assignments will be assessed using the attached rubric and the class discussion.

-Linda Thompson, Terri Inloes & Mary J. Johnson
Eagleview Middle School