The DP1 History students spent the first 8 weeks of the year studying the causes of World War One as well as what happened during the war. As a culminating activity, one that corresponded with Remembrance Day, the students designed a reenactment of one of the battles of the War: The First Battle of the Marne. The method for doing this was going to be an organized dodgeball game.
To do this, the students researched the details of the battle; who attacked when, what weapons were used, which tactics were used, the casualties of the battle and who (or if) there was an overall winner. From this research, the students then had to try and plan how to best represent this in the gym. This was no easy feat, as the fundamental aspect of World War One warfare on the Western Front was Trench Warfare, and we couldn’t dig trenches in the gym! However, the students examined the materials available and were able to design a suitable course. They also had to try and decide which weapons were to be used. There were artillery bombardments and machine guns to name just a couple. So, again, the students examined the equipment and planned which balls would best represent each weapon.
From their research the students developed a plan for the set-up of the gym, the equipment and order of events. We then gathered all of the Grade 10 and 11 students to reenact the battle. The reenactment was a success as the students learnt a lot, such as the horrors of ‘real-life war’. To end the reenactment, we paused for a moment of silence for all the soldiers who have fallen defending their countries. This reenactment gives students some good knowledge about the war, but also allows them to experience from a perspective that isn’t possible in the history classroom. A big congratulations to the DP1 History students who planned a great reenactment!
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(Submitted by Nick Cornish)