Year 9 - English
World War One: propaganda and trench warfare
Literary perspectives from the First World War
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Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils explore and compare texts written about the First World War. They first read Beck's 'Propping up the line', Mansfield's 'The Fly' and Wilfred Owen's 1917 letter home to his mum. They finally read Brittain's 'Testament of Youth', and then plan and write a comparative response.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain why propaganda about World War One was so effective, and understand the differences between this wartime propaganda and the realities of trench warfare.
Key Notes
- Wartime propaganda was used to encourage recruitment and persuade the population that war was necessary.
- Wartime propaganda promoted the idea that fighting would bring glory upon soldiers.
- Much of World War One was fought in trenches.
- Conditions in trenches were appalling: the mud, rats, shelling, gore and inactivity traumatised many soldiers.
- Much war literature attempts to evoke conditions in the trenches.
Vocabulary To Learn
- propaganda: communication which is designed to influence its audience; the information is often misleading
- trench warfare: a type of war fought on land; deep ditches are dug and occupied by each warring side
- Wilfred Owen: a British soldier and poet (1893-1918) best known for his poems about World War One
- symbolise: when something is used to represent something else; trench warfare has come to symbolise World War One
- no man's land: the area of land between enemy trenches; a dangerous place where soldiers were often killed
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Trench warfare was fighting characterised by intense and constant action.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Wartime propaganda was used to encourage recruitment and persuade the population that war was necessary. Wartime propaganda promoted the idea that fighting would bring glory upon soldiers.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'propaganda'
communication which is designed to influence its audience; the information is often misleading.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Trench warfare was fighting characterised by intense and constant action. Correction: Trench warfare was characterised by intense periods of action, but also long periods of inaction which could be demoralising, boring and harrowing.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Analysing the presentation of the gas attack: Ian Beck's 'Propping Up the Line' Study Guide
- Comparing texts about World War One in comparative analytical paragraphs Study Guide
- Comparing texts about World War One using comparative topic sentences Study Guide
- Creative writing in the third person inspired by Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' Study Guide
- Debating different interpretations of Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' Study Guide
- Exploring the presentation of the boss in 'The Fly' by Katherine Mansfield Study Guide
- Ian Beck's 'Propping Up The Line': Alice's experiences on the Home Front Study Guide
- Improving a letter: deliberate verbs and precise adjectives Study Guide
- Improving the style of a letter: sentence structure and rhythm Study Guide
- Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' (1922): exploring character foils and symbolism Study Guide
- Letter writing: planning, using Vera Brittain's 'Testament of Youth' as stimulus Study Guide
- Letter writing: planning, using Wilfred Owen's 1917 letter as stimulus Study Guide
- Reading 'Propping Up the Line', a short story about World War One by Ian Beck Study Guide
- Reading Katherine Mansfield's short story, 'The Fly' (1922) Study Guide
- Skim reading and close reading: 'Testament of Youth' by Vera Brittain Study Guide
- Skim reading and close reading: Wilfred Owen's 1917 letter to his mother Study Guide
- Symbolism and motif in Ian Beck's short story, 'Propping Up The Line' Study Guide
- The presentation of trauma in Ian Beck's short story, 'Propping Up the Line' Study Guide
- Understanding why people write about war Study Guide
- Using sentence structure to create rhythm in writing about World War One Study Guide
- Vivid descriptive writing using Ian Beck's 'Propping Up The Line' as stimulus Study Guide
- Writing a letter as a soldier in the trenches of World War One Study Guide
- Writing a letter from the British home front: tone, audience and purpose Study Guide
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