The Great War: World War I Then and Now

Week 1 From Start to Stalemate, Lesson 5

Lesson Title: Christmas 1914
Grade Level: 12 Time/Duration: 90 mins.
Lesson Overview: This lesson will focus on the Christmas Truce of 1914 where soldiers on
the Western front from opposing sides laid down their weapons, came out of their trenches, and
met in no mans land to celebrate a holiday common to all of them. The response of military and
country leaders to this event will be discussed, as will the soldiers responses to the event
whether they thought it was positive or negative, whether they trusted or mistrusted the enemy,
etc. Students will also be asked to consider and discuss what this event illustrated about attitudes
toward the war.
Standard(s): Tennessee US. 28, W.23, and W.29.
Color Key:
Web Resources
Lecture Types
Instructional Models/Strategies/Pedagogical Resources
Primary Sources
Essential Questions:
What was significant about this Christmas?
Why were other Christmases different?
Why did the Christmas truce of 1914 take place?
What insights does this event provide us with in regards to the war, the soldiers fighting
the war, and those in power in each country?
Why were events like what occurred on Christmas of 1914 suppressed in future years?
How might Christmas truces have affected the outcome of the war?
Instructional Objectives:
1. Students will relate Historical Events to their own lives.
2. Students will compare the first Christmas in 1914 with other Christmases.
3. Students will compare and contrast the goals of the soldiers in the trenches with the
leaders of the military and the leaders of the country and will use higher order thinking to
consider what the differences might mean for how the war plays out.
4. Students will discuss how and why these soldiers first came together in 1914 at Christmas
and what stopped them from coming together in future years.
5. Students will use higher order thinking to speculate how events like the Christmas Truce
of 1914 could have altered the outcome of the war.

Academic Vocabulary:
Frhliche Weinachten
Joyeux Nol
Merry Christmas
Truce
Introduction:

Bell Ringer Write or draw about your favorite Christmas memories and explain why
they are important to you. (~10-15 mins.)

Lesson Sequence:

Watch a clip from Joyeux Nol and discuss (~10-15 mins.).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPk9-AD7h3M
Think/Write/Discuss Lecture/Guided Discussion What made the first Christmas of
the war so special/different? Why were other Christmases different? What changed?
What does this event tell us about attitudes toward the war? Students will be given a
graphic organizer so that they can compare and contrast the attitudes of the soldiers
toward the war and the attitudes of the leaders towards the war and how the Christmas
truce affected these attitudes. (~20-30 mins.)
Class Assignment Pass out Primary Source packets with copies of letters/postcards
from soldiers and family members sent at Christmas, writings about the Christmas
Truce, etc. (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/25/weekinreview/
25word.ready.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0). Encourage students to use the Primary
Sources as examples along with their answers to their bell ringer to write their own
letters either as soldiers to loved ones, or the other way around. Encourage students to
express themselves as they normally would writing, drawing pictures, etc. Ask them to
pretend that they have just experienced Christmas with the enemy and to explain how
they would feel about this to their loved ones. There is no right or wrong answer. (~20
mins.)

Closure:

Wrap Up Check up on student progress. Answer any additional questions and assign
homework. (~10 mins.)
Homework Students should finish their letters if they did not finish them in class.

Extension/Enrichment/Re-teach:
Extension: Students will be asked to extend their understanding of the information multiple
times throughout the lecture as they consider questions posed by the teacher. Students will
also be required to extend the historical information they are learning to their own lives in
personal and meaningful ways.

Enrichment: The lesson is designed so that students with various learning styles will be able
to engage with the content in a way that they feel comfortable information will be
disseminated both visually and orally. Graphic organizers will be available for those who
wish to use them. Those with learning and other disabilities can be easily accommodated
with various learning aids and additional help as necessary.
Re-teach: Re-teaching will take place every day at the start of the lecture, following the bell
ringer, so that students will be reminded of what was discussed the previous day. If
homework is assigned, as it is in this lesson, discussing it at the start of class the following
day will serve as a re-teaching element.
Evaluation/Assessment:
Informal Formative Assessments will take place throughout the lesson. As students engage
with the presented material through open discussion with the teacher and other students and
through specific questions asked throughout the lecture their responses, participation, and
engagement levels will be assessed by the teacher.
Formal Formative Assessment: Students will be given a grade on the previous nights
homework that will be based on their level of engagement with the assignment and the
quality of their content. They will also be given a grade on the homework associated with
this lesson.
A Summative Assessment will also take place at the end of this lesson. Students journals,
in which they record each days bell ringers, discussion notes, and any written classroom
assignments or group work, will be collected and a grade for the week will be given.

Instructional Materials/Resources/Equipment:

Computer, premade PowerPoint, internet access, speakers.

Clip from Joyeux Nol downloaded ahead of time.
Packets of primary sources with letters to and from the Front. Christmas themed. Any
that can be found about the Christmas of 1914.
Graphic Organizers, such as a web diagrams or content mappers
White Board, markers, etc.