Understanding 1916
PRONI: First World War Journal
To mark the 100th anniversary of the First World War, PRONI is producing a monthly blog recording the experiences of men and women who lived through the years 1914 to 1918.
PRONI holds a wide range of records, including letters, diaries and memoirs, relating to the War and to contemporary events in Ireland. These provide first-hand accounts of all aspects of the War as well as everyday life on the Home Front. Each month, short transcripts from the papers of three or four individuals who lived through these years will be published.
Resource Intentions
- Provide first-hand accounts of all aspects of the War as well as everyday life on the Home Front.
Areas of Learning
Environment and Society
History
Objective 1: Developing pupils as Individuals
Investigate individuals who are considered to have taken a significant moral stand and examine their motivation and legacy.
(Moral Character)
Objective 2: Developing pupils as Contributors to Society
Investigate the impact of significant events/ideas of the 20th century on the world.
(Cultural Understanding)
Learning for Life & Work
Local and Global Citizenship
Diversity and Inclusion
Investigate how and why conflict, including prejudice, stereotyping, sectarianism and racism may arise in the community.
Language and Literacy
English with Media Education
Objective 1: Developing pupils as Individuals
Engage, through language, with their peers and with fictional and real-life characters and situations, to explore their own emotions and develop creative potential.
(Personal Understanding)
Explore and respond to others’ emotions as encountered in literature, the media, moving image and peer discussion.
(Mutual Understanding)
Explore the use of language and imagery in conveying and evoking a variety of powerful feelings.
(Spiritual Awareness)
Irish with Media Education
Objective 1: Developing pupils as Individuals
Engage, through language, with their peers and with fictional and real-life characters and situations, to explore their own emotions and develop creative potential.
(Personal Understanding)
Explore and respond to others’ emotions as encountered in literature, the media, moving image and peer discussion.
(Mutual Understanding)
Explore the use of language and imagery in conveying and evoking a variety of powerful feelings.
(Spiritual Awareness)
Cross Curricular Learning
Using ICT
Through using the website and downloadable PDFs, pupils will be provided with the opportunity to research the first-hand accounts of male and females from the First World War and find entries relevant to any projects focussed around soldiers from Ulster and Irish regiments.
Using the resource will help to improve pupils’ understanding and experience as well as promoting creative thinking and discussion. The resources could inspire tasks that would support desktop publishing, presenting, researching, and working with sound.
Communication
The personal accounts within the resource provide pupils with the opportunity to develop their talking and listening, and reading skills through independent learning and shared experience.
Opportunities to Develop Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities
Using the content pupils can analyse patterns and relationships in the information with which they have been provided. They also have the opportunity to investigate and discuss the historical perspectives of meaning, ideas and attitudes relevant to the period.
As they learn about the issues and ideas of the time, students are encouraged to understand and manage not only the information available to them but also their emotions and reactions.
Providing students with the means to research new information and ideas allows them scope to take the initiative and make choices as they steer their own course through the learning.
Possible Task?
Create a digital comic centered around one of the personal accounts of a soldier from Ireland (either from an Ulster Regiment or Irish Regiment)
Use a desktop publishing / comic creation program to transform the personal account into a comic. Research appropriate and relevant images and information to be used in the comic.
Areas of Learning
- The Arts (Art & Design)
- Language and Literacy (English/Irish with Media Education)
- Environment and Society (History)
