WWI Activity List (pdf)

Name of Activity Description Due Date
Pre-WWI Map (1914) Color-code the countries of Europe by alliance (Central Powers, Allies, or
Neutral) on the eve of WWI.
Causes of WWI
Life in the Trenches
Explain the major causes of WWI. Place these events on a timeline
starting with the coronation of Wilhelm I in 1890 and ending with France
& GB declaring war on Germany. Causes of WWI
Read the article at this link: Life in the Trenches
Write two journal entries as a WWI soldier. Make sure to make it realistic
and include facts from the article.
Life on the Homefront
Post-WWI Map (1919)
The Treaty of
Versailles
Choice Activity
Read pages 900-904 in your textbook. Answer the following:
1. What was total war How was it different from how wars had
been fought in the past
2. Explain how food was rationed during WWI.
3. What social changes did war bring
4. How did the governments of Europe try to keep their citizens loyal
to the state
5. Why did morale begin to waver after 1916 How did this decrease
in morale manifest itself
Mark which territories on the map were lost by the Central Powers.
Compare this map to your pre-WWI map. Which new countries were
created after WWI
Read this: Excerpt of the Treaty of Versailles
1. Put the main idea of each article in your own words.
2. Which of these articles would you consider the harshest Give an
explanation for your choice.
Use this website as a source of information: Weapons of War
Choose 3 of the following advancements in military technology &
complete the following:
1. Give a brief description of the piece of technology.
2. Explain how its use affected the fighting during WWI.
Pieces of military tech:
• Bolt-action rifle
• Machine gun
• Airplane
• Poison gas
• Tanks
• U-boats
• Flamethrower
• Grenades

War Poetry: Read Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen. Answer the
following:
1. What does the title of this poem mean
2. What is this poem about
3. What is the central message of this poem
Compare this with The Charge of the Light Brigade, written by Alfred Lord
Tennyson about a battle of the Crimean War (1854). How are the two
poems different What do you think accounts for these differences
Optional Activities
Declarations of War: Use the website to make a timeline of when the
following nations entered WWI.
• Austria-Hungary
• United Kingdom
• France
• United States of America
• Russia
• Turkey (Ottoman Empire)
• Italy
• Germany
Animated Map of the Western Front: Shows progression of trench fighting
on the Western Front for the duration of the war.
Explore the Mark I Tank: In-depth look at the parts of a WWI tank.
Making the Peace: The Story of the Treaty of Versailles: Offers further
information on the formation of the Treaty which ended WWI.