Assignment: All Quiet on the Western Front Webquest

 

 

Learning about World War I

 

INTRODUCTION

Our next novel, All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, is an important literary contribution for many reasons.  Set during World War I, the novel draws a grim picture of what the war was like for one young man and members of his unit.

 

TASK

During this class, you will research information about the war, and about the author.  This information will help you to understand why Remarque’s characters were so hopeless, and will help to put the novel’s themes into context for you.  It will also help you to understand why the novel is universally accepted, though it was written by a German.

 

Hint: You should respond in a detailed manner to the questions and keep your responses in your binder.  You will use your descriptions to write journal entries as we get farther into the novel.

 

 

PROCESS

You will be divided into groups of 2 to 3 members.  Divide the following questions among your group members.  Complete the handout.  You will turn it in at the end of class.

 

 

Handout Questions:

A.  Author - Erich Maria Remarque:

 

1.      When and where was Remarque born?

 

2.      Describe his war experiences.

 

3.      How was All Quiet on the Western Front received in Germany? In the United States?

 

 

B.  War Background:

 

1.      When was World War I fought?

 

2.      What countries comprised the Central Powers?

 

3.      What countries comprised the allies?

 

4.      What countries were neutral?

 

5.      Name two causes of the war.

 

6.      Geographically, where did most of the action take place?

 

 

C.  How the war was fought:

 

1.      Explain how and why World War I was a new kind of warfare.

 

2.      Identify and describe three weapons introduced during World War I.

 

3.      What were some of the important battles of the war? Why were these battles important?

 

4.      Describe the trenches that the men used for protection.

 

 

 

D.  Effect of the war on the soldiers:

 

1.      All Quiet on the Western Front begins in the war’s third year.  Explain the status of the war at the point.  Who was winning?

 

2.      What was morale like?

 

3.      What was it like in the trenches for the soldiers?

 

 

E.  Result of the war:

 

1.      How many people were killed?

 

2.      How many people were wounded?

 

3.      What was the dollar cost of the war?

 

 

RESOURCES

http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/remarque.htm 

http://remarque.org/about_remarque.html

http://threeworldwars.com/world-war-1/ww1.htm

http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/

http://www.worldwar1.com/

http://www.firstworldwar.com/

http://net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/

http://www.worldwaronecolorphotos.com/

EVALUATION

 

 

 

Criteria	Unsatisfactory	Satisfactory	Good	Excellent
Knowledge Gained	Several students in the group appear to have little knowledge about the facts or processes used to create the brochure.   (1 pt)	Most students in the group can accurately answer most questions related to the facts in the brochure and to the processes used to create the brochure.   (2 pts)	All students in the group can accurately answer most questions related to the facts in the brochure and to the processes used to create the brochure.   (3 pts)	All students in the group can accurately answer questions related to the brochure and the processes used to create the brochure.   (4 pts)
Content Accuracy	Fewer than 80 % of the facts in the brochure are accurate.   (1 pt)	80%-89% on the facts in the brochure are accurate.   (2 pts)	90%-99% on the facts in the brochure are accurate.   (3pts)	All facts in the brochure are accurate.   (4 pts)

 

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

Congratulations! You have gained a wealth of knowledge about World War I that will help you to understand the novel and its themes.

 

Be sure to save your information in your binders, as you will be writing journal entries to personalize Paul’s experiences that will draw upon the details you captured.

 

CREDITS

We all benefit by being generous with our work. Permission is granted for others to use and modify this WebQuest for educational, non-commercial purposes as long as the original authorship is credited. The modified WebQuest may be shared only under the same conditions.

 

TEACHER PAGE

Welcome to this webquest to orient students to the novel All Quiet on the Western Front.  Through the webquest, students will have the opportunity to learn about World War I through subjects that interest them. Whether it’s looking at old photos of the destruction caused by battles, grimacing at the sight of cruel weapons, imagining themselves in a trench surrounded by flamethrowers, or reading differing views regarding the causes of the war, students will come away from this search with an important background on the author and the war.