Although most of our students are aware that it is the 100th year anniversary of WW1 and that there is plenty of information available for them on TV , internet etc. we think that the actual event is too far removed from, and not really relevant to their lives.

Too many generations have passed by, and for most families oral history of the event seems to have somehow been forgotten over time or overtaken by more recent wars and tragic events.

We have learned from experience that if students  are going to research well they need to get involved in their topic and somehow personalize it to their own experiences and families.

By doing this they can develop an understanding of this topic and realize the impact that the war would have had on the populations of the time and that it was just as much about the people at home as it was about battles and the trenches.

To help begin this process we have chosen a selection of fiction, nonfiction and poetry books relating to many aspects of WW1 and asked the students to read widely from this selection over the school holidays.

We hope that by getting them involved in the stories and personal experiences of the characters, and the narratives of the bravery, desperation, sadness and multitude of other descriptors to be found in these books that the whole event will become more meaningful and relevant.

The spin off from this will hopefully mean that when they choose the person that they want to research then they will more easily become personally involved, that the research will become more relevant, and they will have a greater understanding of the social, political and personal effects of the Great War on the population within the paradigm of the time.