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This video created by Geo History explains the events of World War One quickly and to an appropriate level for Year Nine History. This video would serve as an introduction to the topic to engage the learners.

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These worksheets can be used throughout the term, they are interactive and can be done using technology. They can be done independently or within groups.

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How will these World War 1 worksheets benefit my class?

These First World War inspired worksheet provide a useful structure for students to understand the countries that were in an alliance, entente and neutral states on a map visual.

How can I use these World War 1 worksheets with my child?

Using the Countries of the Alliances worksheet, come up with a colour key for each group of countries with your child.

This is a refreshing way to personalise your child's work and they will love colouring in each country on the resource!

These engaging activities provide a practical opportunity for your child to learn about World War 1.

For another engaging lesson plan idea, you could also try creating your own WW1 Propaganda Posters, ideal for putting your children's knowledge and persuasive writing skills to the test.

You can also use this How Did The First World War Start? Differentiated Fact File to teach students the causes of the conflict and explain why the war started.

Bring history to life in your classroom with this engaging PowerPoint presentation on the Battle of Verdun (1916), perfect for introducing students to the significance of this pivotal moment in World War I.

What countries fought in World War 1?

World War 1 was fought between two main powers; The Triple Alliance and The Triple Entente. The Triple Alliance originally consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, and their allies included Bulgaria and The Ottoman Empire. However, Italy never fought for the Triple Alliance in World War 1 and joined The Triple Entente side in 1915.

The Triple Entente was made up of the United Kingdom, Russia and France. Their allies included Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Serbia and Romania. Several countries remained neutral, such as Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

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This short informative video explains how World War One began. John Green, a well known and respected content creator narrates the video in an easy to comprehend manner that engages the audience. This video would serve as a substitute for a PowerPoint slide on the start of World War One and can be accompanied by thought-provoking questioning to test students on their retained knowledge.

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How World War I Started: Crash Course World History 209

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This website acts as a library for Primary Sources from WW1. It is extremely important that students consider both Primary and Secondary sources within their learning to support their arguments and knowledge building. Primary Sources are tricky due to the nature of where the source originated, who created it, the purpose, intended audience, ect must be considered when choosing any source.

https://www.carleton.edu/history/resources/history-study-guides/primary/

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LibGuides: Guide to Online Primary Sources: World War I

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Skip to Main Content It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

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This excellent source curated by the Australian War Memorial houses many secondary sources (and primary) that can be used by students. This is a reliable and relevant resource that would be extremely helpful when doing research for assessment or classroom activities. Additionally, this website is extremely ethical and provides warnings for sensitive content when you first open the website, something to always consider when building research for history.

https://www.library.unsw.edu.au/using-the-library/information-resources/primary-and-secondary-sources

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Students will benefit from the source-based nature of the Memorial Boxes. The real and replica uniforms, equipment, and artefacts can provide a starting point for students to develop skills in source analysis.

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Created by the BBC this website is interactive and easy to navigate, which is essential for students. The information provided is relevant and helpful for gaining a general understanding of WW1,

This website has fact sheets that would allow for groups of students to create their own quiz using Kahoot and test their peers on these topics.

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Causes of World War One - World War One - KS3 History - homework help for year 7, 8 and 9. - BBC Bitesize

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Learn about the causes of World War One with BBC Bitesize History. For students between the ages of 11 and 14.

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This platform is a fun and reliable option for utilsing quiz's within classrooms. This quiz in particular relates to WW1 and covers a mixture of important events within its questions. This resource can not only be played as a quiz but also can be turned into a revision resource. When completing this quiz in class, the progress of the students can be monitored, and this can be utilized multiple times in order to show students their progress with learning the content and build their confidence!

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Year 9 - First World War Quiz - 9th Grade Quiz | Quizizz

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Year 9 - First World War Quiz - quiz for 9th grade students. Find other quizzes for History and more on Quizizz for free!

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This interactive timeline of World War One is a fun activity for a lesson. This would allow for students to breakdown the events of WW1 in an interactive and engaging manner. This timeline includes facts, pictures, informative YouTube videos, and more. Students can break this down by creating their own timelines, finding their own primary and secondary sources to provide evidence for each event on their timelines. The student's own timelines would be created by using a platform such as Canva.

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How long did World War I last? Who fought whom? Journey through the story of the Great War with our Interactive WWI Timeline, covering the world events of 1914‑1920.

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This informative documentary would aid students in understanding

While watching this documentary students would fill out an informative worksheet that had questions relevant to the content. This worksheet would be a mixture of short response questions and multiple choice answers. This would then be collected by the teacher as a type of formative assessment.

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The First World War: The War to End War | WW1 Documentary

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An important part of WW1 is recognizing the Indigenous Australians that fought for our freedom. While horrible we must learn about how these First Nation's soldiers were treated by not only the enemy but their fellow soldiers. As well as the massive positive impact they made for Australia and the ANZACs.

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During World War I, the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) reflected Australia's ethnic make-up.

More than 420,000 men volunteered for the AIF during the war. Most of them were of British origin. But just as men of other nationalities could be found across the country, so too could they be found in the AIF. Culturally diverse people brought their own accents, cultures and habits to a predominantly Anglo-Saxon force. Being mostly European, they blended in.

Discriminatory enlistment standards

When the war began in 1914, the Defence Act 1903 (Cwlth) prevented Indigenous Australians from entering military service. Most recruiters rigidly stuck to the rule in their military recruiting handbook:

Aborigines and half-castes are not to be enlisted. This restriction is to be interpreted as applying to all coloured men.

But over the years of war, many Indigenous men were accepted into the AIF.

Fewer and fewer Australians were willing to enlist as war went on and casualty lists lengthened. This widespread view was reflected in the defeat of conscription referendums in 1916 and 1917.

Faced with rapidly declining numbers, the Australian Government began to relax the conditions for enlistment. First, it changed the physical requirements (age, height, chest measurement) to broaden eligibility. Then it introduced legislation to accept enrolments from Indigenous Australians of mixed race.

The new standard for enlistment in the 1917 Military Order 200(2) was:

Half-castes may be enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force provided that the examining Medical Officers are satisfied that one of the parents is of European origin. NOTE - All previous instructions on this subject are cancelled.

The relaxed standard made it easier for Indigenous Australians and people from other cultural groups to enlist in the AIF.

Some freedom in service

Hundreds of Indigenous Australians - and perhaps several thousand - enlisted in the AIF. For the only time in their lives, many men found themselves free from the discrimination that affected their everyday civilian lives.

In 1919, a Queensland nurse recalled that there was:

no discrimination on the battlefield and certainly none in the military hospitals

More than a decade after the war, another veteran wrote of 'a Queensland aborigine' who had:

become his brother, and was his brother still

Reasons for joining up

Some people might have seen enlistment as an opportunity to prove themselves the equal of Europeans. Perhaps they hoped for improved treatment and equality after the war. We can only assume that like many soldiers, they seized the opportunity to earn extra money, travel overseas and do their duty for the country.

Wartime service and illness

Sapper John Fitzgerald was a Ballardong Noongar man, born at York, Western Australia, in about 1889. This was only 58 years after British settlers first moved to the York area.

As a young man, Fitzgerald worked as farm hand at Quairading, about 70 km east of York. He enlisted in the AIF in 1917, at the age of 28.

Like most soldiers in the AIF, Fitzgerald's war service records are marked by illness. On a train from Italian port of Taranto to France, Fitzgerald was diagnosed with measles. Until medical advances in the mid-1900s, this was a serious illness in adults that caused many deaths. Over 5 months, Fitzgerald received treatment in Italy, France and England.

When he recovered, Fitzgerald rejoined his unit in May 1918. He worked on the Western Front with the AIF Tunnelling companies in France. While there, he was treated several times for influenza.

Fitzgerald returned to Western Australia in 1919. He was granted a special exemption from the personal restrictions of the Aborigines Act 1905 the second time he applied. When he died at the young age of 46, the Last Post was played at his burial.

Brave men recognised on their merit

We have many examples of outstanding combat bravery that Indigenous members of the AIF brought to the battlefield.

Private (William) Albert Knight was a Kurnu Barkindji man born at Toorale Station near Louth, about 160 km south-west of Bourke, New South Wales. As a young man, he worked as a farm hand . Knight and two of his brothers enlisted in the AIF. In September 1918, Knight was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for 'conspicuous gallantry' in an attack on the village of Bony.

Private William Reginald 'Bill' Rawlings was a Gunditjmara man born near Purnim, Victoria, in about 1890. As a young man, he worked as a horse-breaker. Rawlings was one of many men from Framlingham Aboriginal Station who enlisted in the AIF. In July 1918, he was awarded the Military Medal for leading a bayonet charge at Morlancourt, France. Rawlings was killed in action on 9 August 1918 and buried at Heath Cemetery, Harbonnières.

Private Harry Murray was an Iman Wardingarri man born at Hornet Bank Station, Queensland, in about 1884. His Aboriginal mother died when he was young. His father, a part-Indian Scottish settler, George Poultney Malcolm Murray, had worked in the Native Police before becoming a police magistrate in 1872. As a young man, Murray worked as a stock and station hand near Taroom, about 40 km east of his birthplace. In the AIF, he was assigned to the 11th Light Horse Regiment. Murray served in the victorious Battle of Samakh in 1918 and returned home a veteran in 1919.

Such bravery was judged on the merit of these brave diggers' actions and not the colour of their skin.

Research into Indigenous service

We are working towards finding out more about the contributions of Indigenous men and women, but it remains a difficult task.

Different social norms and discrimination against Indigenous peoples throughout our history has left an incomplete historical record. This is why the full contribution of Australian Indigenous soldiers may never be completely understood.

Thankfully, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in World War I and later conflicts now receive the recognition they always deserved.

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Australian Indigenous service during World War I

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Find out why many Indigenous Australians served in World War I, despite discriminatory enlistment standards that prevented them from joining the military until 1917