Website Spotlight: World War I (BBC)

Website URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/

Introductory Note:

Welcome to one in a series of posts which spotlight quality websites that I use with my U.S. History survey course students at Azusa Pacific University to enrich the regular material in our learning modules.

In this post, I limit myself to those specific aspects of the website which I find fit particularly well within our face-to-face class sessions (each student is required to bring a laptop to class) or as the basis for the students' regularly-assigned written reactions.

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Of all the rich material available on this fantastic website from the BBC, I ask my students to work through the following links:

I. Campaigns and Battles of World War One

Animated Map: The Western Front, 1914 - 1918
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/launch_ani_western_front.shtml   
  
Battle of the Marne: 6-10 September 1914
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/battle_marne.shtml
   
Battle for Gallipoli: February 1915 - January 1916
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/battle_gallipoli.shtml
   
Battle of Verdun: 21 February 1916 - July 1916
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/battle_verdun.shtml
   
Battle of the Somme: 1 July - 13 November 1916
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/battle_somme.shtml   

Animated Map: Battle of the Somme
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/launch_ani_somme_map.shtml
       
Battle of Passchendaele: 31 July - 6 November 1917
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/battle_passchendaele.shtml
   
II. The Human Experience of War

The Human Face of War [Click on each of the nine images]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/humanfaceofwar_gallery.shtml
   
III. The Trenches: Virtual Tours

World War One Trench Virtual Tour
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/launch_vt_wwone_trench.shtml

Life in the Trenches Virtual Tour
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/launch_vt_trench_life.shtml

Front Line Trench Virtual Tour
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/launch_vt_frontline.shtml

IV. Debates and Controversies of World War One

Shell Shock during World War One by Professor Joanna Bourke
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/shellshock_01.shtml

Shot at Dawn: Cowards, Traitors or Victims? by Peter Taylor-Whiffen
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwone/shot_at_dawn_01.shtml
 
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Concluding Note:

I hope you will use this blog post in conjunction with both the modules on my Learning Professor wiki and the numerous other posts in my Website Spotlight series.

1. The website spotlighted in this post fits within the following U.S. History survey course module on the wiki:
http://thelearningprofessor.wikispaces.com/World+War+I

2. The other blog posts in my Website Spotlight series--chronologically displayed by U.S. History survey course module-- can be found on this wiki page:
http://thelearningprofessor.wikispaces.com/WEBSITE+SPOTLIGHT