The Christmas Truce of 1914

This short and fun activity was designed specifically for the holiday season. Consisting of a presentation and an accompaning guide for teachers, this activity is an excellent addition to any lesson with little need for additional preparation by teachers or students.

The lesson begins with a very short film depicting the Christmas Truce of 1914. Students can watch the video in class, or on their own on Youtube.

The presentation will guide students through the real story of the truce by exploring museum artifacts and eye-witness testimony. Students will learn  what the film got right and wrong about the event and teaches students to not always trust everything they see on their screens. They will be amazed to learn that the real story is even better than the film.

Post-holiday option

Want to use the activity after the holiday break, or for distance teaching? Get the students to watch the video on their own over the holidays. Then ask them to reflect on the discussion questions from slide two of the presentation come up with their own questions. Teachers can then use screen-sharing to show the presentation and to answer the students’ questions.

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