war poets 7a

Lost Poets of the Great War

Scenario:
     This can't be happening! One minute you were sitting in class, quietly drifting off
during a lecture about dead poets from World War I. Then, quite suddenly, you awoke to the crack of artillery fire. Looking around the soggy, musty, dimly lit trench you notice two of your classmates looking very confused. Through the smoke you notice that one is dressed as an army captain, while the other wears the uniform of a nurse. You appear to be wearing the nubby tweed jacket of a war correspondent. Wounded soldiers moan from the bunks and stretchers stacked against the wall. The three of you do what you can to help the injured.
     As you walk through the maze of stretchers you recognize the figure of one of the poets you had been studying in class. On the blanket beside him is a well worn journal. With his last breath, he begs you to send it to his family. You vow to carry out his last wishes, even as you move towards those you might be able to aid.
     When the battle finally ends, you have several tasks to complete: the war department wants a full report of the battle, the poet's family must be notified of his death, the editors of the newspaper will want a comprehensive obituary suitable for a great literary figure. Perhaps you will even be inspired to write a poem in tribute to this fallen poet. As you gather around tables in the mess hall and start to write, you hear the strains of a popular song through the static of a distant radio.
    Your tasks are:

to select one of the lost poets and research his life and works
to investigate the battle in which your poet died
to write a personal letter to the family of the poet describing his final hours
to write a narrative account of the battle for the War Department including battle objectives accomplished and other relevant details
to write an obituary for your poet explaining his importance as a literary figure

Project Goals:
Students will read selected poems of the lost poets and research specific battles of World War I. Working cooperatively, students will develop their written language skills by creating a personal letter, writing a narrative account of a battle, and composing an obituary for a famous figure. Products will be evaluated with a rubric.

A Place to Start:
Books
     The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Volume 2
        Sound and Form in Modern Poetry {Gross}
     Rhyme's Reason {Hollander}
     Battle {Holmes}

Web Sites
     Lost Poets of the Great War
     Poets and Poetry of the Great War
     Wilfred Owen Society
     Treasury of War Poetry
     War Links
     More War Links

Share Your Ideas:
At the end of this project, products will be published in a book of letters, a book of war narratives, and a book of obituaries. Each team will share one of its products with the class.

Link to Teacher Page

Created August 18, 1998, last updated August 18, 1998, yet still being revised.
Web page designed and maintained by:
Lori Swan, Palos South Middle School teacher
Palos Community Consolidated School District 118, Palos Park, IL.

District Curriculum Page

                                    With special thanks to the Alphabet Superhighway,
                                       the University of Delaware,
                                       the Joyce Foundation, and The U.S.
                                       Department of Education.