Life During War

Unit Context

This is Lesson 7 of 30 in the Year 9 unit Experiencing World War 1. The focus is on The Home Front: Life during War, examining how life changed for those in Australia who remained while many fought overseas.

Australian Curriculum Alignment

Learning Area

Humanities and Social Sciences — History (Year 9)

Content Descriptions

Explain continuities and changes and their effects on ways of life and living conditions around the turn of the 20th century in Australian society - Investigate the causes and effects of the First World War from different perspectives, including on the home front - Use primary and secondary sources to locate, collect and organise information and data - Develop explanations and historical arguments using evidence from sources - Apply historical terms and concepts in their appropriate context ### General Capabilities
Literacy: analysing texts and communicating ideas in writing
Critical and creative thinking: evaluating sources and forming historical interpretations
Personal and social capability: understanding different perspectives and resilience during hardship
Ethical understanding: reflecting on community and individual roles during wartime

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will:

Describe key changes experienced by Australian communities on the home front during World War I.
Use a variety of sources to gather historical information about home front experiences.
Create a journal entry reflecting personal or family perspectives of life during the war.
Demonstrate understanding through written reflection and creative storytelling.

Success Criteria

Students will be successful if they:

Complete a community journal entry that reflects on home front life with use of evidence.
Use graphic organisers to plan their ideas effectively (for dyslexic and struggling writers).
Demonstrate empathy and historical understanding in their writing.
Extend learning by creating a fictional story about a family during the war (optional).

Differentiation Strategies

Support for diverse learners: Provide structured journal prompts and graphic organisers to guide writing.
Reading support: Use dyslexia-friendly resources such as clear fonts, short paragraphs, and bullet points.
Oral scaffolding: Discussion prompts and paired brainstorming before writing.
Visual aids: Photos, posters, and artifacts from the era to support comprehension.
Flexible output: Allow oral or multimedia journal entries for students with severe writing difficulties.
Small group work: Peer support opportunities especially for students with ADHD or dyslexia.

Extension Activities for Advanced Learners

Compose a fictional narrative focusing on a family's experience living through World War I on the home front, integrating historical facts with creative elements.
Research and present on an Australian community’s specific contribution or hardship during the war years.
Analyse propaganda posters from the period and evaluate their impact on public sentiment.

Lesson Outline (60 minutes)

Time	Activity	Description	Resources
5 min	Settling & Lesson Introduction	Recap the unit so far—focus on the Frontline and today's focus on home front changes. Introduce lesson goals and success criteria.	Slide with objectives, discussion questions
10 min	Source Exploration: Home Front	In pairs, examine a range of primary sources: wartime photos, letters, newspaper extracts, and propaganda posters about life on the home front. Discuss what these reveal about everyday experiences.	Printed/digital source packs, visuals, graphic organiser
10 min	Class Discussion	Facilitate whole-class discussion on key themes: women at work, rationing, fundraising, enlistment pressures, and changes to community life.	Whiteboard or digital mind map
5 min	Modelling Journal Entry	Teacher models writing a journal entry from perspective of someone on the home front using a graphic organiser. Shows structure and content expectations.	Example text, writing scaffold
25 min	Independent Writing—Community Journal	Students write their own journal entry reflecting the experiences of a community member during WWI. Use prompts: What changes occurred? How did people feel? How did the war affect daily life?	Journals/books, graphic organisers, prompts, assistive technology as needed
5 min	Reflection & Sharing	Volunteers share excerpts of their journal. Teacher provides formative feedback. Outline extension opportunity for fictional story writing.	Reading aloud space

Dyslexia-Friendly Considerations

Use a clean, sans-serif font (e.g., Arial or Comic Sans) on handouts and digital slides.
Present content in bite-sized chunks with clear headings.
Provide graphic organisers with boxes and steps to structure thoughts visually.
Allow use of text-to-speech or speech-to-text tools.
Provide lined paper or digital templates to support handwriting.
Offer multi-sensory input: visuals, oral explanations, and written text.

Assessment Suggestions

Formative assessment centred on journal entry quality — looking for:

Accurate use of evidence from sources.
Clear explanation of home front experiences.
Structural organisation using the graphic organiser.
Creativity and empathy in perspective-taking.

Extension stories can be assessed for integration of historical detail, narrative coherence and creativity.

Additional Teaching Tips

Link the lesson to students’ community or family histories where possible to make personal connections.
Use real stories or letters from WWI Australians to build emotional engagement.
Incorporate group work but ensure quieter students have written options.
For gifted learners, challenge them to question propaganda intent or governmental policies on the home front.

This lesson plan integrates historical inquiry and creative response aligned with the Australian Curriculum for Humanities and Social Sciences Year 9 History content. It caters to a diverse classroom with scaffolded differentiation and dyslexia-friendly strategies, stimulating both critical thinking and personal engagement with history.

Teaching Instructions