Life in Trenches

Overview

In this 45-minute lesson for Years 3-4 students in New Zealand, learners will explore the harsh realities of trench warfare experienced by ANZAC soldiers during World War I. Through stories, visuals, and discussion, students will begin to understand the physical and emotional challenges soldiers faced and develop empathy for their experiences. This lesson is number 6 in a 12-lesson unit titled "ANZAC Stories and Sacrifices".

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Curriculum Alignment

Social Sciences (Years 3–4)

• Strand: Understand how the past is important to people.
• Achievement Objective: Understand how people’s perspectives on events that happened in the past, such as the ANZAC experience, can differ and the reasons for differences.
• Key Competencies:
  • Thinking (making sense of information)
  • Relating to others (showing empathy and showing understanding)
  • Participating and contributing (engaging in discussions and group work)

English (Years 3–4)

• Oral Language:
  • Use narrative language skills to recount stories with detail and expression.
  • Engage actively in discussions, listening and responding respectfully.
• Vocabulary: Introduction and use of key historical and descriptive vocabulary.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

1. Describe aspects of life in the trenches during WWI using simple sentences and age-appropriate vocabulary.
2. Understand and empathise with the conditions faced by soldiers in trenches regarding both physical environment and mental wellbeing.
3. Share their thoughts and questions about trench life in a group discussion.

These objectives reflect NZ Curriculum goals in social sciences and oral language development, nurturing empathy and communication skills appropriate for Years 3–4 .

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Lesson Outline

Time	Activity	Details
5 minutes	Introduction: Set the Context	- Briefly recap ANZACs and WWI from previous lessons. - Show a simple timeline visual locating WWI. - Introduce "life in the trenches" with imagery to spark curiosity.
10 minutes	Story Listening and Visual Exploration	- Read aloud a short, age-appropriate story or diary excerpt from an ANZAC soldier describing trench life. - Show images or a short video clip depicting trenches (mud, rats, cramped spaces). Emphasise sensory details. Use expressive narration to engage students.
10 minutes	Class Discussion: Conditions and Feelings	- Facilitate a guided discussion: What was it like? How do you think the soldiers felt? Use sentence stems: "I think it was...", "It must have been hard because...", "Soldiers might have felt...". - Introduce vocabulary: mud, cramped, cold, scared, brave, lonely. - Encourage empathy, connecting feelings to students’ own experiences (e.g., feeling scared).
10 minutes	Group Activity: Role-Play Scenario	- In groups of 4-5, students role-play "a day in the trenches", improvising short scenes using props or images provided. - Roles can include soldiers, a medic, or letter writer. - Encourage descriptive language and emotional expression.
5 minutes	Reflection and Sharing	- Students share something new they learned or felt. - Teacher highlights key points about resilience and sacrifice. - Link to wellbeing: discuss briefly how tough environments affect mental health and the importance of support.
5 minutes	Exit Challenge / Learning Goal	- Ask students to draw or write one thing they remember about trench life. - Provide sentence starters for writing: "Life in the trenches was..." or "Soldiers had to..." to support writing across all abilities.

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Resources Needed

• Short story/dairy excerpt tailored for Years 3-4 about trench life.
• Visuals: photos or illustrations of trenches, soldiers, and their conditions.
• Props: hats, cardboard rifles, bandages, or letters for role-play.
• Whiteboard or chart for vocabulary and sentence stems.
• Drawing/writing materials for exit challenge.

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Differentiation and Inclusive Teaching

• Provide sentence stems and visual supports for English language learners and students needing scaffolding.
• Collaborate in small groups for peer support and social learning.
• Use descriptive oral narration and expressive reading to cater for diverse learning styles.
• Highlight Māori and Pasifika perspectives respectfully when discussing ANZAC experiences, encouraging recognition of diverse contributions.

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Assessment for Learning

• Formative Assessment: Observe participation in discussion and role-play to assess understanding and empathy.
• Exit Challenge: Collect student drawings/writing to check comprehension and ability to recount aspects of trench life.
• Use questioning during the lesson to probe understanding of emotional and physical conditions.

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Extensions / Home Learning Suggestions

• Invite students to ask family about stories from WWI or military service.
• Suggest students bring in objects or stories related to family history for sharing in class.
• Encourage drawing or writing a letter from the perspective of a soldier.

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By thoughtfully balancing factual content, emotional understanding, and interactive activities, this lesson prepares Year 3-4 students in New Zealand to engage deeply with the ANZAC story, aligned with the refreshed NZ Curriculum’s social sciences and English learning areas. It nurtures empathy and critical thinking appropriate to their developmental stage and cultural context.

If you would like, I can also help you generate example story text or specific role-play scripts adapted for this lesson.