PILOTS:

What Was it Like to be a Pilot

We, as pilots, were viewed as expendable assets during WWI and planes had just been recently invented. We didn't trust our planes as weapons in the war and many of our planes failed and crashed. Some guns even shot out the propeller of other pilots planes, killing them. Planes usually contained only about 2 hours of fuel so we were usually nervous wrecks. Some planes also had guns, which sometimes shot off the propeller and sent some planes down. Some of my pals flew Zeppelins, which were blimps that could only fly for about 1 hour. Every attack route was planned for us ahead of the attack. We dropped bombs on people who may have been innocent and we felt guilty. The bombs didn't know the difference between children and soldiers. We had a hard time dealing with the nerve racking job of flying rickety planes through the air wondering if we'll run our of fuel or get shot down as an expendable asset. But...Oh! to be 16,000 feet up in the air, with the silence....

C. Bonty, J. Geary

LEADERS:

Dear Americans

For the last few days I have been asking myself a question. A question I'm sure all of you have been asking yourselves, "Why are we seeing our children die in a war? Why are we sending our sons away? Why are we in the business of making widows?" After countless hours of deliberation, I have arrived at this answer, "We send our boy's to the battlefield for one reason, so that they will return to a safe America, so that the next generation will know those men died to create a better world, they will be remembered... as heroes..."

It is as Senator Harding said, "A republic worth living in is worth fighting for, and sacrificing for, and dying for. In the fires of this conflict we shall wipe out the disloyalty of those who wear American garb without the faith, and establish a new concord of the citizenship and a new devotion, so that we should have made a safe America the home and hope of a people who are truly American in heart and soul."

Your President,

A. Hodge, K. Khosrowmanesh

HOMEFRONT

Life is full of tension when every day the postman rides by. We hope the message of death is not for us. We also hope for word that our loved one is well. We feel helpless being so far away and detached from the fighting, yet we do what we can.

We ration our food, and send the good stuff to our troops. We encourage our fellow man to buy war bonds, and buy what we can afford ourselves.

Our factories are full of women completing "male" tasks. Women manufacturing bombs, bullets, guns, and war machines under great _____

Our lives and thoughts are consumed by the war effort. We are constantly reminded of all our sons and loved ones lost.

Thank god we have the woman to do this work. Without this manufacturing, we would lose the war for sure. Thank God Americans are willing and able to make the sacrifices necessary to protect democracy and our country.

T. Brabyn, J. Spiers, W. Barnett, A. Hayden

HOMEFRONT

In this past year, the war overseas had shocked me. Life has completely changed in the United States. I truly don't recognize much about this country. Not that all the changes are necessarily bad, in fact the country has become more united in working together as a result. Because we are all working together to help our men our on the front, our sons, our fathers, our brothers and our husbands.

In my experiences, I have seen very bad and very good things. The men went away to war and left their lives back in the U.S. Women were called upon by the government to produce and grow their own food. Therefore, they could feed themselves and the corporate farms whose goods were sent to markets for people to eat were now sent to the front.

Even around town, here in Mobile, Alabama, I have seen many changes in the people. There are mixed views on who should have to go to the war, almost so much that it is a big controversy. Some people in town are saying that everyone should go to war if they aren't doing anything better in their lives, even if they don't want to. Some simply just don't agree with the war and especially disagree with the fact that the U.S. is involved.

Others are very made as well as scared because they don't want to leave their lives, wives, families and jobs behind, so they want to be exempt from the war. However, a good number are saying that even thought it isn't "convenient" to go to war, it is our patriotic duty as a U.S. citizen.

While many women's husbands are away at war, the women are needed to help our in various jobs that men once held. They often work at factories, play baseball and fun farms. In some factories, they make explosives and often would have accidents with TNT explosives, as well as being exposed to the many chemicals in factories daily. This is the first sign of independence for women.

This year, I got another letter from my Billy. He told me of the harsh conditions in the camps and in the trenches. He also told me about his leave in London and how he got to see all the sights but also that women were running everything there. I feel a loss of power; I want so badly to see him. There isn't a thing I can do. Everyday, he faces bullets, and all I can do is hope that he will return safely. It is simply in God's hands.

Sincerely,

M. Hixson, K. Berlin, M. Donahue, J. Gordon

What was is like to be in a conflict such as world war one? It was more or less a scary experience for everyone who participated in it. It was not a fun or happy time for any person who was somehow related to the war in one way or another. If you weren't a person actually on the battle filed, experiencing it first hand, then you were experiencing the fear of losing someone close to you if you were on the home front or a civilian.

When people think of war, they generally create a vivid scene of soldiers battling on the field, so I will start with them. Soldiers were unhappy, cold and hungry. They had to fight and stay strong in the most traumatic conditions a person could think of. Rats stole the soldier's food. They were never bathed, and they were forced to hide in unfamiliar surroundings to avoid a horrific death. Their leaders helped them understand the reasons for them being there, on the battlefield, fighting not only for their country, but also to stay alive. These leaders often felt guilty for sending all of the inexperienced young recruits out to fight, and most likely die. Pilots had it just as bad. They were flying newly invented and unfamiliar airborne assets. It was an edge of your seat ride all the time because if you were a pilot, you were worried about running out of fuel, or being shot down by the enemy.

On the home front, people would fear their loved one's death. They were detached from the war, and helpless. Most would try to help as often as they could by sending food to the troops, or by making bombs, war machines, guns and bullets in factories. Those who didn't carry any weapons, but were on the battlefield, must have been the most scared and paranoid out of all of the participants. These brave people, were medics and journalists. Medics couldn't help all of the injured soldiers at the same time once they were brought to the casualty clearing stations. This is why the triage was developed, which divided the injured into three classes, hopeless, seriously wounded, and people who would recover without much treatment. They experienced the gruesome effects of the war more than anyone, by seeing all of the injuries that people possessed after battle. The journalists, would walk right along side with the soldiers, they were the eyes of the public, and risked their lives to fulfill their responsibility.

It was definitely a traumatic and unforgettable experience to witness the conflict of world war one. All participants played a major role in the war if you look at it as a whole. It wouldn't have turned out the same way if any of the participants weren't involved in the war at all. The fears of all of these people involved create the gruesome thoughts that come to mind when a person alive today, imagines back to the time period of world war one.

C. Fredrich

[The members of this group created a poem presentation. Each participant read a line, and stepped forward as they read]

I AM

I am a soldier

I am a journalist

I am the home front

I am a pilot

I am a medic

I am war

I kill blindly, not knowing my enemy

I am the eyes and the ears of the people

I weep for loved ones that fight in the war

I drop bombs on innocent people

I risk my life to save others

I am war

I fear that I will not live to see tomorrow

I enter the battlefield not having the right to bear arms

I feel far and detached from the fighting

I can't see the blood shed or hear the cries for help

I watch people die before mine eyes

I am war

I know no other life than war

I put my life on the line to get a story

I am consumed by the war effort

I feel safe, but scared at the same time

I look in their fearful eyes and see death

I am war

I feel empathy for those I fight against

I don't know what the future will bring

I endure hardship and sorrow for those lost

I do what I only know is right

I appear to be strong, but my heart is in excruciating pain

I am war

I am a solider

I am a journalist

I am the home front

I am a pilot

I am a medic

I am war

War completely destroys the fragile human heart and soul. Yet the pride of being in and surviving a war builds on the very heart and soul it destroys.

T. Williams, W. Barnett, E. Wagner, M. Monge, J. Lucero, J. Lowe, J. Germany

Stage 3 sample Student Scoring Rubric [return to top of page]

 World War 1 WebQuest: Stage 3 Presentation Rubric

Group Number SCORING ________ Group Number that is performing _______

CATEGORY	Possible Points	Score explanation	Points given
Creative	Up to 4 (10%)
Factual - range of facts	Up to 14 (35%)
How portrayed - presentation: • gets’ character • feels connected • draws us in • clarity	Up to 14 (35%)
Includes specific evidence for each role	Up to 8 points (20%)
Props and/or costumes	Bonus: up to 4 points