Over a century ago, what started as a small conflict in southeast Europe became a global war fought on a scale never before seen. More died in the First World War than in any other war Canada has fought. The war years brought unimaginable pain and horror for our troops and hard times for those back home.
On Remembrance Day we mark the anniversary of the end of the First World War and honour the lives of those who have fallen.
Use these resources to explore the First World War and its legacy with your students.
Lesson Plans
In this lesson students explore the role of the Canadian Patriotic Fund during the First World War.
In this lesson students explore several seminal Canadian First World War battles with an emphasis on the experiences of soldiers in the trenches.
In this lesson students explore the Lest We Forget Project. They build a class archive of soldier files, engage in research, and create a memorial for their soldier.
In this lesson students explore the experiences and contributions of Indigenous soldiers to Canada’s role in the First World War.
This exercise attempts to recreate the historical process that helped lead the world into the Great War.
This lesson you will discuss with your students: How war has shaped Canada and its citizens; the influences of patriotism, propaganda and music on choices Canadians made during war.
The purpose of the unit is to encourage students to appreciate our democratic institutions and to recognize the commitment made by our veterans to establish and maintain them.
Classroom Activities
Use this twelve-question quiz to get your students reading and thinking about the Battle of Beaumont Hamel.
Use this Remembrance Day word search to familiarize your students with key terms from the First World War.
With this activity students are encouraged to explore their community landscape and community history through the local cenotaph.
Classroom Resources
This book is a great entry point to teaching your young students about the First World War.
This great collection of Canadian war posters will illuminate your history lesson.
Bringing the museum into your classroom has never been easier.
Veterans Affairs offers free, bilingual resources, in hard copy and electronic formats, so students 5 to 18 years old can learn about those who served and why we honour them.
Bring the story of this historic First World War battle into your classroom.
Kayak in the Classroom
Articles
How, after years of stalemate, did the Allies manage to win the war?
Young Canadians worked, worried, and waited during the First World War.
Thousands of Indigenous people served both overseas and on the home front.
Courageous Canadian action results in mass capture of Germans during the 100 Days Campaign.
A rose christening marks 100 years since the end of the First World War.
Colourization project breathes new life into First World War images.
No one knew how to treat soldiers suffering from shell shock in the First World War, so doctors tried everything including shaming, blaming, and electric shocks.
Learn how propaganda was used to sway public opinion during the First World War.
How a First World War poem about poppies blossomed into an annual Remembrance Day campaign raising $14 million each year to assist veterans.
Podcasts
Listen to the stories of soldiers who fought at the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the loved ones back home who cherished them.
Videos
Key Canadian battles during the First World War led to the march to victory in 1918.