This term, Year 7 students are embarking on the HUMAN and ARTS expedition “Do Your Bit!”.
After an engaging immersion week—including activities like a gallery walk of WWI artefacts, the “notices and wonders” protocol, and reading the play White Poppies—students explored how art reflects the realities of war through WWI artists’ work. The week concluded with the reveal of the guiding question: “Why do we need to honour all those who made sacrifices during WWI?”
The expedition delves into the causes of WWI, the impact of propaganda, the “unheard voices” of war, the Commonwealth’s contributions, Sikh beliefs and their influence on soldiers, and the lasting effects of the war.
Case Studies and Anchor Texts
The expedition is divided into three case studies:
- The Call to Arms – Exploring the causes of WWI and propaganda’s role in recruitment, with creative writing tasks imagining the pressures of war.
- The Call of the Motherland – Examining the Commonwealth’s role through expert sessions and a fieldwork visit to Newcastle’s Sikh Gurdwara where they will experience how Sikhs meditate to connect their body and mind, fostering a deeper understanding of this spiritual practice as well as the practice of Sewa (selfless service to others) by preparing and serving Langar.
- The Call Home – Investigating WWI’s long-term effects, including PTSD, racism, and grief, with fieldwork at Heworth Cemetery.
The anchor text, War Girls: A Collection of First World War Stories Through the Eyes of Young Women, enriches the students’ understanding of the period.
Artistic Connections, Drama, and Crew
In drama, students are staging scenes from White Poppies, making directorial decisions. In art, they are exploring colour theory and composition while recreating WWI-inspired works by artists like CRW Nevinson and Otto Dix. During Crew, they are reading Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful to understand the war’s impact on families and communities.
Celebration of Learning and Final Product
The expedition concludes with a live Presentation of Learning on 25th March at 4:30 pm. Students will present their learning, read extracts from their creative writing, and show some of their artwork, interspersed with dramatic performances of White Poppies. Their final product—a wartime-style radio broadcast featuring extracts from their creative writing to amplify WWI’s unheard voices—will air on Memory Lane Radio on Remembrance Sunday in November.
