Suicide in the Trenches

Our Learning Journey

Learning Objective: To understand the key events in Sassoon’s ‘Suicide in the Trenches’.

To know what life in the trenches was like during

WW1.

To analyse the key events in

Sassoon’s poem.

To predict the content of

Sassoon’s poem.

Steps to Success

To know what life in the trenches was like during WW1.

Step to Success

LO: To understand the key events in Sassoon’s ‘Suicide

in the Trenches’.

Activity

Using your own knowledge and what you have learnt, think about what

soldiers in the trenches might...

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TOUCHSMELLFEEL

Life in the Trenches

Life in the Trenches

What was trench warfare like?

LO: To know what life in the trenches was like during WW1.

I can see...• • •

I can hear...• • •

I can touch...• • •

I can feel...• • •

I can smell...• • •

Extension: How do you think soldiers in the trenches might have felt? Write in full sentences e.g. They may have felt sad because they missed home.• • •

Learning Objective: To understand the key events in Sassoon’s ‘Suicide in the Trenches’.

To know what life in the trenches was like during

WW1.

To analyse the key events in

Sassoon’s poem.

To predict the content of

Sassoon’s poem.

Steps to Success

To predict the content of Sassoon’s poem.

Step to Success

LO: To understand the key events in Sassoon’s ‘Suicide

in the Trenches’.

Activity

Listen carefully to the information about

Siegfried Sassoon’s life.

Use this information, as well as your knowledge of life in the trenches, to predict what might happen in Sassoon’s

poem.

Think about words you might expect to see.

Siegfried Sassoon

• He joined the army when war was

declared in 1914.

• In November 1915, his younger brother

was killed in battle.

• He became horrified by the realities of the

war. This horror was reflected in his poetry.

• Another friend – David Thomas – died in

1917, leaving Sassoon devastated.

• He eventually left the army, refusing to

fight on, and was admitted to hospital for

shell shock.

LO: To predict the content of Sassoon’s poem.

Siegfried Sassoon’s poem was called ‘SUICIDE IN THE TRENCHES’.

Predict what might happen in Sassoon’s poem:

I think that...

I think this because...

Words I might see in

the poem are...

Learning Objective: To understand the key events in Sassoon’s ‘Suicide in the Trenches’.

To know what life in the trenches was like during

WW1.

To analyse the key events in

Sassoon’s poem.

To predict the content of

Sassoon’s poem.

Steps to Success

To analyse the key events in Sassoon’s poem.

Step to Success

LO: To understand the key events in Sassoon’s ‘Suicide

in the Trenches’.

Activity

Answer the questions about each stanza of

Sassoon’s poem.

Success criteria:• You have made a clear point e.g. (I think that...)

• You have backed it up with evidence from the poem.

• You have linked your answer to your own knowledge of WW1.

Siegfried Sassoon: Suicide In The Trenches

Siegfried Sassoon: Suicide In The Trenches

I knew a simple soldier boyWho grinned at life in empty joy,

Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,And whistled early with the lark.

In winter trenches, cowed and glum,With crumps and lice and lack of rum,

He put a bullet through his brain.No one spoke of him again.

You smug-faced crowds with kindling eyeWho cheer when soldier lads march by,Sneak home and pray you'll never knowThe hell where youth and laughter go.

(1) lark = bird(2) cowed = scared (3) kindling = burning, alight

LO: To analyse the key events in Sassoon’s poem.

Stanza Analysis Mark

I knew a simple soldier boyWho grinned at life in empty joy,Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,And whistled early with the lark.

Q: How is the soldier feeling in this stanza? How do you know?

A:

In winter trenches, cowed and glum,With crumps and lice and lack of rum,He put a bullet through his brain.No one spoke of him again.

Q: What happens to the soldier? Why does this happen?

A:

You smug-faced crowds with kindling eyeWho cheer when soldier lads march by,Sneak home and pray you'll never knowThe hell where youth and laughter go.

Extension Q: What does the poet think of the crowds?

A:

Learning Objective: To understand the key events in Sassoon’s ‘Suicide in the Trenches’.

To know what life in the trenches was like during

WW1.

To analyse the key events in

Sassoon’s poem.

To predict the content of

Sassoon’s poem.

Steps to Success

PlenarySuccess criteria:

• You have made a clear point (1 mark)

• You have backed it up with evidence from the poem. (2 marks)

• You have linked your answer to your own knowledge of WW1. (3 marks)

Self-assess your work. Give yourself a mark for each question.

Next time...