Plans
The Learning Programme aims to build a greater understanding of our war memorial heritage among young people. Following consultation with schools, War Memorials Trust is planning four key ways in which this will be achieved:
Website
War Memorials Trust currently has pages dedicated to learning on its main website. However, with the expansion of the Learning Programme the Trust will be creating a new website specifically for its educational materials. The website address is www.learnaboutwarmemorials.org and it will contain up to date information about the Learning Programme as well as easy access to materials for teachers, pupils, and other users of the programme, and the opportunity for users to upload their work to our Showcase.
The new website is currently being designed and the materials described here are in the process of being developed and tested. For more information on when these will be available, please see the Timeframes page
Lesson plans and activities
In the first instance the Learning Programme will focus on providing National Curriculum linked resources for use by teachers and pupils in Key Stages 2 and 3. The key features of these activities will be lesson outlines and suggestions for teachers, and the accompanying resources and activities for pupils.
In response to the feedback we have received from schools, we aim to provide primary teachers with a range of ideas for cross curricular lessons based on a war memorial theme. War memorials can be used for teaching a number of topics across different subjects. For example, memorials were often created by a local community and researching its background can provide insights into the feelings and actions of that community. Researching information about those commemorated on a memorial can uncover fascinating personal stories and help children learn about a particular geographical locality or way of life in the past. Studying the memorial itself also lends itself to considering the design and artistic elements of the memorial and the materials from which it was made.
For secondary schools, resources will focus mainly on how memorials can be used to enhance history teaching at Key Stage 3. For example, many schools use memorial research to extend teaching on the battles of World War I, and this can complement an educational visit to the battlefields of northern France and Belgium.
War Memorials Trust also wishes to produce resources and activities for Scouts and Cadets. A number of units already carry out excellent work connected to war memorials, and through the Learning Programme, the Trust hopes to help others achieve similar success. More information on this will be coming soon.
School visits and talks
War Memorials Trust recognises the benefits children gain through learning in different situations and in different ways. Therefore as well as lesson plans for use by class teachers, the Learning Programme will be offering talks and interactive sessions to schools and youth groups, led by Trust staff and skilled volunteers.
Teacher training materials
War Memorials Trust is keen to offer support to teachers and trainee teachers approaching the topic of war memorials in the classroom. The Learning Officer will be trialling workshops with some training providers, and if successful may subsequently extend this provision. Details will be available soon – please see our timeframes page for more information.
