Today's Itinerary and Activities
We began the day examining the American landings at Omaha Beach and the American Military Cemetery at St. Laurent-sur-Mer. We then carried on to Arromanches, home of the famous surviving “Mulberry Harbour” to consider the complexity of this massive multi-national operation. Today's seminar questions were:
- How can visits to historically significant places add value?
- Can war cemeteries reveal clues about nations?
What do you know about Omaha Beach?How is the American narrative of Omaha Beach different from the Canadian narrative? What can we learn about our role in events by considering them from the perspective of others? (consider how the Canadian role at Vimy is viewed by the British, for example).
"We think all politics are local and all history is local." - Dr. Lee Windsor Finding common themes in both narratives allows us to broaden our understanding:
We often teach the war as though it is such a massive event that the details and the personal are inaccessible. This is why Lest We Forget's soldier biography projects are so effective, allowing us to delve into individual experiences to find these connections. Many of the American names on this column fought alongside Canadians in Sicily - we share many experience with them rather than having exclusively separate narratives. |
Bloodshed Not a lot Nothing Took it on the chin Nothing
Toll Bribing I dont know I dont know The Longest Day Heroism Sacrifice Shaped by movies Commanders Continuity & change from WW1 Books and movies Pissing match between US leadership and other Allies Saving Private Ryan Kill zone Pride Pride Piece of the puzzle These are the responses from our group to the question above. In the classroom you could do roundtables, mind maps, use One Note or Padlet to make visible what students know and believe about a given event, identify gaps that exist, and tailor instruction accordingly. |
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Exploring Geographical SignificanceSome historical questions have inextricable links with geography. When considering why a battle went the way it went, one major question to consider is: Where do you land troops?
To answer this question, have students explore the terrain and negotiate what makes the most sense tactically:
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The guiding question for teacher planning should be: What does a student need to know? What skill set do they need to have? An activity such as this allows them to use geographic terminology in context by discussing the strategic significance of the features these terms describe. In an activity such as this we are not asking students to take on the roles of military experts, but rather, to engage with the terminology that is relevant to the situation - a highly valuable and transferrable skill!
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Classroom questions
What accounts for differences in national narratives of the same event?
Can one be more "true" or accurate?
Can one be more "true" or accurate?