Exploring Reasons for Trench Gardens

Part of the "The Presence of Poppies and the Possibilities of Potatoes" Collection

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Goal

Students will learn about the benefits and historical significance of trench gardens.

Estimated Time

45 Minutes

Setting Required

Inside

Standards

  • SS5H8  The student will describe U.S. involvement in World War I and post-World War I America
    • a. Explain how German attacks on U.S. shipping during the war in Europe (1914 – 1917) ultimately led the U.S. to join the fight against Germany; include the sinking of the Lusitania and concerns over safety of U.S. ships, U.S. contributions to the war, and the impact of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.2 Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.

Materials

Procedures

  1. Read aloud from “Defiant Gardens” the first quote and discuss the meaning with students:“Small pleasure must correct great tragedies,
    Therefore of gardens in the midst of war
    I boldly tell.”
    – Vita Sackville-West, The Garden
  2. Divide the class into five small groups and assign each group one of the attributes of a garden that is described later in the text: life, home, work, hope, and beauty. Ask students to read the passage about their attribute as a small group and then summarize to the class.
  3. Provide students with time to read the next section “Trench Gardens: The Western Front in World War” in different small groups. Ask students to pull the main ideas from the text and support them with details to answer the following questions:
    • What did trench gardens tell us about the war?
    • What did trench gardens tell us about the soldiers and their needs?
  4. Display or distribute copies of “Telegraph: How Front Line Forget-Me-Nots Helped Troops Forget the Horror” for students to read independently. Ask students to identify additional details that support the main ideas they developed from the previous text.