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Library of Congress: Recordings from WWI
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Activity Description
This historical site consists of fifty-nine sound recordings of speeches by American leaders at the turn of the century. The speeches focus on issues and events surrounding the First World War and the presidential election of 1920. Text of speeches is also available. RealAudio, MP3, or Windows Media player is needed to listen to the recordings. (Most PC's probably have at least the Windows Media Player.)
Preparation
Students should have a basic previous knowledge of the events before, during, and after World War I.
- Review the material in order to guide your students through the speeches available.
- Download recordings before the class.
- Check if your computer has the software needed to play the speech recording.
More Ways
You can use the same steps to teach the 1920 election or other items in the speech list.
Program Areas
- ASE: High School Diploma
Lesson Plan
- Activity:
Ask students: "What do you think were the biggest challenges America faced during World War I and right after it?"
Write their answers on the whiteboard.
- Quick Discussion:
Have students briefly discuss how they might expect American leaders to speak about war, the economy, and politics at that time.
- Objective Sharing:
Explain that today they will listen to real speeches from American leaders during and after World War I.
Emphasize that these speeches give a direct voice to the past and show how people tried to persuade, explain, or influence public opinion.
- Technology Check:
Make sure all students can hear the sample clip (test the sound/audio player briefly).
- Instructions:
Tell students they will listen to several short excerpts from historical speeches on different topics:
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- Collaborationists in the U.S.
- Economic aspects
- War finance
- Naval operations
- Propaganda efforts
Listening with Purpose:
As they listen, students should write down:
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- One main idea
- One piece of evidence
- One emotional appeal (if any)
Tip: Play 2-minute excerpts from each speech for time management.
Sources:
Speeches available through American Memory, Library of Congress collections (for example: Library of Congress: American Leaders Speak).
- Collaborative Whiteboard Activity:
After each speech:
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- Students share their main ideas, evidence, and emotional appeals.
- The teacher records ideas into two categories on the board: Similarities and Differences among the speeches.
- Small Group Discussion:
Students break into small groups and discuss:
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- How did the leaders try to influence public opinion?
- Which speech was the most persuasive, and why?
- Exit Slip Writing Assignment:
Each student writes a short paragraph answering:
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- "What did you learn about American society from listening to these speeches?"
- "How do these speeches help you better understand World War I and its aftermath?"
(You may collect these for participation credit or formative assessment.)
Essay Assignment:
Students choose one of the following prompts:
- Compare how two speeches addressed different aspects of the war.
- Analyze how propaganda was used to influence public opinion.
- Reflect on the differences between speeches about war operations and speeches about economic challenges.
Essays should cite specific quotes from the speeches.
Documents
- Recordings from World War I.png - Screenshot of American Leaders Speak: Recordings from World War I
Subjects
- English Language Arts
- Journalism
- Speech
- Social Studies
- U.S. History
Tags
Creative Commons License
