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Bringing History to Life: WWI Project by JDSS Students

This project has been nominated as a finalist for the Governor General’s Award for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History, recognizing it as one of the top 20 history education initiatives in Canada!

We are excited to showcase an innovative project from École John Diefenbaker Senior School in Hanover, ON. Every year, grade 10 history students at JDSS trace the life of a local soldier from the West Grey area who enlisted during WWI. This year, the project took a modern twist with the integration of GIS mapping technology, transforming the learning experience into something even more dynamic and impactful.

In Bringing History to Life: ArcGIS StoryMap WWI Soldier Project, local secondary school students tell the stories of local WWI soldiers using personnel files, various secondary sources and ArcGIS Story Maps.

StoryMaps is a tool created by ArcGIS that combines geospatial data with audio, photos, videos, and text to visualize sequential events or themes. Using StoryMaps, students were able to present their research in a dynamic and interactive format, creating detailed maps that trace the journeys and experiences of their assigned soldiers.

View Bringing History to Life below. Simply click the name of a soldier to learn their story and to recognize the remarkable work of these local Grade 10 History students.

 

John McGill Derby

Explore John McGill Derby's StoryMap here.

"Back to France - from February 27th, 1918 to the end of the war. He was involved In the German Offensive (Operation Michael) and the Last 100 Day's on November 11th (Armistice)."

This StoryMap was created by Lily B.

Norman Robert Dickson

Explore Norman Robert Dickson's StoryMap here.

"His father, William, was against dancing, and while he was on vacation, Norman and his brothers had a house dance, and were caught after their dad came home earlier than expected."

This StoryMap was created by Cameron E.

Hector Stewart Mcgillivray

Explore Hector Stewart Mcgillivray's StoryMap here.

"Mcgillivray survived the battle of Vimy where the Canadians took a huge victory. Although they won the battle over 3000 Canadian soldiers lost their lives."

This StoryMap was created by Rileigh L.

Lewis Newell

Explore Lewis Newell's StoryMap here.

"On March 13th, 1918, I was sent to Passchendaele. I assisted with making trenches, railways and general living conditions better for soldiers."

This StoryMap was created by Ava A.

Clarence Ross

Explore Clarence Ross's StoryMap here.

"Clarence Ross arrived in Shoreham England on November 20th 1916. He was a part of the 8th Reserved Battalion."

This StoryMap was created by Georgia P.

Ernest Victor Trump

Explore Ernest Victor Trump's StoryMap here.

"On the 29th of December 1915 Ernest Victor Trump went to Owen Sound Ontario to enlist in the army where he was accepted."

This StoryMap was created by Evan M.

William Henry Turner

Explore William Henry Turner's StoryMap here.

"William Turner left Camp Borden with the rest of the Grey County boys. The 147th Canadian Battalion left on October 5th, 1916 on the SS Olympic from Halifax to sail overseas."

This StoryMap was created by Ryder M.

Please note that this is student work. Maps or stories may contain inaccuracies. No errors were made intentionally or maliciously.

Jennifer Morris has been an educator with Bluewater District School Board for 20 years. Jennifer is passionate about making history engaging for her students and helping them develop critical thinking skills. She teaches at Ecole John Diefenbaker in Hanover, ON. 

Hillary Weppler is the Intermediate Secondary Technology Coach at Bluewater District School Board. Through her work she aims to help teachers leverage technology to create meaningful learning experiences for students. Prior to moving into education Hillary worked as a museum and gallery professional both with Grey Roots Museum & Archives and the Tom Thomson Art Gallery.