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9 Ingenious Ways for Teachers to bring 1916 alive for their students
With the 1916 Commemorations coming up, you will be working to get your students to understand the impact the events of the Easter Rising had on Ireland as a nation. A hundred years ago, politically, culturally and socially, Ireland was a very different landscape from what it has become today. The list of resources we have put together below will bring the build up to and the aftermath of the events of the Easter Rising alive for your students, captivating their imagination and engaging their curiosity.
Letters of 1916
Allow your students to read first hand reactions of the public to the events of the 1916 Easter Rising through reading the Letters of 1916. The crowd-sourced history project aims to digitize handwritten letters depicting what life was like during and after the Rising. A workshop for teachers was held last year which produced some lesson plans and document packs that are available to downlaod here.
In Hand Guides
With the voice of the 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour, Lorcan Collins, In Hand Guides will allow teachers to bring their students on a tour of Dublin without time constrictions or constraints. The interactive guides will provide information, effects and plenty of humour to keep the students interested.
Drama Productions for Schools
There are plenty of drama production companies who are performing for schools with their 1916 inspired plays. Drama is a great tool for teachers to spark their students' interest and engage them in a personal way. See here for a full list of events for schools.
Sackville Art Project
The Sackville Art Projects offers students, especially art students, the chance to actively participate in the 1916 commemorations. The project focusses on the many lives of innocent civilians which were lost during the week long stand off. Students are asked to create a home to represent one of these civilians. The project will incorporate research and artwork while also bringing the students closer to understanding the social and historical impact of the Rising.
GPO Witness History 1916
Visit the GPO Witness History museum for an interactive exhibition about the rising within the building that housed it. The exhibition offers a unique opportunity for students to learn about the Easter Rising while also experiencing the significance and symbolic role of the building itself.
1916 Ancestry Project
Encourage your students to trace their ancestry back to the 1916 Rising. Was their family involved in some way? Were they on the other side of the world, completely unaware of the events going on in their homeland? What impact did the 1916 Rising have on their family? This is a great project, in association with scoilnet.ie and irishgeneology.ie, to really promote a sense of pride and heritage within the minds of today's youths.
Irish Newspaper Archives
Bring some first hand reports of the Easter Rising into your classroom with the help of the online Irish Newspaper Archive which houses thousands upon thousands of newspapers all the way back to the eighteenth century. An excellent resource for teachers to utilize in the classroom.
RTE 1916
With a plethora of media available from drama to documentaries and from radio reports of the rising as if they are happening today, the RTE 1916 programme has a wealth of media sources that you can incorporate into your classroom.
Dublin Rising with Google
Google have created an impressive virtual tour of modern Dublin, following all the major events of the 1916 Rising. The tour is narrated by Colin Farrell and contains photographs and eye witness accounts brought to life by voice actors.
