Building the Lesson Folder: A Day in the Life of Planning Thomas's Story
- Dan Barnfield
- Nov 10
- 3 min read
I'm getting close to presentation day, and the clock is starting to stare me down. Forty-five minutes isn't a lot of time to walk a room of students through the life of a real First World War soldier, but I've finally landed on an approach that feels right.
It's not the deep dive I've been living, but it gets to the essence of Thomas, his life, his service, and the odd mix of bravery and paperwork that shaped both.
Passing the Medal Around
My idea is to have the students start with the medal in their hands right away. I want the room to begin with curiosity, not instructions.
I ask them:
What stands out to you?
How does it feel?
Heavier than you expected?
Is there anything you notice?
Simple questions, but they open the door.
Then the turn: "This medal belonged to a real soldier who fought in the First World War. His name is on the edge. Today, we're going to figure out who he was."
That's the hook.
Starting With the Basics
On the board, I'll write what we find on the medal itself: Service Number, Rank, Name, and Regiment. No dates yet.
The folders then go to each group. I'll tell them these folders "came with the medal," which is true enough. Their job: act like junior historians and sort the contents.
What's true about Thomas?
What might Thomas have actually experienced?
What's completely wrong and shouldn't be in the file?
It's critical thinking disguised as a puzzle.
Pulling It Together
Once the groups return, we will rebuild Thomas's life together on the board. Piece by piece, they should be able to find:
His date of birth
His occupation before he enlisted
The date he attested
His listed next of kin
The regiment he joined
When he left for England, on which ship
When he met up with his regiment in France
When he was wounded, plus the matching newspaper reports
What happened to him after the injury
His time in England (including permission to marry)
His return to Canada—and whether his wife came with him
His postwar job
It's a lot, but the documents actually do the heavy lifting.
During all of the information sharing, I'll ask some leading questions:
"When you found out he was a teacher, what did you think? Can you imagine your own teacher in the trenches?"
Bringing the Medal Back
I want to end where we started.
I'll pass the medal around again and ask:
"Now that you know the man who earned this, does it feel different in your hands? How does it feel to you now? Is it more important knowing you now have an actual connection from someone than?"
Then we "preserve" the work. Everyone signs the document inspection form in the folder—names and dates.
If there's time, I'll hand out the poppy wreath sheet for them to colour. A few quick questions will also be on the sheet:
Who was the soldier?
What was his job before the war?
If you could ask him one thing, what would it be?
It's a simple way to close the loop.
On to the Next Step
This structure feels solid. Now I need to build the pieces the students will actually hold in their hands, so let the fun begin!
-Dan Barnfield