THE FIRST WORLD WAR

1914-1918

Shattered Ground tells the story of four young men who enlist at the outbreak of the First World War. Convinced they are about to experience a great adventure and fearful they might miss out, they rush to the front. The reality of the ‘War to end all Wars’ quickly sets in, however. The story is told in flashback as a young teen finds his great-grandfather’s diary and relives the memories and events of the monumental war.

FEATURES

Shattered Ground is a FREE interactive graphic novel for high school students. It’s FREE, bilingual (English + French), and includes lesson plans and class resources. It meets curriculum requirements and explores a hugely dramatic event in Canadian history.

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Teacher Resources

Comprehensive suite of curriculum-connected lesson plans, tools and pedagogical resources to enable classroom deployment.

Bilingual

All of the content of this interactive resource is freely available in English and French.

 

Target Audience

Content recommended for students in Grades 9-12.

Free

Shattered Ground is freely accessible

to all students and teachers.

Graphic Novel

Dramatic illustrations represent the machinations of war and the impact on the individual lives of those who fought and died.

Interactive

Features archival videos, images, and clue collecting to solve an encoded message using an Enigma Machine. Mac/PC, tablet, mobile, smart phone, and iPad-compatible.

CONTEST

Crack the code and win! Embedded in the Shattered Ground graphic novel are dog tags that contain coded messages. Use the Enigma Machine to decipher them and you could win a $50 Staples gift card! Simply send us your correct answers using the ‘Contact Us’ form to enter. Good luck!

 

Contest closes December 15, 2016

KEY THEMES OF SHATTERED GROUND

BEFORE THE WAR

Prior to the outbreak of the First World War, what sort of country was Canada? Did it have a role on the world stage? What were the conditions and dynamics that set the table triggering the outbreak of a conflict that drew in millions from around the globe? What key alliances and loyalties put countries in question on one side or the other?

THE INDIVIDUAL'S EXPERIENCE

War is often viewed from a macro perspective in terms of sheer numbers; millions affected, hundreds of thousands killed, wounded or missing, etc. Shattered Ground sets the scene for the First World War on a large scale but also explores the conflict from the perspective of the individual. That is, what was the ordinary soldier’s or ambulance driver’s or pilot’s experience? The content and resources are positioned to have students walk in the shoes of those who fought long ago, those who might have been the same age or even younger.

 

IDENTITY

How did Canada’s identity as a nation evolve over the war period? What impact did Canada’s performance in the various theatres of war influence how the country was perceived by war’s end? What role on the global stage did Canada assume after the war ended?

THE ENEMY

In war, the enemy is often demonized, portrayed, and depicted in inhuman terms in propaganda and ongoing messaging promoted by political leaders and military commanders. In reality, the ordinary German soldier wasn’t much different from his Canadian counterpart. These characterizations on all sides form part and parcel of the mechanics of the war machine.

KEY CHARACTERS

Steve McKeown is a middle class university student from Toronto, who has a love for poetry. Hugh Etherington is a farm boy from Orangeville, Ontario. Joseph Root is an Ojibwe from the Aamjiwnaang First Nation near Sudbury, Ontario. Finally, Edvard Segelman is a German immigrant and Canadian citizen at the War’s outbreak.

 

All of the characters are fairly ordinary and typical of those caught up in the tidal wave of excitement and anticipation that surged during the early War period. It is the bond they form and the camaraderie they feel that drives the narrative. The story is told in part by Kevin MacMillan, who is Steve McKeown’s great-grandson. Kevin finds a diary and uncovers a history that has been hidden for decades.

PAPERBACK VERSION

Shattered Ground is also available for purchase as a paperback book from CreateSpace, Amazon.com, and Amazon.ca.

OUR TEAM

Meet the people that made this project possible.

Janal Bechthold

COMPOSER

A multi-talented musician and composer. She composed all of the music for the video soundtracks as well as the interactive graphic novel.

John Ferguson

CONTENT CREATOR/VIDEO PRODUCER

An experienced video producer and art director, John has produced a number of videos for interactive projects for TEACH Magazine as one half of the digital production team, thefergusonbrothers.

Steve Ferguson

CONTENT CREATOR/VIDEO DIRECTOR

An experienced director and editor, Steve has created a number of video series for TEACH Magazine and is the other half of the digital production team, thefergusonbrothers.

Tommy Guignard

TRANSLATOR

Tommy is a certified translator

based in Montreal who is also studying biogeography. He has translated many documents and projects for TEACH over the years, including Shattered Ground.

Andrew Iarocci

SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT

Andrew is an Assistant Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University. He specializes in military history.

Rob King

DEVELOPER

A multi-talented programmer whose expertise include, developing interactive experiences and artworks for creative, research, and ad organizations.

Wili Liberman

WRITER/PRODUCER

The founding Editor and Publisher of TEACH Magazine. He wrote the text for the Shattered Ground and acted as overall producer and project administrator.

Anthony Smerek

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

A Toronto-based visual artist that provided creative design for Shattered Ground's interactive and print materials.

Lisa Tran

PROJECT MANAGER / EDITOR

Associate Editor of TEACH Magazine. Lisa has worked on many educational interactive resources as project manager.

Colin Turner

ILLUSTRATOR

A fine artist, illustrator, and painter. He teaches art in his hometown of Vancouver. Colin illustrated the interactive graphic novel.

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80 Degrees North tells the story of The Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-1918 through an interactive graphic novel. A band of intrepid scientists and explorers embarked on a dangerous and compelling journey. They documented flora and fauna of the North and pushed ahead into new and undiscovered territory. The expedition left a scientific legacy that is still relevant and resonating today.

 

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Copyright © 2016  TEACH Magazine

 

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.

Nous reconnaissons l'appui financier

du gouvernement du Canada.

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Use of archival images and archival film footage for this project has been granted by the Canadian War Museum, Library and Archives Canada and the Government of Canada.