Some suggested elements for youth presentations:
- A title screen with a "motto" for the presentation that the group feels captures the essence of its presentation.
- A concise overall summary of the First World War and what it was like for the Canadians who took part in the fighting.
- A time line of the First World War, noting when the Battle of Passchendaele took place and situating it in time compared to the start of the war, the Second Battle of Ypres, the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the end of the war, etc.
- A map showing where in Europe the Western Front was located.
- A map showing Belgium and where Ypres and Passchendaele are located,
- Information on popular culture during the years of the First World War. e.g. Images of the fashions of the day, descriptions of what dances were popular, which films, art and novels were
hits, what major scientific discoveries took place, what movie stars were famous, how houses and cities in the 1910s looked, etc. The groups could insert audio files of songs that were
popular at the time into their presentations.
- Action photos from the First World War, especially photos depicting Canadians [groups could even try to find a photo of a Canadian who served at Passchendale, perhaps making use of the
Canadian Virtual War Memorial (go to 'Detailed Search' in the Virtual Memorial and enter the dates for the battle in order to search for entries for
Canadians who lost their lives at Passchendaele, some of which might have a photo available).]
- Video of fighting taken from film reels made during the First World War.
- Audio files of the sounds of fighting, or even appropriate 'mood music' to accompany the presentation.
- Descriptions written in the youths' own words of what the fighting was like in the battle, based on their reading.
- An excerpt of a letter from a soldier who was in the Battle of Passchendaele.
- An excerpt of poetry describing the Battle of Passchendaele or another First World War battle. If the computers being used have the required capabilities, the youth could even recite the
poem, recording it on the computer, and have it play during a portion of the presentation.
- Statistics on Canadian participation in the Battle of Passchendaele or the First World War as a whole. The mathematically-inclined could even calculate the number of Canadian casualties
that each metre of captured ground in Passchendaele cost.
- An original poem or reflection on what it might have been like to be a soldier at Passchendaele - seeing the misery, facing death and having your friends die in the fighting.
- Relevant quotes made by various people about the Battle of Passchendaele (e.g. commanders, soldiers, newspaper reporters, authors, etc.).
- Photo of a war memorial and an explanation of why these memorials have been built over the years.
- A conclusion to the presentation that has the groups explain, in their own words, why they feel it is important to remember the Canadians who fought at Passchendaele.
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