WORLD WAR I SUMMATIVE TASK

VISUAL ESSAY

Due Week 1, Term 3 2023

 TASK INSTRUCTIONS

Students will construct a Visual Essay based on one of the following topics as they apply to
World War I.
•
The Impact of the Western Front on Australian soldiers' physical and mental well-being
• Women's roles and contributions on the Australian home front
• Opposition and conscientious objection to the war in Australia
• Australian involvement in the development and deployment of new technologies
• Armistice and the end of fighting
• Winners & Losers of World War I
 TASK INSTRUCTIONS

Your Visual Essay is to be presented in the form of a

WordPress or Edublog blog.
How you organise your blog is up to you, but will
impact the nature and effectiveness of your response.

Ensure your references are included, and submit the task

as a doc with a link.
 TASK INSTRUCTIONS

Select visual elements that are directly related to the

historical topic. These can include photographs,
primary source documents, maps, artwork, or
any other visual representations that are authentic
and relevant to the time period under discussion.
 TASK INSTRUCTIONS

Accompany the visuals with written analysis and

commentary. This can involve explaining the historical
significance of each visual, analyzing its relevance to the
topic, and drawing connections between different visuals to
present a coherent historical narrative.
 IMAGES AND TEXT SHOULD WORK IN
SYMPHONY TO CARRY A NARRATIVE,
TOLD AS MUCH THROUGH THE MOOD
AND TACTILITY OF THE VISUAL AS THE
FOCUSED ADDRESS OF THE WRITTEN.

Þóra Pétursdóttir (2020) Visual Essays: Different Ways of

Knowing and Communicating the Archaeological, Norwegian
Archaeological Review, 53:2, 101-103, DOI:
10.1080/00293652.2020.1860119
 TASK INSTRUCTIONS

• Strive for a balanced and diverse selection of

visuals to offer a comprehensive representation of
the historical topic. Incorporate a mix of images,
documents, and other visual elements to engage
viewers and provide a holistic view of the subject
matter.
 TASK INSTRUCTIONS

• Textual Content: Complement the visuals with written

content such as introductory and concluding paragraphs,
section headers, and textual explanations that support and
expand upon the visual elements. Use language that is
clear, concise, and appropriate for the target audience.
 “THE MAJOR STRENGTH OF THIS
SCHOLARLY FORMAT RESIDES IN THE
SYNERGY OF THE DISTINCT FORMS OF
EXPRESSION THAT ARE COMBINED:
IMAGES, WORDS, LAYOUT AND
DESIGN, ADDING UP TO [AN
HISTORICALLY] INFORMED
STATEMENT.”
 TASK COMPONENTS

• Thesis statement related to your topic –

this will be the centre of your essay
• THREE “body paragraph” sections that
explore your thesis statement
• Annotated images (at least 10)
• Supporting text (500-700 words)
• A full reference list/research document
EXAMPLE
 RECAP

• VISUAL ESSAY in a BLOG format

• FOCUS ON AUSTRALIA WHERE APPLICABLE (be
particularly careful in your research process)
• 500 – 700 WORDS AND 10 OR MORE IMAGES
• THE IMAGES AND WRITTEN WORDS MUST WORK
TOGETHER (Captions, Analysis and Linking paragraphs)
• IMAGES CAN BE PHOTOS, DOCUMENTS, ARTWORKS,
ARTICLES
• YOU MUST CITE EVERYTHING THAT YOU USE
(Harvard Referencing)
 PLACES TO FIND YOUR VISUALS

• https://trove.nla.gov.au/ - a phenomenal resource that has chronicled every

available newspaper article in Australian History
• https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/atwar/first-world-war - The Australian War
Memorial
• https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/ - the Department of Veterans’ Anzac Portal
• https://www.nla.gov.au/digital-classroom/year-9/world-war-i - The National
Library of Australia
• https://
www.naa.gov.au/explore-collection/defence-and-war-service-records/army-wor
ld-war-i-1914-18
- The National Archive of Australia