First World War · 1915-1916

Gallipoli 1915: the battle for the straits

In 1915 Britain and France tried to force the Dardanelles and knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war. Eight months later they gave up. Students see why the narrow straits mattered and why Turkey, Australia and New Zealand still remember Gallipoli.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
45 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, AD 1914
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

In 1915 Britain and France tried to force the Dardanelles and knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war. Eight months later they gave up. Students see why the narrow straits mattered and why Turkey, Australia and New Zealand still remember Gallipoli.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain why the Allies wanted to control the Dardanelles in 1915.
  • Locate the Gallipoli peninsula, the Dardanelles and Constantinople on the map.
  • Compare how Turkey, Australia and New Zealand remember Gallipoli today.
2

Explore the map

12 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1914

The straits

Open the map in 1914 and find the Ottoman Empire. Follow the sea route from the Mediterranean through the Dardanelles to Constantinople and the Black Sea. Which ally could Britain and France reach this way?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1914

The peninsula

Zoom in on the Gallipoli peninsula. Find Cape Helles at the tip and the beach later called Anzac Cove on the west coast. Why was it hard to land an army here?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1914

Far from home

Zoom out until you see Australia and New Zealand. Ask the atlas: "How did Anzac soldiers travel to Gallipoli?" How long do you think the journey took?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

14 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Why did Britain and France attack the Ottoman Empire at the Dardanelles?
  2. The naval attack of 18 March 1915 failed. What went wrong?
  3. Look at the steep cliffs above Anzac Cove. Why did the landings turn into another trench war?
  4. Mustafa Kemal became a hero at Gallipoli. How can one battle make a national leader?
  5. Australia and New Zealand remember Gallipoli on Anzac Day, 25 April. Why would a country remember a defeat?
4

Game round

9 min

Play one round of Rule History as Suleiman the Magnificent, ruler of the Ottoman Empire at its height. Then compare: by 1915 the empire was much weaker. Which choices did its leaders face at Gallipoli?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.