Guiding Questions

• What role did African American soldiers play in the capture of Hill 188?
• What role did the capture of Hill 188 play in the eventual German surrender during World War I?

Learning Outcomes

The student will be able to:

• Comprehend, interpret, and analyze secondary sources about the battle for Hill 188.
• Identify key players in the taking of Hill 188.
• Create a presentation that details the events of the battle for Hill 188.

Pre-activities

• Assign the students a series of events that took place during the battle for Hill 188.
• Ask the students to put those events in chronological order.
• The events to include are:
  • “Kamerad trap”
  • Crawling along the telephone trench
  • Withdrawal of French machine gunners
  • D Company attack
  • Gap between the 2nd Moroccan Division and the 161st Division

Activities

• Assign the students to read the excerpts from the secondary sources listed.
• Assign the students to groups of three or four.
• As a group, assign the students to create a timeline of the events that led to the taking of Hill 188.
• Assign the students to create the timeline as a Prezi presentation.

Assessment

• Assign the students to create a Prezi account at prezi.com.
• For each event in the timeline, the students should include a one-paragraph narration and explanation.

Checklist for Timeline

• Include at least 7 events that led up to, or happened, during the taking of Hill 188.
• Include a one paragraph narration and explanation for each event.

Materials Needed

Secondary Sources:

• Heywood, C. (1931).  Negro Combat Troops in the World War: The Story of the 371st Infantry. Worcester, MA: Commonwealth Press. (p. 164-179)
• Williams, C. (2010).  Torchbearers of Democracy: African American Soldiers in the World War I Era. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press. (p. 136-138)
• Lengel, E. (2008).  To Conquer Hell: The Meuse-Argonne, 1918. The Epic Battle That Ended the First World War. New York: Henry Holt and Company. (p. 194-195)