Name:Over the Top: An Interactive Adventure
Brief Description of the Site:
An interesting site but one of very narrow focus: what was it like to be a young Canadian soldier in the front-line trenches during WWI? The well-illustrated storyline is somewhat interactive, providing branch points at which the user must decide which action to pursue. Otherwise the story is told in narrative with graphics. There is also a large "For Educators" segment with downloadable materials about WWI, including war poetry, and a well-written glossary for students unfamiliar with events some 90 years ago. The site is part of the main site of the War Museum of Canada, whose home page also offers other war-related 'online exhibits, including one on the use of RADAR.
How to use the site:
Social Studies teachers might want to assign the interactive adventure to students studying this particular period of history. The site emphasizes the dangers and physical discomforts of a type of warfare that has, thankfully, disappeared. It could be used as an idea starter for essays, class debates, further research, etc. Language Arts teachers might use it for role-playing, letter-writing, or as an example of how to create an interactive adventure.
Submitted by:
Jerome Busque
