Free for New Zealand secondary schools · Years 11 to 13
Gallipoli Uncovered
A free Anzac Day unit. Five short lessons on what happened at Gallipoli in 1915, and why, told through the soldiers from your students’ own families and towns.
What it is for
Secondary students, Years 11 to 13 (ages about 15 to 18), learn what happened in the First World War and at Gallipoli, and why: why the war began, why New Zealand joined, why Gallipoli was tried and why it failed, what it cost, and why we still remember on Anzac Day.
They learn it through real people. Families send in the names of relatives who served, and students search the real records of 105,872 people of the NZEF themselves.
Free for schools. No accounts, no sign-up. Students’ names never leave your computer.
How it works
Gallipoli Uncovered Downloads
All free PDFs, listed in the order you will use them. Tap Preview to flick through every page before you print.
Teacher pack: everything in one file
For teachers. The teacher guide, class presentation, facts, letter to families and quiz answer key in one PDF. Print it or keep it open while you plan. 31 A4 pages.
Teacher guide: plan the five lessons
For teachers, before you start. A one-page overview, the April 2027 timetable and the age guide, then each lesson in summary and in detail. 13 A4 pages.
Class presentation: eight slides
For the projector in Lessons 1 to 5, or to brief your staff. The guide says which slide goes with which lesson. 8 A4 landscape pages.
Letter to families: names of relatives who served
Send home a week before Lesson 1, in mid-March. Families send back names for the class roll of honour. 1 A4 page.
Lesson 1: Why New Zealand went to war
Lesson 1 student sheet: Why New Zealand went to war. How a shooting in Sarajevo led to New Zealanders sailing in October 1914. 1 A4 page, about 25 minutes.
Lesson 2: The landing and why it failed
Lesson 2 student sheet: The landing. Why the plan went wrong on 25 April 1915. 1 A4 page, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Lesson 3: Life at Gallipoli and who served
Lesson 3 student sheet: Life at Anzac. Flies, thirst and disease, and the soldiers, Māori and Pacific men and nurses who served. 1 A4 page, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Lesson 4: Coming home and finding your soldier
Lesson 4 student sheet: Coming home. How Gallipoli ended, what it cost, and finding a soldier from the class roll on the site. 1 A4 page, about 30 minutes.
Lesson 5: Anzac Day, the poppy and the Dawn Service
Lesson 5 student sheet: Anzac Day. Why we still remember, and how. Use it in the last week of Term 1. 1 A4 page, about 25 minutes.
Cemetery field trip: find local WW1 graves
Optional, after Lesson 4 or 5. Students find and record First World War graves in a local cemetery. 2 A4 pages.
39 Gallipoli facts, with sources
For teachers checking a figure, or confident readers doing research. Every fact has a source, and the New Zealand comparisons show the working. 7 A4 pages.
Quiz: twelve questions, no answers
For students, after Lesson 5 to wrap up the unit. 1 A4 page.
Quiz answer key
For teachers marking the quiz. The same twelve questions, with answers. 2 A4 pages.
The five lessons
Each lesson answers one “why” question. Together they tell the story from 1914 to Anzac Day today.
| # | Lesson | The big question | Time | Weight | Sheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Why New Zealand went to war | Why did New Zealanders sail to a war on the other side of the world? | 25 min | Light | Sheet 1 |
| 2 | The Gallipoli landing and why it failed | Why did the Allies attack Gallipoli, and why didn’t it work? | 25 to 30 min | Light | Sheet 2 |
| 3 | Life at Gallipoli and who served | What was it like at Anzac, and who was there? | 25 to 30 min | Heavier: see age guide | Sheet 3 |
| 4 | Coming home, what it changed, and finding your soldier | How did Gallipoli end, what did it cost, and what did it change for New Zealand? | 30 min | Heavier: see age guide | Sheet 4 |
| 5 | Anzac Day, the poppy and the Dawn Service | Why do we still remember, and how? | 25 min | Light | Sheet 5 |
Suggested timetable, April 2027
Anzac Day 2027 is Sunday 25 April, during the school holidays. So run the unit in the last two and a half weeks of Term 1, and hold your school’s Anzac assembly before Friday 9 April.
| Date (2027) | What |
|---|---|
| Mon 15 March | Send the letter home. Ask for names back by Friday 19 March. |
| Mon 22 March | Lesson 1: Why New Zealand went to war |
| Wed 24 March | Lesson 2: The Gallipoli landing and why it failed |
| Thu 25 March | Teacher: build the class roll of honour from the names (about 15 minutes) |
| Fri 26 to Tue 30 March | Good Friday, Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday: no school |
| Wed 31 March | Lesson 3: Life at Gallipoli and who served |
| Fri 2 April | Lesson 4: Coming home, what it changed, and finding your soldier |
| Tue 6 April | Lesson 5: Anzac Day, the poppy and the Dawn Service |
| Thu 8 or Fri 9 April | Optional: cemetery visit, or share the roll of honour at a school Anzac assembly. Term 1 ends Friday 9 April. |
| Fri 23 April | Poppy Day (school holidays) |
| Sun 25 April | Anzac Day. Dawn Services in the school holidays. Families may go together. |
| Mon 26 April | Public holiday (Anzac Day observed, because 25 April is a Sunday). Still the school holidays. |
| Tue 27 April | Term 2 starts. Optional 10 minutes: who went to a service? What did you notice? |
Term dates: Ministry of Education: School terms and holidays. Term 1 2027 ends Friday 9 April; the holidays run 10 to 26 April; Term 2 starts Tuesday 27 April. Poppy Day is the Friday before Anzac Day (NZHistory: The red poppy). Check your own school calendar: Term 1 start dates vary by school.
Age guide
Designed for secondary students, Years 11 to 13 (ages about 15 to 18). Real numbers, primary sources and evidence to weigh, with a focus on people and choices rather than violence. It suits NCEA History research.
| Lesson | Suitability | Teacher note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Why NZ went to war | Light | No upsetting content. Some students may have family in recent conflicts; keep it historical. |
| 2 The landing | Light | Talk about the plan and the land, not wounds. Present Ottoman soldiers as people defending their home. |
| 3 Life at Gallipoli | Heavier | Mentions disease, the dead and the truce to bury them. Avoid graphic quotes. Chunuk Bair is optional: “many were killed or wounded” is enough; go further only if the class is ready. |
| 4 Coming home and your soldier | Heavier | Death numbers, and a student may find their own relative died. Prepare them: “Some of the men we find did not come home.” Give a quiet way out. Check on students with recent loss in the family, or from refugee or war-affected backgrounds, before the lesson. |
| 5 Anzac Day | Light | Reflective. Keep it about remembering, not celebrating war. |
Handling death and injury
- Use plain, calm words: “died”, “was wounded”. No graphic detail.
- Numbers are people: link each number to families and towns, then move on to how they are remembered.
- Let students choose another soldier from the class roll if their own is too close to home.
- Tell families in the letter home what the unit covers.
Shorter option for a busy term
- Teach lessons 1, 4 and 5 only.
- Use the presentation PDF to set the scene, then go straight to the records.
- Finish with the Ode at your school assembly.
Extension: weigh the evidence
- Each lesson has an extension task in the teacher guide.
- Compare the official figures. For decades about 8,500 New Zealanders were said to have served at Gallipoli. Later research put it at 16,000 to 18,000. The Anzacs Roll Call counts 22,479. Why do the numbers differ, and which evidence is strongest?
- Explore the ship audit: check which troopships carried your soldier and how the records were matched.
- Open a soldier’s full service file at Archives New Zealand and find details the site does not show.
- Check a fact: find it on NZHistory and one other source, and say if they agree.
- Work out a scale comparison with your own local park (see the facts page).
Curriculum links
- Secondary History: the unit asks students to weigh evidence, compare sources and explain cause and effect. It suits NCEA History research.
- Primary sources: students work from Online Cenotaph records, Archives New Zealand service files and troopship lists.
- Interpretation: the Gallipoli figures have changed over time (about 8,500, then 16,000 to 18,000, then 22,479 in The Anzacs Roll Call). Students can test why.
Gallipoli Uncovered is pitched at secondary students, Years 11 to 13 (ages about 15 to 18). Check your own course outlines for the standards that fit. Kura using Te Marautanga o Aotearoa can link the same work to Te Takanga o te Wā.
Schools that complete the pack unlock The Pathfinder Award for their students: one student each year to Outward Bound.
Also here
Free for schools, theanzacs.co.nz
Gallipoli Uncovered · Free for schools, theanzacs.co.nz