Trailer

Split the class down the middle, giving each group one of the following two questions to focus their attention during the first minute of the film.

Neither group should see or hear the other group's question:

• How useful is this clip for learning about the recruitment process for women during WWII?
• How useful is this clip for learning about the impact of bombing on British cities during WWII?

Ask students to evaluate the utility of clip using a scale of one to ten where one is not very useful.

Students should feed back (still unaware of the different questions), leading to a discussion about why the clip scored so differently between the two groups. This simple exercise should highlight the fact that a source's utility depends on the question you ask of it.

Main Attraction

Ask students to examine the entire film closely, noting down everything that they learn about women's war work (paying attention to what they see, hear and infer). You could also ask them to listen for specific terms (ie. billet, labour exchange).

Once they have noted down their findings, ask students to categorise the information they have collected by generating headings to group the information under.

Lower ability students could be asked to note down their findings under pre-selected headings, such as Training, Types of work, Factory life, Pay etc.

Now, ask students to identify the limitations of the film by:

1. Comparing it to their own knowledge of the women's war work. Students might find it useful to work in pairs/small groups to brainstorm the other types of war work women were engaged in.
2. Assessing the reliability of the film as evidence of women's experience of factory work. This can be done by looking carefully at the filmographic information and the opening credits as well as analysing elements of the film such as the voiceover, choice of characters etc.

Ask students to finish the following phrase after discussing in pairs: This film is more useful for....

End Credits

It's time to answer the key question! Students should use the notes they have collected to help them plan and structure their response.

Final thought: Discuss how the film might have been adapted to show to an American audience given that the USA had yet to join the conflict.