Videos
Veterans Day - History and Meaning (appropriate for grades 1-5)History of the Holidays: History of Veterans Day (appropriate for upper grades)
Unplugged: Guarding The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
(not Veterans Day specific, but high interest for students)
Literature
America's White Table by Margot Theis Raven
The White Table is set in many mess halls as a symbol for and
remembrance to service members fallen, missing, or held captive in the
line of duty. Solitary and solemn, it is the table where no one will
ever sit. As a special gift to her Uncle John, Katie and her sisters are
asked to help set the white table for dinner. As their mother explains
the significance of each item placed on the table Katie comes to
understand and appreciate the depth of sacrifice that her uncle, and
each member of the Armed Forces and their families, may be called to
give. It was just a little white table... but it felt as big as America
when we helped Mama put each item on it and she told us why it was so
important. "We use a Small Table, girls," she explained first, "to show
one soldier's lonely battle against many. We cover it with a White Cloth
to honor a soldier's pure heart when he answers his country's call to
duty." "We place a Lemon Slice and Grains of Salt on a plate to show a
captive soldier's bitter fate and the tears of families waiting for
loved ones to return," she continued."We push an Empty Chair to the
table for the missing soldiers who are not here..."
The Wall by Eve Bunting
A young boy and his father visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in
Washington to look for the boy's grandfather's name among those who were
killed in the conflict. This is a sensitive and moving picture book
that can be used to generate discussions about our war heroes.
H is for Honor by Devin Scillian
Written by the son of a career officer, this book explores the branches
of the Armed Services and speaks from the heart about the honor,
privileges and sacrifices of military families everywhere. Children will
discover why drill sergeants have to be so tough, what it means to be
patriotic and why we need Special Forces such as the Navy SEALS, the
Green Berets and the Army Rangers. H is for Honor also explains why the
annual Army/Navy football game is more than just a game, how much
letters from home mean to soldiers, how often military families have to
move and what life on base is like. With an underlying message of
courage and commitment that every child can relate to, the book will be
especially meaningful to those whose parents, siblings or other
relatives serve in the Armed Forces.
Other Resources
The US Department of Veterans Affairs has resources available for teachers and students including a teacher's guide, history, and information about Take a Vet to School Day.
Scroll down to the bottom of this LINK.
Check out VA KIDS for student activities and teacher resources.
NEA has posted lesson plans, activities, and resources as well. Click HERE!
TeacherVision has art activities, printables, lesson plans, reading and language arts resources, music activities, social studies and history resources, and MORE.
Thank you for your service, Veterans!
Angie,
ReplyDeleteI thought of you when we did our class activity about Veterans Day with the book America's White Table. I read the book aloud then as the class to list the items from what they remembered and why it was symbolic. They labeled and drew each item in their reader response journal then made a connection to the book by listing their family/friend veteran. Thanks for sharing this and the great resources. Our assembly last year was VERY moving thanks to your hard work and effort. We loved having our guest veterans of honor back to our classroom, too.