On November 11, the United States honors its military veterans who have served our country with the gift of their lives. Traditionally, Veterans Day is celebrated on this day as a remembrance of Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of World War I. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed the holiday in 1919 to honor WWI veterans, but since then has expanded to recognize all U.S. veterans.
This year, on 11-11-11, we have a wonderful opportunity to express our appreciation to veterans while making it educationally meaningful. Here are a few ideas for combining Veterans Day and the classroom (whether you're an online student or teacher or not):
- Do a Class Project Centered on U.S. Veterans
- Visit Local Veterans or Have a Veteran Speak in Class. Want to have a "real life" experience with history? Just talk to a veteran! Often veterans are willing to speak about their military service and can give insight into the true experiences of conflict in a way history books can never tell. Try visiting veterans at your local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) or American Legion or participate in their planned events. (Plus, you can personally say thank you to veterans face-to-face.)
- Send Veterans Dedicated Schoolwork. Why not let veterans see the homework projects you've themed around their service? It's a great opportunity to get feedback and share. Consider locating your local veteran organization and discussing with them the schoolwork you've completed. (If you're an online student, consider doing this as an individual, too!) Want to keep original material? Just make copies or electronic versions to give veterans to keep.
- Remember Fallen Soldiers, Too. While Veterans Day focuses on those who have lived through or are serving in a U.S. war, remember to also reflect on those military members who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country-with their life. As a student and a teacher, it's important to look back. Consider visiting a local cemetery or dedicated veteran cemetery in your area. You could document veteran graves (such as decorations, war served, length of life) and record personal reactions in a class-related lesson.
This could be anything from a musical composition, essay, research paper, field trip, play, video critique, or literature analysis. For every grade level, it's important to find a project that helps students focus on the sacrifice and valor of U.S. veterans. By reviewing history in this way, the important lessons of war can be continued to be taught to each generation.
This Veterans Day, combine honoring U.S. veterans and schoolwork at the same time! Enriching learning is all about thinking of new ways to approach a topic. History and war can be an emotionally challenging subject, but class activities can educate all of us on the importance of veterans in a country's society and future.
What Veterans Day activities do you do as a student or teacher? Share with us!