TeachersFirst's Memorial Day Resources
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Explore these resources for ideas you can use to connect classroom curriculum to Memorial Day. Whether you choose to focus on Memorial Day and its history for one class period or to include a special curriculum project in honor of veterans, these ideas and resources will get you started.
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ABMC Education - Understanding Sacrifice - American Battle Monuments Commission & Dept of Veterans Affairs
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): battles (18), heroes (19), veterans (18), world war 2 (136)
In the Classroom
This site is a must-see for any teachers of World War II history. Take students beyond the information about battles to learn about individuals and their role and sacrifices. Be sure to take advantage of the extensive information included in each activity including assessments, lesson extensions, and adaptations. Have students choose one of the stories, then research the battle to learn more about the event's relationship to the war. Extend student learning by having them create maps using Zeemaps, reviewed here. Zeemaps allows students to create audio recordings AND choose various locations on a map of battle locations to tell the story of fallen heroes. Ask local veterans to visit your classroom and share their stories with your class.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project - University of North Carolina Greensboro
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): memorial day (12), oral history (15), primary sources (99), veterans (18), world war 1 (62), world war 2 (136)
In the Classroom
Use this archive for rich, authentic primary source material on the lives of women in the military. Consider having students, individually or in groups, choose a veteran and present her story to classmates. Replace paper reports and enhance learning by using a tool like Slides, reviewed here. Supplement classroom materials associated with a wartime era with the photographs, posters, and diaries provided here. Use these stories as part of a special focus for Veterans Day, Memorial Day, or Women's History Month. The archive would also be a particularly rich resource for students considering National History Day Projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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PBS Newshour Extra - PBS NewsHour Productions LLC
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): civil rights (165), elections (75), holocaust (40), memorial day (12), news (233), pearl harbor (9), poetry (182), veterans (18), video (239), women (104), world war 2 (136)
In the Classroom
Watch the news together on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Allow students to watch independently on laptops or at a learning station. Use any video or article as a current events writing prompt. Challenge students to create blog posts about them. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, replace pen and paper and have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Webnode, reviewed here. Don't forget the many free lesson plans (already aligned to Common Core standards). Click on the Lesson Plans link to explore the countless topics available (Poetry, Veterans, Elections, Ebola, Civil Rights, and more). For articles and videos about conflicts and tension, you might want to modify student learning by having your students engage in a debate using a tool such as Virtual Debate, reviewed here, which has online examples and resources for conducting virtual debates. Keep your class up-to-date on the news using this site. Provide this link on your class website for students (and families) to access both in and out of your classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes - Lowell Milken Center
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): character education (71), heroes (19), Project Based Learning (11)
In the Classroom
Share stories from the Unsung Heroes project on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Discuss traits that make a hero and find inspiration to search for heroes in your everyday lives. Use this site as a starting point for individual or group projects. All types of classes can complete a project about an unsung hero. P.E. classes can find out about veterans, surfers, or car accident victims who have lost limbs and used their challenges to make a difference. Math and science students can complete an Internet search for high school inventors. Students could also search through old Scholastic Scope magazines for articles about young people who have overcome adversity. Instead of a paper and pen written biography, extend students' learning by using Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a hero they have chosen. Modify student learning by challenging them to create an annotated image of a hero including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Celebrating America's Freedoms - Department of Veterans Affairs
Grades
4 to 8tag(s): american flag (8), flag day (6), memorial day (12), national anthem (3), veterans (18)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans and activities hosted on this site! This would be a great resource on a unit about patriotism, nationalism, or even Veterans day itself. Have students make an interactive book about a national symbol or holiday using Bookemon, reviewed here, and share it with "little buddies" in a lower grade class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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History of Memorial Day - History Channel
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): battles (18), holidays (122), memorial day (12), veterans (18)
In the Classroom
Use one of the videos on an interactive whiteboard or projector to deliver a quick lesson on the history of Memorial Day. There are also links to good content on military history, military leaders, and the various physical memorial sites that honor US military veterans.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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America: The Story of Us - History Channel
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): civil war (128), evolution (86), great depression (27), lincoln (59), memorial day (12)
In the Classroom
The History Channel is providing a lot of support for teachers who can use video clips for lesson introductions or reinforcement. At the very least, the teachers' study guide will provide you with some new ideas or resources! Share the relevant video clips on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Or, have cooperative learning groups each view individual videos and do a little more research substituting pen and paper notes with online notes using SuperNotecard, reviewed here, that can then be used as a storyboard to create a presentation about their topic. How about extending student learning by challenging them to create an interactive online brochure highlighting the important facts learned from the video and their research? Use a site such as Sway, reviewed here, for this.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Memorial Day - May 30th - Myvocabulary.com
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): holidays (122), memorial day (12), vocabulary (233)
In the Classroom
Have students work in cooperative learning groups, divide up the vocabulary words, and have each group responsible to find the definitions for their assigned vocabulary words. Have the groups share their words and definitions in an online book, using a tool such as Bookemon (reviewed here). Have the groups share the online books on your interactive whiteboard or projector. And of course, don't miss the interactive word puzzles!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Patriotic Songs - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Grades
K to 8Note: Please assume that most songs are copyrighted, so please honor the authors and musicians by not distributing these songs.
tag(s): lyrics (15), memorial day (12), presidents (115), songs (44)
In the Classroom
Enhance your reading program with music. Have students listen to the songs while following the lyrics. Keep this site handy for those patriotic holidays. Use this site in social studies classes to learn the meaning behind some of the most popular patriotic songs. Play the sound in the background during class skits for Presidents' Day or other patriotic occasions.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Memorial Day Activities - David Merchant
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): holidays (122), memorial day (12)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans and activities on this site! There are also some practice quizzes and puzzles that would be fun ways to assess students, or have them use the tools to help review the content.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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War Letters - PBS
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): memorial day (12)
In the Classroom
History, Civics, Economics and Geography teachers will love the free lesson plans and activities offered in the "Teacher Guide" section. Beyond that the site also offers games and movie clips that would help make the site a useful lecture supplement or learning center.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teach Vietnam - The Learning Experience - Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Fund
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1960s (29), memorial day (12), vietnam (31)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans and activities offered on this site! All are related back to standards of learning, and provide great resources for teachers who need to cover the Vietnam War. Save the site as a favorite on your classroom computer and refer to it when in need of fresh ideas.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Experiencing War - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): korea (18), memorial day (12), veterans (18), world war 2 (136)
In the Classroom
Use the audio interviews over the interactive whiteboard to show students what the war was like from the perspective of people on the ground, and the difference between the first hand account and the textbook. This is a great way to not only teach the content, but display for students the difference between a primary and secondary source. To further argue a point, use a Venn diagram on the interactive whiteboard to graphically display the differences. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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