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There is much more to explore in our calendar. Find other important events in literary history, authors' birthdays, and a variety of holidays, each with related lessons and resources.
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Home › Classroom Resources › Calendar Activities
May 27
Memorial Day is observed in the United States today.
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| Grades | 5 – 12 |
| Calendar Activity Type | Holiday & School Celebration |
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Observed on the last Monday of May, Memorial Day honors the men and women who died while serving in the United States military. In addition to having celebrations with family and friends, many people visit cemeteries and memorials and place flags on the grave sites of fallen servicemen and women.
Have students visit the Stories from the Veterans History Project site. Once there, ask students to choose one of the featured interviews to listen to, peruse the previous releases, or look at an alphabetical list of interviews to find more interviews that may be of interest to them. Students select an interview that interests them and take notes while listening to remember important facts and details about the veteran’s life. After listening to the interview, students complete one of the projects below to honor the veteran they researched:
- Create a timeline of the veteran’s life or time in the military.
- Using the story of the veteran’s life, create a picture book for younger children that tells the story of the veteran’s life or of the war in which he/she fought.
- Record the important facts and information from the veteran’s life using the Hero’s Journey interactive.
- Record a podcast that tells the veteran’s story.
- Veterans History Project
This site includes a collection of personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.
- Memorial Day
Information on the history and traditions of observing Memorial Day in the United States is provided here.
- History of Memorial Day
This site includes a history of Memorial Day and tributes to soldiers; includes audio, video, and photos.
Grades 9 – 12 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Building Vietnam War Scavenger Hunts through Web-Based Inquiry
Students research the effects of the Vietnam war on a specific group of people who were involved. They then create Internet scavenger hunts to share with the class.
Grades 6 – 8 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Students select, read about, and report on a hero and then identify how their hero matches certain criteria and characteristics. Hero reports are then compiled into a class book.
Grades 3 – 5 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Wartime Poetry: Working With Similes
Students analyze a photograph, brainstorm words to describe the characters' senses and feelings, work in pairs to describe a character's experience, and create a poem using their ideas and similes.
Grades 9 – 12 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Worth Its Weight: Letter Writing with "The Things They Carried"
This lesson uses a letter-writing activity based on Tim O’Brien’s story “The Things They Carried” to build empathy as students examine the weight they symbolically carry in their own lives.
Grades 9 – 12 | Lesson Plan | Unit
Love of War in Tim O’Brien’s “How to Tell a True War Story”
Students explore the theme of love of war through texts on camaraderie among soldiers. They then compose a visual collage depicting their beliefs about the relationship between love and war.
