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“Let’s Hear It For The Troops!”
“Let’s Hear It For The Troops!”
Jorj Ann Casson
St. Mary’s School – Pontiac
Summer 2005
The war of the nations : portfolio in rotogravure etchings :
compiled from the Mid-week pictorial, Page 495
Library of Congress, Serial and
Government Publications Division.
Students will gain a deeper understanding of a “Veteran’s World” and the war that he or she served in for our country. Students will learn to appreciate the reasons for celebrating Veteran’s Day in the United States.
Overview/State Standards/Resources/Procedures/Evaluation/Extensions
Overview Back to Navigation BarObjectives / Students will:
· Gain a better understanding of why we celebrate Veteran’s Day
· Learn about veterans and how they serve our country
Recommended time frame / 2 weeks
Grade level / 5th-8th
Curriculum fit / Language Arts, Social Studies
Resources / · Oral presentation rubric (Handout 1)
· Student worksheet (Handout 2)
· Image table
Websites:
· STARS AND STRIPES: A CLOSER LOOK AT WWI
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/collections/stars/thinking.html
· TODAY IN HISTORY – NOVEMBER 11TH
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/nov11.html
· RUBRIC MAKER
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php
Illinois State Learning Standards Back to Navigation Bar
Language Arts:
GOAL 4: Listen and speak effectively in a variety of situations
· 4 A. Listen effectively in formal and informal situations. I can be a good listener and can repeat spoken or written message.
(I can ask good questions about what I have heard and repeat and follow spoken instructions.)
· 4 B. Speak effectively using language appropriate to the situation and audience.
( I can use good speaking skills to share information in front of an audience or in a small group. I plan what I am going to say and practice several times. I listen carefully and share my ideas so that problems and arguments can be solved.)
GOAL 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information.
· 5 C. Apply acquired information, concepts and ideas to communicate in a variety of formats.
(I can share information I have learned for a specific audience and purpose in writing, visual and/or spoken presentations).
Social Sciences:
GOAL 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations.
· 16 A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation.
(I can use the skills of analysis and interpretation to explain and evaluate significant ideas, events, people and trends.)
Procedures Back to Navigation Bar
· Two weeks prior to this unit, students will check with family and friends to locate a living veteran. With this person in mind, the class will brainstorm questions the students may have for their chosen person. The teacher will list on the board the student’s ideas and then group like ideas together to make a good open ended question. A total of ten questions is the goal. Questions will be organized in logical order for the student’s actual interview. Students will be given the option to complete the interview on their own time with video or on an audio cassette tape, or interview and present the results themselves. (Emails or phone conversations are also an option.) A parent letter should be sent to explain what is needed for the unit to be a success.
Day One:
· After interviews have been completed and before their actual presentation, the teacher will give an overview in the areas that each student would be researching using the Library of Congress website. From each student’s interview, he or she would have been connected to a particular war in our history. The teacher will show information on WWI which is probably not an option for any living vet. The teacher would show the map of the area where the location of the war was. It would be an extra challenge to go back to the vet and show them the map to have them share the approximate area of conflict he or she was involved in. The teacher would also include the following: a picture of a soldier in uniform, an additional primary source such as a video, audio, sheet music, document and a current event that were going on in the home front. A discussion of why this war started should also be included. Student handouts 1 and 2 would be handed out at this time.
Day Two-Five:
· Each student would then take his or her veteran’s war and research the same information to be shared in a presentation at the end of the unit including the interview.
Day Six-Ten:
· Students will share their presentations including a poster, display board or PowerPoint presentation of the information found about each war and a few chosen questions from the interview. If the primary source (the actual interviewee) could be present, he or she could also add to the student’s review of the subject and then interject any additional information/souvenirs to make the experience come alive. Questions may be asked by the audience students to the student or the veteran for clarity.
Evaluation Back to Navigation Bar
· Student presentations will be evaluated using the Oral Presentation Rubric.
Extensions Back to Navigation Bar
During this time, I plan on reading aloud Foster’s War by Carolyn Reeder which is a fictional novel about a young boy dealing with WWII and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It also talks about Foster’s family experiences and how they were fighting a “personal war” themselves.
On a side note, last year our public library was able to promote this book chosen as community literature and held several discussion groups of various ages to share their own personal experiences with WWI. No matter what age came, everyone learned about the “real world” at that time.
Our TPO paid to have her come and have an assembly with our fourth through eighth graders. We had already read the book to each group.
An Adventure of the American Mind
Illinois State University