Getting the Most Out of Veterans' Week

What can we do in the classroom on Remembrance Day?

Note to the Teacher-- Some suggestions will be more appropriate to specific grade levels.

• Have your students prepare a family tree indicating those who have served in wartime. Ask these Veterans to visit the class, or, if they are unavailable, have students relate the Veterans' experiences and describe how other family members were affected by the war. If students don't have Veterans in their family, perhaps their families have friends or neighbours who are Veterans. Have students bring in mementos for show and tell. For higher grade levels, students with Veteran relatives could research the battles/campaigns in which the Veteran participated and share memories of the Veterans experience in that battle.
• Invite a peacekeeper to visit your class to talk about his or her peacekeeping experiences. Students may have peacekeepers among their family members who would be willing to speak. Ask students to do some research in advance (e.g. an Internet search on the National Defence's Web site or on other Peacetime Forces sites) and ask them to prepare questions so that the peacekeeper can provide a first-hand account.
• Have each student, or group of students, represent a part of Canada's wartime response, e.g. pilot, navigator, nursing sister, sailor, infantryman, engineer, driver, member of the Canadian Women's Army Corps, member of the Women's Division of the Royal Canadian Air Force, member of the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service, artilleryman, stretcher bearer, mechanic, doctor, scout, signalman, merchant mariner, forrester, factory worker, Red Cross or other volunteer, farmer, etc. and describe their experiences to the class. What was their role, contribution, etc.?

Creative Writing

• Those who served overseas faced extreme hardships. Being away from home was fraught with loneliness and fear. All relied on news from home to maintain some normalcy in their lives and to help ease the separation from loved ones. Ask your students to write a letter to a Veteran, perhaps a relative who served in the war, reflecting their thoughts on the Veteran's sacrifices and achievements. Submit their letters for posting on the Veterans Affairs Web site Prose and Poetry page.
• There were major technological advances made during the First World War. Have students select one of the following items (e.g. ships; guns; air planes; tanks; chemical weapons; explosives) and, using the Internet (where possible) or the library, trace the development of that industry or piece of technology. Ask students to come back and share this information with their peers.
• Each piece of technology saved lives but also claimed lives. They changed the face of warfare forever. Have students prepare a one- to two-page position statement on the impact of these technological advances in our world today.

Activities

• Have students explain what sacrifices were made by Canada's Veterans. Were any additional or unique sacrifices made by Aboriginal Veterans?
• Have students find and bring examples of war art (paintings, posters, literature, poetry, music). Discuss the messages of the art and try to determine what is unique about it. Students could create their own posters, etc.
• Have students research the impact of war on Canada as a nation. What did those who stayed at home do to support Canada's war efforts? What did children and adolescents do?
• Have students discuss what it might have been like for a Veteran to return from war and adjust to civilian life and how Canada's social services were affected by their return.
• Have students research the medals that have been awarded to Canadian Veterans, i.e. the awarding criteria, order of precedence, stories of people who have earned medals and why.
• Have students identify evidence of Canadian wartime participation in their neighbourhood or community, e.g. memorials, Veterans' graves, honour roll in churches, etc.
• Have students prepare a critique of our poster. We'd welcome the feedback! Provide suggestions for future posters.
• Have students research Canada's involvement in the following wartime battles/campaigns to include a chart of movement and description of events, significance, role of air, land and sea services, role of the merchant navy, casualties, etc.

  First World War
  The Battle of Ypres 1915 (poison gas introduced on a large scale)
  The Somme Campaign (the 1st Newfoundland Regiment was almost decimated)
  The Battle of Vimy Ridge (Canada becomes a nation)
  Amiens and "Canada's Hundred Days"

  Second World War
  The Battle of Britain
  The Raid on Dieppe
  The Defence of Hong Kong
  The Sicily Landings and the Italian Campaign
  The Battle of the Atlantic
  The D-Day Invasions
  The Liberation of the Netherlands

  Korean War
  Kapyong (April 1951)
  "The Hook"

  Peacekeeping Operations
  Bosnia-Herzegovina
  Kosovo
  Golan Heights
  East Timor