TeachersFirst's Veterans Day Resources
As we approach Veterans Day on November 11th, educators have a unique opportunity to honor those who have served in the armed forces and help students understand the significance of this day. This collection of resources aims to support teachers in creating meaningful lessons that explore the history of Veterans Day, the experiences of veterans, and the importance of civic responsibility. From virtual tours to primary sources and more, these materials are designed to engage students of all ages in thoughtful reflection and appreciation for the sacrifices made by our nation's veterans.
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Teaching About Veterans Day - Educators 4 Social Change
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): veterans (28), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
After learning about Veterans Day, students can write letters of appreciation to veterans. Students can interview veterans in their community (with permission) and create an oral history project. They can compile these interviews into a class book or presentation, allowing them to learn directly from veterans' experiences using a free resource such as Book Creator reviewed here. Students can create posters or artwork that reflect the themes of Veterans Day, such as freedom, sacrifice, or patriotism. These can be displayed around the school or at a local event honoring veterans.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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20 Veterans Day Activities - Teach Starter
Grades
K to 6tag(s): veterans (28)
In the Classroom
Make a Veterans Day bulletin board featuring family photos. Learn the Pledge of Allegiance in ASL. Make a video interviewing a family member or friend who is a veteran about their experiences. Record and share your video using moovly, reviewed here. Organize a class drive for veterans and collect protein snacks, bottled water, puzzles, etc.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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3 Printable Veterans Day Activities - Scholastic Inc.
Grades
K to 5This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Have students write heartfelt letters or create cards for local veterans or military members. Assign students to interview a family member or community member who has served in the military. Students can create a large collage or poster that honors veterans. They can include images, quotes, and symbols related to the military, veterans' contributions, and patriotic themes using a free resource such as Photo Joiner Collage Maker reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Take a Veteran to School Day - HISTORY Education
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): terrorism (42), veterans (28), vietnam (38), world war 1 (78), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Students can work in groups to create their own documentary-style video about a veteran or better yet, interviewing a veteran. Record and share the interview using a tool such as Powtoon, reviewed here. Students can also create a detailed timeline about what the veteran shares using a digital tool like Timeline Infographic Templates, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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8 Free Veterans Day Activities for Elementary Students - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Grades
K to 5tag(s): book lists (164), holidays (179), poetry (192), preK (263), veterans (28), writing (323)
In the Classroom
Include these activities as part of any Veterans Day lessons and celebrations. Consider including ideas shared on this site as part of station rotations. Find additional ideas to include in your station rotations by visiting TeachersFirst Special Topics Page: Veterans Day Resources, reviewed here and find tools and ideas for use in stations by viewing the archive of OK2Ask: 3 Cool Tools for Station Rotation, reviewed here. As a final project, ask students to share their letters, posters, and other creations as part of a class-created video project to share with the community. Use Screenpal, reviewed here to record your video, then share it with your community on your school or class website.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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How to Make Veterans Day for Kids Memorable - Wounded Warrier Project
Grades
K to 12tag(s): heroes (24), stories and storytelling (50), veterans (28)
In the Classroom
Use ideas from this site to teach students about the real meaning of Veterans Day and highlight veterans' service during times of war and peace. Find additional Veterans Day resources on TeachersFirst Special Topics Page: Veterans Day Resources, reviewed here. Add interactivity to lessons by including "chats" with soldiers and military leaders using AI tools such as Humy, reviewed here. Visit Humy to find chats and collections with options to talk with famous people involved in World War I, World War II, and more. Use Mizou, reviewed here to create customized chatbots and experiences as an interactive activity to expand learning about the role of veterans. For example, search Mizou to find a shared D-Day role-playing experience, then use this activity to create an experience for your students that relates to another military event or a specific veteran.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Voices of U.S. - Why We Serve Virtual Field Trip - Discovery Education
Grades
3 to 12In the Classroom
First, use Padlet, reviewed here and ask students to list what they know about Veterans Day, making columns for history, Memorial Day, the different divisions of the military, and why people serve in the military. Next, introduce this virtual field trip on your whiteboard or projector using Clipchamp, reviewed here to pare down the virtual field trip video to what is appropriate for your age group. Finally, enhance learning by asking students to go back into Padlet and input what they've learned about Veteran's Day and why people serve.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Women Aviators in World War II: Fly Girls - Edsitement
Grades
5 to 8tag(s): aviation (39), women (142), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Once the class has gone through however many lessons you choose, enhance learning by having small groups of students investigate one or more extension activities and share their learning by developing a multimedia presentation. Students can choose multimedia presentation formats using Genially, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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History Maps - Nono Umasy
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): american revolution (82), china (62), civil war (136), explorers (66), japan (56), maps (207), medieval (33), religions (84), russia (35), south america (39), timelines (54), vietnam (38), world war 1 (78), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Share these maps and information on your whiteboard during classroom discussions as a visual tool for students to understand the geographic location of events and use it to provide context for relationships between different events. As students study history, ask them to create interactive timelines using Timeline JS, reviewed here, which includes images, videos, and documents to detail events. Extend learning by asking groups of students to create presentations using different multimedia tools to provide an overall understanding of the content. For example, ask one group to create a timeline and another to create an interactive map using Zeemaps, reviewed here, and have another group use Adobe Express Free Video Maker, reviewed here, to create a video presentation.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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D-Day: How Allied Forces Overcame Disastrous Landings to Rout the Nazis - History Channel
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): d day (11), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Introduce this timeline to students to highlight the importance of D-Day and the detailed planning of this operation. Ask students to use this interactive as a model and create a timeline using MyLens, reviewed here to tell the story of other significant World War 2 events, such as the German invasion of Poland or the attack on Pearl Harbor. Ask groups of students to choose different events, then combine all of the timeline presentations into one larger presentation that tells the story of World War 2. Curate all the timelines into one document using Sway, reviewed here, or Wakelet, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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RealClearHistory - RealClear
Grades
8 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): biographies (95), civil war (136), constitution (92), history day (39), politics (115), presidents (133), religions (84), slavery (78), space (217), vikings (10), world war 1 (78), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Make this site available in favorites on your classroom computers for students to refer to for history-related resources. You may want to list this link on your class website for students to access the page both in and out of class. Consider using the site as an icebreaker at the beginning of a class: pick one of the articles or short video clips (share it on your interactive whiteboard or projector) and discuss. After doing research, have cooperative learning groups create podcasts or video commercials highlighting an interesting historical event. Create FREE podcasts using a site such as Spotify for Podcastors, reviewed here. This is also a good resource for reading informational text per the Common Core Standards.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Classroom Materials - Primary Source Sets - Library of Congress
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): 20th century (62), authors (105), black history (130), civil war (136), constitution (92), evaluating sources (28), hispanic (32), history day (39), immigration (68), jefferson (19), lincoln (65), new deal (5), primary sources (119), Research (84), segregation (18), thanksgiving (22), veterans (28), washington (28), westward expansion (39), womens suffrage (48), wright brothers (16)
In the Classroom
When introducing a new unit, show students photos from the era (on the left menu) and have them describe what they see and what period they think it is. Find plenty of questions and activities (including a blank analysis organizer for students) in the Teacher's Guides. Also look at Library of Congress: for Teachers, reviewed here. Encourage your students to use this tool for projects. Challenge students to find a photo (legally permitted for reproduction), and then narrate the photo as if it is a news report. Have students create a multimedia presentation using Google Slides, reviewed here. Google Slides allows you to narrate a picture (choose Insert from the top menu, then audio) modifying student learning. Include this site on your class webpage for students and parents to access as a reference.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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What Was D-Day? Teachers' Sources - Imperial War Museums
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): d day (11), veterans (28), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a World War II unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Extend learning by having students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a soldier, commander, or loved one during the D-Day invasion. Modify learning by challenging students create timelines (it can include text, images and collaboration) using Sutori, reviewed here. Make your D-Day lessons interdisciplinary by using the search bar to find Science and Technology lessons and share with science teachers at your site.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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National D-Day Memorial - National D-Day Memorial Foundation
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): d day (11), veterans (28), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Feature this site during a single lesson on D-Day or as part of any World War II unit. Enhance student learning by challenging students to make a multimedia presentation about what they learned using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools, reviewed here. A few of our favorites would be to create an annotated image including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Image Annotator, reviewed here. Alternatively, use a mapping tool such as Zeemaps, reviewed here, to create a map of local landforms (with audio stories and pictures included)! Or, extend learning and have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a soldier, leader, or politician involved with D-Day events.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project - University of North Carolina Greensboro
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): afghanistan (8), iraq (27), memorial day (12), middle east (43), oral history (14), primary sources (119), terrorism (42), veterans (28), world war 1 (78), world war 2 (161)
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 Classroom - PBS NewsHour Productions LLC
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): civil rights (201), elections (81), holocaust (42), memorial day (12), news (228), pearl harbor (14), poetry (192), veterans (28), video (262), women (142), world war 2 (161)
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, extend 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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History of Memorial Day - History Channel
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): battles (18), holidays (179), memorial day (12), veterans (28)
In the Classroom
Though you may not be able to view the videos, there 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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Veterans' Day - Myvocabulary.com
Grades
K to 1tag(s): veterans (28), vocabulary (238)
In the Classroom
Have students work in cooperative learning groups, divide up the vocabulary words, and have each group 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. If you don't have the time to complete online books, have students share the definitions using a class wiki. Be sure to also check out the interactive word puzzles!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Veterans History Project - Library of Congress
Grades
9 to 12At the time of this review the "listening" feature was not available on the Chrome browser, however it does work if you use the Edge browser.
tag(s): afghanistan (8), iraq (27), korea (20), resources (87), veterans (28), vietnam (38), world war 1 (78), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Primary documents are a vital link between the students of today and the experiences of real people from the past. Students can access these interviews and accounts through searching by time period (WWI through the present), branch of service, gender, or POW status. As your class studies a particular conflict, assign students different accounts to research and then have them "portray" that person in a panel discussion about the war. Compare the experiences of persons filling similar roles across conflicts. Examine gender differences or the differences between those serving in the Navy and the Army. For a powerful long-term project, download the site's "field kit" and consider gathering new accounts for the project in your community. Use the search bar to find "field kit."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teaching the Vietnam Era - Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Fund
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1950s (8), 1960s (26), memorial day (12), vietnam (38)
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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