Never Forget: Honoring Those Who Served World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Beyond (Desert Storm, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq)Whether it's peacetime or wartime, it's always important to teach students that Veterans Day means more than just a day off from school. Patriotism is a value that must be taught and modeled for students. By taking time to give honor and patriotism even deeper meaning in a classroom around national holidays, we will build the foundation for young students to be proud and contributing citizens of our country.
TARGET AUDIENCE
Students in 5th through 12th grades. Students who have a prior knowledge of the events and outcomes of the wars will benefit the most from these activities and the videoconference.
SUBJECTS
History (including students' own family histories); language arts; civics; geography; and social responsibility.
FORMAT
Each videoconference session will feature interviews with a panel of local veterans with a variety of experiences in each war. During this 45 minute videoconference session, 20 minutes will be allocated for student questions.
OBJECTIVES
Students will:
- use their reading skills to identify main ideas and accurately record information from numerous Internet resources
- develop content-rich notes to use for their writing questions assignment
- learn about United States war involvement from 1918 until now
- understand that the first-person accounts from these veterans will illuminate the long-ago and often forgotten wars
- acknowledge that veterans deserve recognition and honor for their military service
NATIONAL STANDARDS
This lesson plan may be used to address the following academic standards. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education: 2nd Edition.
Grade level: 5-12
Subject area: U.S. history
Standards:
- The causes and course of World War II, the character of the war at home and abroad, and its reshaping of the U.S. role in world affairs
- Understands how the Cold War and conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq influenced domestic and international politics
- Review the timeline of U.S. involvement from World War II to Korea to Vietnam and Iraq
- Explain conditions and motivations that contribute to conflict, cooperation and interdependence among groups, societies and nations.
Benchmarks:
- Understands factors that contributed to the development of World War II, Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, and Iraqi War
- Understands the political elements of the Vietnam War (e.g., the constitutional issues involved in the Vietnam War, the legacy of the war)
Subject area: World history
Standards:
- The causes and global consequences of World War II, Korean War, Vietnam war, and Iraqi war
- Post-World War II reconstruction, new international power relations, and breaking up of colonial empires
- The search for community, stability and peace in an interdependent world
- What is the relationship of the United States to other nations and to world affairs?
- Evaluate, take, and defend positions on United States foreign policy issues in light of American national interests, values, and principles.
- Analyze the relationships and tensions between national sovereignty and global interests, in matters such as territory, economic development, nuclear and other weapons, use of natural resources, and human rights concerns.
Benchmarks:
- Understands the impact of relations during World War II through Iraq, and the impact of the wars on art, literature, and popular culture
- Understands factors that influenced political conditions after World War II and leading up to Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq
- Understands how specific countries have implemented social and cultural changes
Subject area: Language Arts
1 - Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; and to respond to the needs and demands of society.
2 - Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
4 - Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
5 - Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
7 - Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
8 - Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
VOCABULARY
- fleet - a group of naval ships under one command or grouped for one purpose.
- guard - to protect from danger or harm.
- honor - to have high regard or esteem for; respect.
- infantry - foot soldiers, or the branch of the military to which they belong.
- armed - holding or bearing weapons.
- army - the military land force of a nation.
- memorial - a ceremony, custom, or public structure to honor a dead person or past event.
- navy - the part of a nation's military organization that is concerned with warfare on or over the sea.
- troop - to assemble or join together in a crowd.
- veteran - a person who was formerly part of the armed forces, esp. during a war.
- bravery - the quality or condition of being brave; fearlessness; courage.
- cavalry - troops mounted on horseback or in armored carriers or helicopters, or the branch of military service composed of such troops.
- commando - a small, specially trained military unit used for surprise assaults on enemy-held territory.
- commemoration - a ceremony to honor the memory of a person or event.
- courage - the quality of will that enables a person to confront fear or danger regardless of the consequences; bravery:
More Details: www.vanderbilt.edu/VirtualSchool/programs/hot-topics/veterans.htm
