Make Lessons Meaningful

Remembrance Day Lesson

Remembrance Day is fast approaching and I thought it would be beneficial to brainstorm lesson plan ideas that students would find meaningful. This day is a very important day. It is an opportunity to remember and appreciate what our soldiers did for our country. 

The lesson plan that I created coincides with my genius hour question: how can I engage my students. Once again, looking at how I can create meaningful experiences for my students to help them be excited about learning! 

This was my idea that I focused on this week: 

I would either find a roster of veterans currently living in Ontario with their addresses, or I would speak with veterans at a local legion to collect their mailing addresses and some personal information about who they are and what they did for our country. 

Each student would receive information about a veteran. Students would be required to compose a letter that shows the student's appreciation for what they have done. In connection to the Language Arts curriculum, students will be required to ensure they have all the elements of a letter and edit their work for spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Students will write their first draft and revise it multiple times throughout the week. It is important for myself, the teacher, to explain the value of these letters and the meaning behind putting so much effort into writing them. 

Students will write their final draft the day before Remembrance Day. On the day, students will fill in the mailing address on the envelope. We will stamp all of them and send them off to the veterans we are thanking. 

Remembrance Day (2014). Retrieved from http://dgh.tldsb.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2014/11/Remembrance-Day.jpg

This lesson is an excellent opportunity to provide meaning for what they are doing in the classroom. Students need to be motivated in one way or another when they are learning. They need to find purpose in what they are doing, otherwise why do it?