Memorial Day Lesson Plans: Historical and Fun Teaching Guide

A unit study is something educators use to teach. Instead of teaching math for math and science for science, they teach a topic of interest to their students. The math and science and everything else is all mixed together and easier to learn when the focus is elsewhere. This is a simple unit study about Memorial Day.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States of America. It is celebrated on the last Monday in May. It was originally called Decoration Day. Memorial Day is meant to honor the many men and women who have died in military service to the United States of America. Memorial Day was first created to honor the Union soldiers that lost their lives during the Civil War. After World War I, it was changed to include anyone that lost their life in any military action.

Subject Key

After the title of each component, the academic subjects it covers are listed. They are abbreviated for simplification.

LA = Language Arts (Reading, Writing, Grammar, etc.)

MA = Mathematics (Numbers, Measurement, etc.)

SC = Science (Scientific studies, Scientists of note, etc.)

SS = Social Studies (History, Geography, Sociology, etc.)

FA = Fine Arts (Music, Art, etc.)

PE = Physical Education (Physical Activities, Games, etc.)

Display A Flag
SS

If nothing else, one should raise Old Glory on Memorial Day to honor those who devoted their lives to it. Visit www.usflag.org to learn the proper etiquette. http://www.usflag.org/flagetiquette.html

Give Flowers
SS

A long standing Memorial Day tradition is to take flowers to the grave of a fallen soldier. If you don't know any, you can also take them to a war memorial in your area.

Star Wreath Craft
FA, SS, LA

First, cut the middle out of a paper plate. That will be the backing.

Then, cut large stars out of red, white, and blue construction paper.

Glue the stars to the backing so that they overlap some. Make sure to completely cover the backing.

Let it dry, and you're done.

For older students, you might ask them to write on each star;

The name of a battle or military action where lives were lost.

The name of a fallen soldier.

A freedom that was protected by the loss of life.

Or another idea of your choosing.

Talk to a Veteran
SS

If you know a friend or family member that served, ask them to speak to your students. With younger students they may talk about their patriotism and the reasons they chose to serve, or they may also discuss some of their experiences with military service with older students. If you don't know of any veterans, contact your local AMVETS. http://www.amvets.org/membership/find_your_post.html They should be able to refer you to someone in your area that would enjoy talking to your students.

BBQ
MA, SC, FA

Most Americans only briefly reflect on the true purpose of Memorial Day. It is widely considered the start of BBQ season, or even summer (though summer doesn't officially start for another month). There will probably be beautiful weather for a BBQ, and you may even find yourself invited to a few. Here are links to a few recipes simple enough for children to make with a little parental supervision. This will help them learn to be either a polite guest (always bring a gift or dish to a party) or an enthusiastic host.