Veterans Day Lesson Plan: Make a Tribute Movie

Lesson Procedure:

1. Ask students what they know about Veteran’s Day. Follow up by asking them who veterans are and whether they know any. Encourage students to share personal stories of family or friends who are veterans.
2. Tell students that today they will watch a BrainPOP movie about the history and significance of Veterans Day, a day we honor American troops who served in wars and during peacetime--at home and around the world. Display the Veterans Day topic page on the whiteboard, and invite a volunteer to read the movie description at the bottom of the page.
3. Show the movie Veterans Day to the the whole class once through without pausing. Turn on the closed caption option to aid in comprehension.
4. After watching the movie once through, have students open the Veterans Day Make-a-Map assignment. Tell students that later they will be producing a tribute movie honoring America’s veterans, but first they will watch the movie again, this time using Make-a-Map to take notes about who veteran are and what they do. Explain that they will use the notes to create their movies. Instruct them to select the Spider Map template or create their own spider maps. Remind them that they can include clips from the movie in their maps.
5. After completing their maps, instruct students to open their Make-a-Movie assignment in a new window, keeping their concept maps open in the first window. Explain that they will use their notes to create a movie paying tribute to the veterans. They can write their own letter, or use the letter that asks “How have veterans served their country?”
6. When students finish making their movies, have them share and compare with a partner or small group.