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Thinking About Our Troops

Return to Remembering Those Who Gave Their Lives: Lessons for Memorial Day

Subjects

  • Arts & Humanities:
    Language Arts
  • Educational Technology
  • Social Studies:
    Civics
  • Social Studies:
    Current Events
  • Social Studies:
    History
    -U.S. History
  • Social Studies:
    Holidays

Grades

  • K-2
  • 3-5
  • 6-8
  • 9-12

Brief Description

This lesson offers a handful of ways in which kids can connect with American soldiers serving around the world.

Objectives

Students will
  • write thoughtful messages of hope and support to U.S. military personnel.
  • explore other ways to support America's troops.

Keywords

Iraq, soldiers, community service, war, troops, letters, email, Memorial Day, Veterans Day

Materials Needed

  • Internet access (optional for students; required for teachers)
  • pencils, paper

Lesson Plan

This lesson offers ideas for students who would like to send messages to soldiers who are fighting for our country or serving in other ways.

A Million Thanks
Click the How to Mail Our Troops link for guidelines for writing and mailing letters.

For classroom purposes, you might have students compose messages of support on paper. The messages can be corrected; after correction, students might type their corrected messages into a computer email program.

After the messages are sent, they can be accessed by any service member anywhere, so, if you would like to add one more step to the process, students could type their messages into a word processing document. Then you could cut and paste each message into a new Operation Dear Abby window.

Note from the site: "Service members without Internet access may still read messages. Company commanders who have Internet access have the ability to download bulk messages to be printed and distributed according to service branch and location."

More Ideas for Connecting Kids and Soldiers
For additional ways in which students might show their support for America's troops stationed overseas, see an Education World article, Lessons in Life: Connecting Kids and Soldiers.

Assessment

Students demonstrate their care and concern by writing thoughtful messages to America's servicemen and women.

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Gary Hopkins

Find more Memorial Day activity ideas in Education World's Memorial Day Archive.

Click to return to this week's Lesson Planning article, Remembering Those Who Gave Their Lives: Lessons for Memorial Day.

 


Last updated 05/07/2017