
Congressional Medal of Honor Society
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New Veterans Day Lessons From Our Character Development Program
Teaching students the importance of Veterans Day is a priority, but many teachers face a lack of resources in the classroom to do so. The Medal of Honor Character Development Program has several free lessons, including two new middle and high school ones, that can be easily incorporated into the classroom to teach students the importance of observing Veterans Day.
A majority of our Veterans Day lessons are designed for middle and high school students, but they can be easily adapted for upper elementary students as well. If you are a lower-grade elementary educator, please scroll down for lessons that would be appropriate for your students.
Our New Veterans Day Lessons
Veterans Day Reflections: What Makes a Veteran?
The lesson, “What Makes a Veteran?,” focuses largely on Veterans and the sacrifices they have made for our country. This lesson includes a video featuring Staff Sgt. David G. Bellavia, a War on Terrorism Medal of Honor Recipient, speaking about his service in the United States Army and the core values service members embody.
Veterans Day Reflections: Honor in the Face of Conflict
This lesson, “Honor in the Face of Conflict,” focuses specifically on Vietnam War Veterans and incorporates the Living History video of U.S. Army Sergeant Gary Beikirch, a Vietnam War Medal of Honor Recipient. Key takeaways from this lesson include the importance of honoring Veterans and the challenges Veterans face when they return home from war.
More Lessons for Veterans Day
Secondary Lessons
Here are some additional Veterans Day lessons designed for middle and high school students.
Elementary Lessons
We also have several Veterans Day lessons that are designed for elementary students.
Each of these Veterans Day lessons will suggest how to break up the instruction into individual reflections, group discussions, assessments, and time to discuss how your classroom specifically can honor Veterans and share the importance of Veterans Day with others.
About the Character Development Program
The Medal of Honor Character Development Program is a free resource that teaches courage, commitment, integrity, sacrifice, citizenship, and patriotism to students through educationally grounded lessons developed by teachers for teachers. Both the elementary and secondary resources of the CDP teach students to recognize and exemplify these values, making them useful as Social Emotional Learning resources, as a classroom management system, or as a tool to create a positive and healthy school culture.
For more lessons revolving around our six core values, visit our website. To stay up-to-date on new lessons and teaching resources, sign up to receive our monthly newsletter.