On November 11, 1919 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first Veterans Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations," (US Army Center of Military History). From that day forward, Veterans Day has been recognized on November 11th every year as a United States federal holiday. It is also known as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day because it is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. However the holiday is named, it always honors military veterans. Bring the important holiday into your classroom with activities and lesson plans that will teach your students the importance of our veterans and ways they can honor them.
Below are some ideas and resources we gathered that you could implement into your classroom in honor of our military veterans on Veterans Day. Just click on the links for complete descriptions, instructions, and additional resources.