Remembrance Day in the Classroom

ACTIVITY 4 – CONTINUING THE ACT OF REMEMBRANCE Based on your Remembrance Day event and the speaker’s presentation, have students work individually to create their own editorial article about why Remembrance Day is an important commemoration. They should describe the speaker’s experience. An editorial is an article that expresses an opinion on a topic and/or person. Editorials are like essays in that they inform the reader about a topic and persuade them to appreciate the author’s opinion on it. For an example, see this article from CBC. If you were unable to host a Memory Project speaker, have students choose testimony from a veteran in the Memory Project archive to feature in their editorials, or use one of these recommended testimonies: • Iolanda “Vy” Connolly • Victor Eric Wong • Margaret Cooper • Leonard Braithwaite Have students follow the steps below to complete the attached editorial outline worksheet (see page 10). 1. Introduction: Students begin their article with a strong attention-grabbing statement or question. Answer the following questions in the first paragraph so the reader knows what the article is about. • Who is the speaker? • What is their branch of service? • Where did they serve? • When did they serve? • What was their role in the military? • Why was their service significant? 2. Body: The next two or three paragraphs should provide a detailed description of the speaker’s story. Students should review their notes and try to include a quote from the presentation. Remind students to write in the third person. Students should consider the following questions: • What did their story teach you and the other students about remembrance? • What part of their experience do you want to highlight? Why is it important? 3. Conclusion: Students should complete their article by considering the importance of listening to oral history and how it can shape someone’s view of remembrance. TEACHER TIP If your school has its own newsletter, choose a student’s article to feature in a post-Remembrance Day issue. Remembrance Day in the Classroom A Teacher Resource Kit 8. Canadian Soldier at Cenotaph Remembrance Day Ceremony in Edmonton, November 11, 2014 (courtesy Lostafichuk/46782781/Dreamstime.com). Corinne Kernan Sévigny speaking over CKCV Radio, Quebec City (courtesy Corinne Kernan Sévigny, the Memory Project).