Remembrance Day in your school
Remembrance Day in your school
What is Remembrance Day?
Remembrance Day, also known as Armistice Day or Poppy Day, is a Memorial Day observed in Commonwealth countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. Every year on November 11th, it is observed. Remembrance Sunday is also a part of these observations, and this is held on the second Sunday in November each year.
Why do we celebrate Remembrance Day?
On November 11th, Remembrance Day commemorates the end of World War One. It ended on November 11th, 1918, at 11 am, which is why a two-minute silence is held at 11 am on this day. The signing of the Armistice officially ended the war, which is why it is also known as Armistice Day.
Remembrance Day provides an opportunity for people to remember those who fought and died during the war.
Activities to do
A great way to get children thinking of what Remembrance Day means to them is to do an acrostic. This can be done with the word Remembrance. Get them to think of a sentence for each letter, that relates to Remembrance Day. This furthers their understanding of the importance of the day as well as lets them be creative to show what they know.
Listen to classic war songs whilst the class work. This gives a sensory aspect to their learning which they will enjoy. War songs also tell a story of people’s feelings before, during and after the war so the children can connect to those emotions. A popular war song is We’ll Meet Again which is powerful and emotional, telling the story of men departing to go into battle. Provide teachers with a sound system or speaker so they can share this music with their classes.
Using Remembrance Day puzzles, quizzes and colouring in sheets will also help your school to understand the day. It is a fun way of discovering more information about the day and what is connected to it (such as poppies). It is easy to find things like word searches through Google that can be used for free!
Take the class outside to plant poppies! Have them prepare the soil and plant the seeds whilst learning about different kinds of poppies and their use of them for Remembrance Day. Then, make sure they care for their poppies by watering them often to show them how important poppies are for the day.
Educate staff
Ensure you educate your staff on the importance of Remembrance Day and what you plan to do with the day. Provide them with poppies to wear throughout the day and week. If you are planning an assembly, be sure to provide your teachers with an itinerary prior. This will ensure teachers can educate their classes on why we are celebrating Remembrance Day in school and what the assembly will be about.
Plan the assembly so you have enough time for staff to give a presentation on this day and you are able to hold the 2 minutes of silence at 11am. This means planning the day ahead and making sure everyone is aware of how you want the school day to go. To help you with planning as an SBM, check out our previous blogs on how to plan and organise work.
Resources
Below are a few resources with lesson plans you can provide for your teachers for Remembrance Day and more books and poetry that you can look into.
The British Legion have some amazing class ideas to get your classes fully involved in Remembrance Day for further inspiration!
Find some more poppy craft ideas and step-by-step guides on how to create them here.
Here’s more information on key people alongside key events and a task that could be handy for class inspiration.
DiscoverPoetry have further war/ Remembrance Day poems in case you’re stuck on finding some to use in class.
Booktrust have an extensive list of war/Remembrance Day books to help inspire you further!
