Remembering the 11th of November

Helping younger students learn about Remembrance Day.

It’s that time of year… waking up to darker mornings, winter coats coming out and pumpkins or snowmen adorning the shelves of the shops. Half term is nearly here, and before long, poppies will be all around us – many will wear them, whether at home, school or on the television.

Students will even sell them themselves to raise money. Remembrance Day is on the horizon, but how much do Key Stage 1 and 2 students know about the real story behind it?

With the topic already fresh on people’s minds, it makes it an ideal topic to teach students about ‘events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally’ or relatable ‘significant historical events, people and places in their own locality’. What better way to teach history than a topic that is bound to have a direct link to many of the students in the room – whether that’s their current day or their grandparents’?

One of our excellent teachers has created a task which provides a key discussion starter for students. This uses 24 colour-illustrated slips with the key dates of the world wars and how it links to our lives now, but all through the eyes of a young girl called Sarah.

The idea is, that in small groups of 2 or 3, students sit around and read through the slips of information on the screen. In our full version, we include lots of tools including those to create a group, sticky tape (which kids love!) or notes. They do all of this, with the goal of answering an open question – why did Sarah attend the Remembrance Service?

This is part of our collaborative learning tool Digital Mysteries. Especially for this, we have made a free version which you can view on your browser now. You don’t need to install anything; just click on each slip to see the three different sizes.

To have a look at this preview, please click here.