Lesson Plan - Honoring Heroes
Learning Objective
Students will learn about an 11-year-old who cares for veterans’ gravestones to honor the fallen heroes.
Content-Area Connections
Social Studies
Standards Correlations
CCSS: RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.3, RI.3.4, RI.3.5, RI.3.8, RI.3.10
NCSS: Civic Ideals and Practices
TEKS: Social Studies 3.9
Text Structure
Problem/Solution
1. Preparing to Read
Watch the Video
Build background knowledge about America’s military by playing the video “Honoring Our Veterans.” Discuss: What are veterans? Why is it important to honor them?
Preview Word to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.
Set a Purpose for Reading
As students read, have them identify the main idea of article and some key details that support that main idea.
2. Close-Reading Questions
1. What big problem did Nicholas Pinkerton notice last year?
Last year, Nicholas Pinkerton noticed that the graves of many veterans near his hometown of Spring Branch, Texas, were in bad condition. Some were covered in weeds. Some of the gravestones were leaning over.
(RI.3.2 Main Idea and Key Details)
2. What is the goal of the Warriors Remembrance and Research Foundation?
The goal of the Warriors Remembrance and Research Foundation is to clean community cemeteries, where most of our nation’s veterans are buried.
(RI.3.2 Main Idea and Key Details)
3. Based on the article, why is it important to Nicholas to care for veterans’ graves?
It is important to Nicholas to care for veterans’ graves because he believes that the people who serve our country deserve to be respected. He says, “All veterans should be remembered.”
(RI.3.1 Text Evidence)
3. Skill Building
FEATURED SKILL: Writing Poetry
Distribute the skill builder “Celebrate Veterans!” and have students write acrostic poems using the letters in the word veterans. Have students give their poem to a veteran they know, or send the completed poems to a local Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital or American Legion post.
(W.3.4 Production of Writing)
