As we approach Veterans Day, it’s a wonderful opportunity to teach our special education students about the importance of honoring and respecting our nation’s heroes. For children in special education classrooms, lessons about Veterans Day must be engaging and authentic. Simple lessons on being thankful could make all the difference, which is perfect in this season of Thanksgiving.
In this blog post, we will share some engaging lesson ideas to help your students connect with the concept of Veterans Day and a special freebie for you!
Lesson Idea # 1: Interactive Stories
Use interactive, accessible stories or videos that explain the history of Veterans Day and the sacrifices made by veterans. Afterward, discuss what it means to say “thank you” to a veteran. It’s easy to adapt any book so that students can match a picture to a word in the book. Lesson Pix is a great program to differentiate books easily. It only costs $36 for the year. If you are adapting a book at the last minute, don’t feel the need to laminate and velcro. Simply choose a word on each book page to find a picture match on Lesson Pix. Then, print and have students match.
Here is a list of some of my favorite books about Veterans Day for students with special needs: (affiliate links)
Lesson Idea # 2: Complete a Differentiated Writing Project
What better way to learn about Veterans Day than to engage in a differentiated writing project? After learning about this special day, students who can generate writing ideas with little help can write what they learned about. Students who need additional support can use this differentiated writing prompt. Check it out on TpT!
Lesson Idea # 3: Guest Speaker or Virtual Visit
If possible, invite a veteran or arrange a virtual visit to interact with your students. This offers a real-life connection to the importance of this day and can be incredibly impactful. Contact your student’s families to see if their parent, grandparent, or other family member is a veteran. In addition, if you made thank you cards, the students can give them to the guest speaker.
Lesson Idea # 4: Create Thank You Cards
Have your students create personalized thank you cards for veterans. This not only reinforces the importance of gratitude but also encourages fine motor and writing skills. You can guide them to make cards with American symbols, such as the flag or poppies.
Looking for a quick, easy, and differentiated way to make Veterans Day thank you cards? Get access to my FREE resource library to download a ready-to-print thank you card activity for all your students!
I hope these ideas make it easy to celebrate Veterans Day in your special education classroom. It’s important that our students know the sacrifice men and women have made for the freedom in our country.