Originally called Armistice Day, we celebrate Veterans Day on November 11 each year to recognize the end of fighting during World War I, which began at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918. This holiday is a time to remember the experiences of our service members, recognize their dedication to keeping our country safe, and thank them for their service.

You can help students understand the significance and importance of this holiday with Veterans Day lesson plans for the ELA and social studies classrooms:

• Discover the significance of Veterans Day with ELA lesson plans
• Build background knowledge with Veterans Day social studies lesson plans

[Discover the significance of Veterans Day with ELA lesson plans](id-ela)

Help students understand the experiences of our nation’s veterans through literature and informational texts with our ELA Resources for Veterans Day collection:

Learn more about veterans’ experiences

Through texts and other resources, students can explore what it means to be a veteran in the United States and how our service members return to civilian life when they leave active service in a military branch. Explore stories like:

• A look at the Hero Dogs program, which trains puppies to become service animals for wounded veterans.
• The life of Richard Overton, who, at 112 years and 230 days old when he passed away, holds the record for the oldest living man and oldest verified veteran in our country’s history.
• How a writing workshop in Pennsylvania is helping women veterans tell authentic stories of their experiences while serving in the military.

Compare Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and Independence Day

Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and Independence Day are all patriotic holidays we celebrate yearly. But aside from taking place in different months, how are they actually different? Help students uncover what makes these holidays unique by:

• Reading about the origins of Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and Independence Day.
• Completing a triple Venn Diagram with evidence from the readings to note what the holidays have in common and how they’re different.
• Using the Venn Diagram to create a short story or poem highlighting the three holidays' similarities and differences.

Compare portrayals of military service in fiction and nonfiction

As with any subject, military service can get skewed for cinematic value in movies, TV shows, and other fictional stories. With this paired text analysis, you can help students explore fiction and nonfiction accounts of service during World War I to analyze their similarities and differences.

• Assign the fictional story “The Bowman” by Arthur Machen, which tells the story of a British soldier who invokes St. George and his Agincourt Bowmen to save them from defeat during the Retreat of the Eighty Thousand.
• Read a nonfiction text about the global impact of World War I, such as the U.S. emerging as a great power and the rise of socialism.
• Have students complete a paired text analysis worksheet and answer the question, “What is the main idea of each text, and how are they connected?”

Explore poetry about war

Sometimes, our toughest experiences—individually or as part of the collective human experience—make for the most powerful artistic subjects. Have students explore poetry about war and veterans’ experiences with selections like:

• “Dulce et Decorum est” by Wilfred Owen
• “Before the Battle” by Siegfried Sassoon
• “Everyone Sang” by Siegfried Sassoon
• “To The Colored Soldiers” by Irvin W. Underhill

Dive into military-themed novels and books

If you’re looking for your next in-class novel or book, consider selecting one with military themes to pair with your Veterans Day lessons. Our Novel and Book Studies collection includes various fiction and nonfiction options to help you build background knowledge on themes and major plot points in each story. Some of our popular military-themed titles include:

• “Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker’s Story” by Joseph Bruchac
• “My Brother Sam Is Dead” by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
• “The Red Badge of Courage” by Stephen Crane
• “A Farewell to Arms” by Ernest Hemingway
• “Unbroken” (The Young Adult Adaptation) by Laura Hillenbrand
• “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Maria Remarque

[Build background knowledge with Veterans Day social studies lesson plans](id-ss)

Dig into the background and history of Veterans Day and influential groups of service members with these social studies lessons:

Discover the history and legacy of Veterans Day

Veterans Day commemorates U.S. veterans of all wars and branches of the military. It’s a dedicated day to pay tribute to all those who served their country. Help students understand the significance of this holiday and the traditions and tributes surrounding it with articles on topics like:

• The history of Veterans Day, first known as Armistice Day.
• Celebrations that took place on Veterans Day 2018, which marked the 100th anniversary of the official end of World War I.
• What happens to the items visitors leave at war memorials, like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Meet influential Indigenous veterans

Veterans Day takes place during National Native American Heritage Month each year. Tie these two timely events together by sharing stories of influential Indigenous veterans and their experiences with your students:

• Read about the Native American veterans memorial in Washington, D.C., that honors Indigenous service members
• Discover the inadequate housing conditions for Navajo veterans and how efforts to provide better reservation housing for them have failed.
• Learn about how the United States Congress welcomed its first two Indigenous women members and their plans for improving Indigenous representation and rights across the country, including those of Indigenous veterans.

Keep the conversation going with more content and activities on Newsela

With multiple holidays throughout the year that remember our veterans, service members, and national independence, there are plenty of opportunities to create lessons around these topics in your classroom using Newsela’s products.

If you’re not a Newsela customer, you can sign up for Newsela Lite and start your 45-day free trial of our premium products. Then, you’ll have access to all the engaging, differentiated content you need to teach your students about Veterans Day and beyond!