Remembrance Day

Social Media

Adam Luxenberg, a Canadian student is using selfies and social media to connect with young people about Remembrance Day. 

He created the hashtag “#PoppyProud” to encourage young people to participate in the Remembrance Day tradition on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

“We ask them to post the picture with #Poppyproud, so that we can instil a bit more of the spirit of Remembrance Day in our generation and people of our age.”

While social media is not commonly found in the average classroom, some technology :

• Create a digital poppy using one of the numerous drawing apps on the iPad. Save to the camera roll and post to class websites or blogs with Remembrance Day messages.
  
• Use Padlet to create a wall where the children can all post responses to a topic question about importance of Remembrance or thoughts about Remembrance Day in general.
  
• Create a class word cloud about Remembrance Day using one of the many word cloud generators online (Wordle, Tagxedo, Tagul) 

Around the World

The great thing about technology is that it can bring the world into your classroom. This week I was captivated by Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, an installation art piece at the Tower of London in the lead up to Remembrance Day. I will be sharing this video in my art class this week, but also using it to generate some discussion about Remembrance Day in general. 

Connecting with Literature

This year my class went to the Brisbane Writer's Festival. We were privileged to meet Morris Gleitzman and see a short play based on his new book Loyal Creatures. 

"The powerful and moving story of a young man’s journey towards his own kind of bravery."

The animal loses in the great wars of the past are often overlooked and this book certainly struck a chord with me as the story is practically identical to the story my father told me about my grandfather and his horse. 

Incredible tribute to the 8 million horses, donkeys and mules that died faithfully supporting their respective armies. Faithful to the end.

What surprised me was just how taken the children were with the story and then the interest it sparked in the wars of the past. This book would make a lovely discussion starter and also a nice way to compliment Remembrance Day or ANZAC Day work in the classroom. I usually set up discussion forums for the books we read in the classroom and this book would certainly lend itself nicely to that.

Hope you enjoyed reading this blog and found my ideas useful this Remembrance Day. Please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question.

Laura