Probably the most meaningful for my students was a visit from my nephew, who has recently returned from a tour of active duty. My students were so excited to learn that he came through the very same school system they attend. They had lots of great questions for him, and learned a lot about the military from his first hand accounts.
This patriotic STEM activity was also a great opportunity to practice grit while utilizing the engineering process. It is very simple to prepare, and highly engaging. I will definitely to this one again. Not all of my groups were successful in the challenge, but they all keep working to improve their designs. I also saw a lot of innovative creations and great teamwork.
Finally, this set of differentiated passages has a great Veterans Day close reading passage. I used this in small groups this week to practice reading skills while students learned about the origin of Veterans Day.
I'd love to hear about how you teach American holidays to your students. Feel free to drop me a comment.
