Dear Fellow Educators,
Welcome to NSLA! What an exciting journey we are on together with Canada’s future leaders - our students! Through this amazing experience your students will witness the importance of peace in our schools, communities and in our world, as a whole. Your students will aspire to be global citizens who “make a difference!”
I am an educator with a passion for peace and remembrance… My grandfather, Steve Smolak (who I called “Geedo”) served in WWII. For over 25 years as an educator, I have made it my mission to ensure students understand and remember the sacrifice of our veterans! That is why I am thrilled to be part of the NSLA experience. I cannot think of a more authentic experience to give our students in regard to peace, remembrance and history.
As educators, we are blessed to have the opportunity to start fresh each September- a new school year! We get to “make a difference” in the lives of our students and inspire them to go out and do the same. A great way to start the new school year off and to naturally lead into the NSLA experience is by having the students explore peace and how to be peacemakers - an inquiry approach which yields fabulous ideas and recommendations from our students!
Below is a brief overview of “Six Months to Peace” which I use as an outline in my classroom from September to February.
(There are links with more activities and information on the page More Teacher Resources)
Have you ordered your educational resources/learning materials from Veteran’s Affairs? (ordering online by the third Friday in October usually ensures delivery before Veteran’s Week, but I always order in September and use as a Kick Off to “Read-In Week” in Edmonton). They are fabulous resources for FREE which students of all ages love.
Some resources to check out: Take Time to Remember activity book- ages 5-7, Tales of Animals in War newspaper – ages 5-11, Canada Remembers Times newspaper – ages 12-18, Postcards for Peace, Bookmarks (each item comes in packs of 30) http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/get-involved/remembrance-day/learning-resources
***The Teacher’s Guide which contains cross-curricular activities is available online only at www.veterans.gc.ca and click on Remembrance Day section.
Additional resources and videos for the classroom are available at http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/information-for/educators and Alberta Education resources for Veterans' Week: English and French
"Six Months to Peace"
What is peace? Why is peace important? What does peace look like? feel like? sound like? …the five senses of peace
What can you do to be a peacemaker?
Research Canada’s peacekeeping missions
BEAUTIFUL SONG, “Peaceful World” sung by children
September 11 - share Alan Jackson’s song and video, “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?”, about the terrorist attacks. Reflect.
John Lennon’s song, "Imagine" with lyrics - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_YXSHkAahE&feature=youtu.be
John Lennon’s song, "Imagine" with lyrics, Glee version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju9eLGWxgg0&feature=youtu.be
Reflect on what a peaceful world would look like, sound like and feel like. What can we do?
September 21 - International Peace Day- wear white and participate in Peace Day activities. Official site: http://internationaldayofpeace.org
In Alberta, Kick off “Read-In Week” with newspapers from Veteran’s Affairs;
***The Teacher’s Guide which contains cross-curricular activities is available online only at www.veterans.gc.ca and click on Remembrance Day section
***Order these resources in September to ensure they are here for “Read-In Week” or by third week in October to ensure in time for Remembrance Day
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/get-involved/remembrance-day/learning-resources
Explore various websites to learn about Canada’s military and Remembrance Day in Canada; gain background information to Canada’s military and roles
South African War (1899-1902) - http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/south-african-war
WWI (1914-1918) - http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/first-world-war
WWII (1939-1945) - http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war
Korean War (1950-1953) - http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/korean-war
Canadian Armed Forces (1947-present) - http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/canadian-armed-forces
**Go over the NSLA experience and go over protocols for the ceremony – refer to previous year’s broadcast at Beechmount Cemetary
**Use the live feed as a Remembrance Day celebration for your whole school
**After NSLA experience, reflect using the NSLA templates for reflection: Sample 1 and Sample 2
General info on Remembrance Day in Canada http://canadaonline.about.com/cs/canadawar/a/remembranceday.htm
Learn about the poem, “In Flanders Fields” and Dr. John McCrae. Quick Facts of poem, “In Flanders Fields” from Veteran’s Affairs http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/information-for/educators/quick-facts/flanders-field
Learn about the poppy - Quick Facts about the Poppy from Veteran’s Affairs http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/information-for/educators/quick-facts/poppy
History of the Poppy YouTube Video
Read and reflect on various Remembrance Day stories
Research Remembrance Day traditions in Canada – Quick Facts of Remembrance Day from Veteran’s Affairs http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/information-for/educators/quick-facts/remembrance-day
Postcards for Peace - http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/get-involved/postcard-for-peace
How can you be a peacemaker during this season of giving?
What kind of kind act can you do for a veteran this Christmas season? Visit a nursing home? Make Christmas Cards?
Set peacekeeping goals for the new year – ways you can “make a difference”
Sign up and participate in The Great Kindness Challenge
Participate in the Valentines for Veterans campaign by Veteran’s Affairs Canada. (**make the cards well before Valentine’s Day to ensure that they receive them for February 14).
Another idea for EDMONTON, AB students…The Loyal Edmonton Regiment Military Museum offers fieldtrips for FREE
http://lermuseum.org/index.php/education
Some resources to check out: Take Time to Remember activity book- ages 5-7, Tales of Animals in War newspaper– ages 5-11, Canada Remembers Times newspaper – ages 12-18, Postcards for Peace, Bookmarks (each item comes in packs of 30) http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/get-involved/remembrance-day/learning-resources
Additional resources and videos for the classroom are available at http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/information-for/educators
Please feel free to check out the website links that we have provided to help you create a memorable NSLA experience for you and your students in our More Teacher Resources page. Thank you for embarking on this journey with us. We look forward to sharing this experience with you and your students. Also, feel free to share resources that you use with us!
Enjoy your journey and do not hesitate to email me personally for more information.
In peace and remembrance,
Laurie Wojcichowsky
Lwojcichowsky@nostoneleftalone.ca