The Korean War Memorial honors the sacrifice of those who served.
Every state has historical monuments that commemorate a person, event or place that has national or state significance. As a result, you may find a national monument close by to visit to help enhance the lesson and bring the monument to life for students. In addition, students benefit from learning about the history of the area and engaging in activities that are tied to local events.
Monument Field Trip
If there is a monument close by, schedule a field trip. Most monuments have staff on-site to explain the significance of the monument and its history. The monument may also supply educational materials students can use to write reports and complete other activities. Allow the students free time to explore the monument grounds, if available, and ask questions of the staff. When the students return to the classroom, they can write a report about the trip and the information they gathered, or answer some simple question, depending on the grade.
Historical Reenactment
With teacher assistance, students can write a play about the events or person commemorated by a specific U.S. historical monument. If this is beyond the grade's ability, use an existing script and assign roles. Older students can use the play as a way to introduce family and other students to the facts involved. Ask the principal about the possibility of performing the play for the school and inviting parents to the assembly, or hold an additional performance in the evening for parents to view.
Art Activities
Most monuments include art as a part of their structure. After studying the history or event commemorated by the monument, have students create their own art as a way to honor the events or person. The art can include clay replicas of the monument, pictures, collages or other art mediums. Display the artwork in the classroom or other appropriate place. For older students, have students research and create group reports about the artist who created the art on the monument. Have students include pictures of the monument artworks as well as other pieces of art by the artist in the biography. Students might also include information on why a specific artist was chosen for the monument's artwork.
Monument Blog
Students can create a blog about the monument. Students might "interview" the person or people honored by the monument. They can also research the monument and report on how the site was chosen and chronicle the events leading up to the completion of the monument. The students can upload the reports to the blog and invite family and friends to log on and interact with the blog.
Mapping Monuments
Students can download maps from the University of Texas Library collection of U.S. National Monuments and then locate each of the monuments with colored dots or other marking method. Students can connect a string to each monument and complete a card that details the name of the monument, year it opened and the event or person commemorated.
Tags: events person, monument close, Most monuments, person commemorated, Students might, students write
