Mentor Monday: Veteran's Day

It is Monday, again!  That means it is time to link up with Emily from The Reading Tutor/OG for Mentor Monday.  This week's topic is all about Veteran's Day.  Does your school do anything special for Veteran's Day?  We always had a special assembly to honor the Veterans in our community.  It was so much fun!  About a month prior to the assembly, we asked students to bring in (or email) pictures of family members who have served in the military or who are currently serving.  We created a slideshow of all of the family members and I think it really helped students realize how many people serve our country.  It also makes it more "real" when you put faces to it and see the connections to their friends and classmates.

One of my favorite books to read at this time of the year is The Wall.  If you haven't read it before, make sure you have a tissue nearby!  And, definitely read it yourself before reading to the kids!  It is so beautifully written by Eve Bunting.  You can find it read aloud {HERE} if you don't have a copy of it yourself.

One of the activities I like to do with this book is to compare how Bunting describes this wall differently than an encyclopedia describes it.  I start off by reading the encyclopedia entry for the Vietnam War Memorial.  Afterwards, I have the kids sketch what the "saw" as I was reading it.  Then, I read The Wall (I don't show them the pictures yet) and have them again sketch what they saw.  It leads to a great conversation about how authors write for certain purposes and how fiction authors can add so much feeling to their descriptions!

You can grab a copy of all of these activities {HERE} for only $1!  

How do YOU celebrate Veteran's Day?