Teaching Remembrance Day at KS1

In this section of the site, a lesson and an interactive  presentation are featured.  The first Outstanding Lesson looks at the question: “What are memories and which things do we all remember at different times of year?”  It focuses on the concept of memory using an outstanding children’s story, Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge.  The interactive presentation looks at “What do we remember on Poppy Day?”

Teaching Remembrance Day to Key Stage 1

Why do we wear poppies to remember?  Explain to the children that poppies grew in the mud of the First World War battlefields, churned up by years of heavy fighting.  Read John McCrae’s poem to bring this alive.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place: and in the sky 

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

Explain that poppies are sold to raise money.  Introduce a packet of Jelly Babies ‘the peace babies’ that were given by Bassetts to children after the war to celebrate peace. What would people feel today when they saw a poppy?  Do you think poppies are a good symbol to help us remember?

What happens on Remembrance Day? What do you think of when you hear this music play? Play the Last Post.

What can we discover from visiting our local war memorial? Did anyone see a name they recognised?   How do we keep links with the past?   Can we create a Remembrance Day Display?

And finally, do you think we should still have a two minute silence to remember all those who died in wars?