Celebrate Memorial Day with vocabulary fun.

As we approach Memorial Day, it’s important to teach our students the meaning and significance behind the holiday. One way to do this is by introducing them to Memorial Day vocabulary during morning meeting, and then practicing it in engaging centers.

By familiarizing them with terms like tribute, memory, and defend, we can help them understand the importance of honoring those who have given their lives for our freedom. Teaching Memorial Day vocabulary can be a fun and interactive way to educate our students about the holiday, and can spark important discussions and reflections about the sacrifices made by our service members. With the right resources and approach, we can ensure that our students have a deeper understanding and appreciation for Memorial Day.

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Memorial Day in a fun, musical way.

A great way that I have found for students to learn about Memorial Day is through music.  It can also be a powerful way to commemorate this special day. That’s why a Memorial Day vocabulary song is a great tool for helping kids learn about the significance of this holiday while having some musical fun. Whether you’re a teacher looking for a way to educate your students or just someone who loves to sing, adding a Memorial Day vocabulary song to your playlist is a meaningful way to observe this important day.

We have created a simple song for our students, which can also be used as a poem. I teach the song to my students at the beginning of the week during our morning meeting, and then we work on the vocabulary from the song. I know some of you are saying that you don’t like to sing. Trust me, the kids love it! However, if you just don’t want to, then we have got you covered. Students can sing along with the song included in these Boom Cards.

Try a few cards out for free!

You can just play the song on the Boom Cards that are included in this reading comprehension bundle.

Transform vocabulary learning with these activities.

I display word wall cards of real photos of the vocabulary words about Memorial Day that we are studying. We discuss each word for the day. I also use this time to clap syllables, discuss the meanings of the words and help students discover word parts that help them sound out words. They  love seeing and highlighting these words in their own copy of the song, as well as illustrating the page, which they put in a poetry/song folder to review.

Do you just want some resources to help teach your students about Memorial Day and increase reading comprehension as well as the other components of science of reading?

1. Pocket charts are perfect for tactile learners.

One activity that I introduce during morning meeting is building the song in a pocket chart. Students take turns putting the song together. We also match the word wall cards to the red words on the chart, so they can make  picture connections to the words.

Then I use the pocket chart activity as one of my literacy centers. There is a fill in the blank sheet that students can complete after they build the song in the chart.

2. Try a “thinking question” to uplevel your morning meeting time.

Another activity I like to do is “thinking question” for one of my morning meeting questions because it gives my students the opportunity to share what is on their minds and by sharing those thoughts it helps their friends expand their thinking. They will get in groups of 2 or 3 and discuss the words and what they mean to them. It is such a wonderful way to increase social emotional learning.  Sometimes I have students journal about the word, then they will share it with a partner.

3. Help your kids learn new words easily with these phonics resources.

The kids also like to highlight their vocabulary words in the emergent readers, and they enjoy reading the books together. The words are also the song, so there are times that I will catch them singing the song together. There are questions at the end of the book that they can also discuss. I like using the empty literacy boxes to teach phonetic elements that are in the words.

There are Vocabulary Boom Cards that include audio on every card, and will direct you with the phonics, as well as definitions and clapping syllables. This is an easy activity for the substitute teacher to use.

Try a few cards for free!

The students will also practice these words each day as they complete the word order worksheets. There are sheets with 4 words and sheets with 6 words for the differentiated needs of the students. There is great versatility with these worksheets because they are practicing vocabulary, sight words, handwriting, illustrating the sentence, and answering a bonus question that encourages critical thinking.

They make an easy center for me to prep and the kids know exactly what to do. Another center that is easy or you can use the worksheets as morning work are the sight words that are included.

Quickly and Easily Improve Fluency with Repeated Readings

A strategy for improving fluency is repeated readings. This involves having students read a passage multiple times until they become comfortable with the words and can read them accurately without hesitation. Repeated readings not only help build speed but also accuracy and expression as students become more familiar with how each sentence should sound when read aloud. Additionally, repeated readings can also be used as an assessment tool; teachers may ask their students to reread passages in order to gauge how well they understand what they are reading.

I like to use our Memorial Day song/poem to go back and do repeated readings,  The students highlight the vocabulary words, so they know these are important words that they can review multiple times throughout the year.

We have also included a fluency worksheet where students have to read the passage 3 times, highlight words with a color code and answer questions. This is a great assessment tool!

Celebrate Memorial Day with meaningful vocabulary.

Memorial Day is an important holiday for all of us to remember and honor those who served in the military. With the help of these resources which also support the 5 components of science of reading , you can easily introduce meaningful vocabulary in your morning meeting and then give students a chance to practice using them in centers.

Would you like us to walk you through the 10 min process that made our members so successful? Email us at info@dynamiclearningresources.com 

If you’re looking for additional resources or materials to use in your classroom surrounding this topic, look no further – we’ve got it all here! Save yourself time and grab these resources in one discounted bundle, so you can confidently start teaching those age-appropriate terms and have access to engaging activities that cover current events.

We also sell this bundle on TPT.