Section 1: Why are people wearing poppies this week?
Find out why the children think people wear poppies. Through discussion, establish that poppies are worn around a special time in November, called Remembrance Day. Talk about remembering, eg What sorts of things do we remember? Are there special people/events we remember? Why is it important to remember?
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Section 2: Who do we remember on Remembrance Day?
Arrange, if possible, a visit to a local war memorial. Encourage the children to describe accurately what they can see, eg lists of names, dates, symbols. Also prompt them to ask questions, eg Why are there lists of names? When might the memorial have been built? How could we find out? What do the symbols mean? Why did people want to build a war memorial? Are there war memorials in other towns/villages? Discuss with the children the sort of information war memorials can give us and the information they leave out.
Help the children to record information in several ways, eg sketches/observational drawings of the war memorial, tallies of names.
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Section 3: Why do we have Remembrance Day?
Explain that the origins lie in World War I (1914-18). Discuss with the children how it relates in time to other famous events/people that they may have already encountered or to generations of their families.
Explain briefly that the war lasted a long time, that soldiers from countries all over the world fought in the war and many died and people were very sad. Tell the children that the soldiers saw the poppies growing in the battlefields and how they came to represent both loss and hope.
Tell the children how the Armistice (ceasefire) to end the war happened on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month (11.00 am, 11 November, 1918) and that this was the moment the guns fell silent.
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Section 4: What happens on Remembrance Day?
Discuss with the children what happens in the local community on Remembrance Day.
Show the children video extracts of events in London. Ask the children to identify the special features of the commemoration, eg wearing poppies, the march to the Cenotaph, wreath laying, involvement of the Queen and government representatives, two-minute silence, special music.
Ask the children to compare Remembrance Day events in London and in the local community.
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Section 5: Why is it important to remember?
Ask the children to think about why we still have Remembrance Day. Develop the discussion to include other commemorations, eg international, national, local and family events as appropriate. Help children to identify, through discussion, why some commemorations are national/international events.
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