Brain Ninjas

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Remembrance Day

Easy to Use Remembrance Day Assembly Ideas

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This post is full of ideas for an elementary school Remembrance Day assembly.

Every school across Canada has held a Remembrance Day assembly since the end of the Second World War. In fact, it is written into the School Act in Alberta as a requirement. Schools must have a Remembrance Day assembly on the day closest to November 11. We’ve got some Remembrance Day assembly ideas for you.

We’ve been thinking how we’ll honour our soldiers at school. If you are planning a Remembrance Day assembly, we might have a few ideas for you.

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Remembrance Day Resources for Canadian Classrooms

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These resources for Remembrance Day are perfect for your upper elementary classroom in Canada.

Over the years we’ve organized so many Remembrance Day assemblies that we’ve lost track of everything we’ve done. That’s why it’s time to put together one post where all our Remembrance Day resources can be found in one place. Learn ways of observing Remembrance Day with some of the activities we have done in our schools over the years.

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How to Honour National Indigenous Veterans Day

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Come learn about resources to use for National Indigenous Veterans Day.

Canadians are aware of observations and ceremonies that honour the service of Canadians in the military. Those who served and died in war are remembered on cenotaphs, named in ceremonies and recognized in military records. But Indigenous Veterans Day is unknown to many Canadians. Only in recent years have Canadians started to recognize the service of those who identify as First Nations, Metis and Inuit and their contributions in the Canadian Armed Forces. It is now recognized on November 8 each year. What does your school or community do for National Indigenous Veterans Day?

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How to Use Collaborative Tasks to Create Classroom Community

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Collaborative tasks help students learn to work together toward the classroom community they want to achieve. Read more about how we use collaborative tasks to build classroom community and learn more about the types of tasks we use.

One of the most effective classroom management strategies is the classroom community you build with your students. We start our school year with collaborative tasks to help students get to know each other. These activities help students learn to communicate and build trust. Collaborative tasks help students learn to work together toward the classroom community they want to achieve.

Come learn more about how we use collaborative tasks in our classroom.

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How to Create Memorable Remembrance Day Art Projects

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Come find simple art projects that make a great Remembrance Day display in your school.

Each year, we spend a good chunk of time creating Remembrance Day art projects to decorate the halls of our school. Our Remembrance Day assembly often invites community members, so we like to have beautiful art to enjoy. There are always a lot of poppies. We wanted to create some pieces for upper elementary students that took a little more time and care to create but were not poppies.We took Remembrance Day beyond the poppy.

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Five Simple and Stunning Remembrance Day Art Projects

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Check out these Remembrance Day art projects that feature poppies. This project features pastel or markers drawings of the corners of poppies.

Special occasions are a great time to bring out your favourite art projects. Remembrance Day is no exception. We teach in a general classroom, which means we’re responsible for art lessons all year long. While we like to teach specific skills with different projects, sometimes you have to have art projects around a specific theme for hallway decorating or assemblies.

Remembrance Day is one of those occasions when you don’t have a lot of time for art because you’re just starting to get deep into your lessons, and report cards are just around the corner. That’s why we’ve come up with some simple but stunning projects you can do with your students.

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Memorable Books for Remembrance Day in Canada

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Come read the list of books we use in our classroom for Remembrance Day.

Looking for Remembrance Day books for Canadian classrooms? Our list has picture books, non-fiction, novels and graphic novels, plus short reading activities. Picture books work for older students too, and most of the novels suit students in grade five and up.

Preparing for Remembrance Day commemorations is a great opportunity to talk not only about the sacrifices of the past but also about our contributions to peace. There are so many Remembrance Day activities out there, but most of them involve poppy crafts. One of the best ways to learn about the past is by reading Remembrance Day books. They are always a great way to introduce solemn topics while uplifting our students. Most of all, they are portable, easy to use, and don’t require a lot of technology.

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How to Teach the Importance of Remembrance Day

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Show students how important Remembrance Day is in Canada.

As we were growing up, many of us had family members who had served in World War II. It was easier to understand the purpose of Remembrance Day when Grandpa would wear his medals to our school service. Our current students are a few generations removed from that war, though some have had family members serve in Korea, Afghanistan or with the United Nations Peacekeepers. It is difficult for some of them to understand the abstractness of war, so it is even more important for us to give them a realistic view of those events and the history behind them.

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