Boy at War: A Springboard to Patriotic Tribute

By: Kelley Clayton. Language Arts

Meaghan. Addotta and Terese Del Pizzo, Language Arts classes

Brick, New Jersey

Audience: ALL Lake Riviera students (6-8), veterans, community members.

Career Education and Family, Consumer and Life Skills 9.1, 9.2

Respect, responsibility, empathy, citizenship, caring

Community members from adult communities are present and honored.

Representatives from active Armed Forces are present

War touches everyone's life in some way, and our society would not be as we know it if it were not for the sacrifices of military personnel. With this knowledge, combined with the activities, the students develop a true sense of empathy for those willing to sacrifice their lives for others. Regardless of individual political views, the students leave this project with an appreciation for freedom and a sense of responsibility for their own citizenship.

Students read the novel Boy at War, which is about a 13 year old boy whose father is in the Navy and stationed in Hawaii, on the Arizona. In the novel, the boy watches the infamous bombing of Pearl Harbor as the Arizona goes down. His struggle with adolescence only becomes more complicated when dealing with the death of his father tempered with his sense of Patriotism. The novel serves as a springboard to a service-learning project, "Thank a Vet" night in November at which students pay tribute to the veterans of Brick, both past and present, through a structured program involving many disciplines.

The project is scheduled during language arts class time. Teachers of other disciplines join in the effort during their classes.

Copies of novel; construction paper; shaving cream; food coloring;

chairs for seating; podium with microphone; crayons; wood shapes;

During the reading of the novel, the teacher elicits responses through discussions and reading logs. The poetry is implemented through out the reading of the novel, then the students brainstorm, culling ideas from other academic areas, such as math, social studies, science, wood shop and computer classes. Examples of stations:

· Battleship Creation Station - students build battleships from previously cut and sanded wood shapes.

· Tie Dyed Thank You Cards - Using shaving cream along with red and blue food coloring, students design and write "thank-you" cards which will be sent over seas to active service members.

· Wall of Personal Heroes - Participants fill-in stars and stripes of a large flag, using red and blue tissue paper. Each paper has a personal message to a veteran or active service member. When completed, the flag will be donated to the local American Legion.

· Wall of Honor - Students create 7foot candle sticks, representing each modern war. Through research, students uncover 21 names of servicemen who died during each of the specific wars. The 21 names are symbolic of the 21 Gun Salute which begins Taps at military funerals.

· Bake Sale - Student and parents donate baked goods to be sold. All proceeds will be donated to the local Veteran's Hospital.

· With Gratitude and Respect Readings - students read excerpts from Boy at War to highlight key events. Students read poetry they have either researched or created by to show their gratitude.

Patriotic music is played during the station visitation portion of the program.

Language Arts: The project instills a desire and appreciation for literature in students as well as attendees and provides a direct correlation between the novel and the War on Terrorism. Speaking and presenting skills develop naturally through the project's implementation. The project addresses reading comprehension skills.

The novel and the patriotic presentation develop core values of citizenship, empathy, respect, responsibility and caring for the service men/women, their families and their impact on America.

Performance-based Education: This project provides the opportunity for a hands-on approach to fulfilling a common goal.

Cooperative Learning The students learn to work cooperatively with peers of all ages and ability levels, affording the opportunity to develop empathy and tolerance for those who are different.

Interdisciplinary Approach: Many disciplines are involved

Students develop confidence, understanding and pride in both their role in society and in their ability to share their knowledge and skills effectively in a format that makes an impact on others.

The presentation is on the evening of November 7^th so that the parents, military personal, veterans and our Senior Outreach adopted community can attend.

Reflective Activities: Students write reflections on the effect of the project on them. Audience will be surveyed about attendance at previous Veteran's Day ceremonies; an open discussion on the responsibility of citizenship will follow the program, and people will be encouraged to attend the Brick Veterans Memorial Service on Nov.11^t. Numbers of attendees will then be compared to last year's,

Rubrics for poetry appreciation readings, journal entries and participation are distributed at the beginning of the project and used for grading at the end.