A-Z Books for Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving: A Mini Research and Vocabulary Project

My Veteran's Day A-Z Book 
GET IT HERE (elementary)
GET IT HERE (middle school)

Anyone teaching today and looking for a last minute activity that's fun and tied to the Common Core? Are you a homeschool looking for a funducational holiday learning activity today?  I decided to whip this up at the last minute for anyone looking to teach about Veteran's Day.  The book can be completed as a class, as a center, or independently, in class or as homework, over a day, or a week...that is all up to you! Students will need access to Veteran's Day information, books from the library or information from the internet.  Students will have have fun learning about Arlington Cemetery (the Aa page) and other important, perhaps unfamiliar words and phrases, related to Veteran's Day.  Many common core standards for reading, writing and language are covered in this activity including, expanding vocabulary of unfamiliar words and phrases, writing to inform (explanatory writing), the learning of abstract nouns like liberty, justice and honor. Every page also gives students an opportunity to draw a picture (non-linguistic representation) The completed book is 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 and requires no cutting to assemble, just folding and stapling.  Kids will have fun and be proud of their completed book.

Here is an elementary example of one of the pages.

Here are the words for ELEMENTARY Veteran's Day A-Z book: Arlington Cemetery, battleship, corps, decorated, eagle, flag, general, hero, intelligence, jeep, k-ration, liberty, medal of honor, navy, overseas, parade, quartermaster, rank, stars & stripes, tank, uniform, veteran, The Wall, XO (Executive Officer), yellow ribbon, zulu.

Here are the words for MIDDLE SCHOOL Veteran's Day A-Z book: Arlington Cemetery, battalion, corps, democracy, equality, freedom, glory, honor, inalienable, Joint Chiefs of Staff, K-ration, liberty, medal of honor, NATO, officer, patriotism, quartermaster, rank, soldier, treaty, unit, veteran, The Wall, XO (Executive Officer), yellow ribbon, zulu.

Whether you call it a vocabulary project or whether you call it a mini research project...kids will have fun learning and doing!  Appropriate for 1st - 5th.  I did create a middle school version of the Veteran's Day A-Z book if anyone is interested.  Here is the link to the middle school version of the Veteran's Day A-Z book.

I am also created one for Thanksgiving. Again, appropriate for 1st - 5th and a great activity to fill the few days we have school right before Thanksgiving.  

Here are words in the ELEMENTARY Thanksgiving A-Z book: apple pie, blessings, colonists, drumstick, eat and family, gratitude, harvest, indians, journey, kitchen, leftovers, Mayflower, New World, Oceanus, Plymouth, quill, recipe, stuffing, Thanksgiving, understanding, venison, wishbone, axe, yams, zucchini. 

Here are the words in the MIDDLE SCHOOL Thanksgiving book: agriculture, blessings, colonists, democracy, expeditions, First Encounter Beach, gratitude, harvest, Indian corn, journey, kitchen, Lincoln's Proclamation, Mayflower Compact, New World, Oceanus, provisions, quail, Roosevelt, Samoset, Tisquantum, understanding, voyage, William Bradford, ax, Yorkshire pudding, zucchini

Thanksgiving A-Z Book

GET IT HERE (elementary)

GET IT HERE (middle school)