Remembrance Day
A collection of Learning Commons resources and suggested websites for students and their families to use as they reflect on Remembrance Day.
Remembrance Day
We observe Remembrance Day on November 11 each year. It is a time to honour the courage, sacrifice, and service of those who have defended our freedom and peace. As a Christian community, we come together in reflection and gratitude, remembering those who have given their lives for others, a model of sacrificial love exemplified by Jesus Christ (John 15:13).
We believe this observance allows our students to embody the HCOS Biblical Attributes of Community and Restoration. The Community attribute reminds us that “Students will discover that they have a unique role to play in a living and growing community; they will seek to discover their own gifts and skills, and to affirm the gifts and skills of others.” The Restoration attribute calls us to be "compassionate peacemakers and participants in God's mission to bring about the restoration and reconciliation of all things according to His intention for creation."
During this time of reflection on the sacrifices made for our nation’s freedom, our team has assembled resources to support your family in observing Remembrance Day. As our community pauses to remember, we pray that we may honour those who served and continue to seek ways to fulfill God’s mandate of peace, restoration, and unity.
Resources
Learning Commons Resources
Due to the sensitive nature of Remembrance Day topics, we recommend that parents guide their students in conversations while using these suggested resources.
Primary (Grades K-4)
Peace Tree from Hiroshima by Sandra Moore and Kazumi Wilds
Winner of the 2015 Silver Evergreen Medal for World Peace
This true children's story is told by a little bonsai tree called Miyajima, which lived with the same family in the Japanese city of Hiroshima for more than 300 years before being donated to the National Arboretum in Washington DC in 1976 as a gesture of friendship between America and Japan to celebrate the American Bicentennial.
Remembrance Day by Heather Hudak
Canadians have many reasons to celebrate, and they enjoy gathering throughout the year to observe many uniquely Canadian holidays. This book provides readers with a closer look at the history of these events, the reasons for each holiday, and the ways in which Canadians gather to celebrate them.
Remembrance Day by Molly Aloian
This book describes how people worldwide hold similar services to ensure their sacrifices for the world’s security are remembered. Poppies, poems and special prayers are featured as important symbols and traditions.
The Peace Book by Todd Parr
This book delivers positive and hopeful messages of peace in an accessible, child-friendly format featuring Todd Parr's trademark bold, bright colours and silly scenes. Perfect for the youngest readers, this book delivers a timely and timeless message about the importance of friendship, caring, and acceptance.
The Sky of Afghanistan by Ana Eulate
In a country ravaged by war, a girl looks up at the sky, closes her eyes, and her imagination begins to soar, far away from hatred and sadness. She flies up high, high above into the sky, until she envisions that long-awaited dream in which we all hold hands. She invites us to dream with her so that in her country, Afghanistan, peace may reign forever. Her dream is directed to all regions, she enters homes, homes, families, and hearts.
Middle School (Grades 5-9)
In Flanders Fields by John McCrae and Linda Granfield
This physical book presents the context for writing the famous poem by the Canadian medical officer who visited injured soldiers in Flanders during the First World War.
In Flanders Fields by Norman Jorgenson
An eloquent counterpoint to the senselessness and inhumanity of war, this digital book tells the story of a young, homesick World War I soldier who risks his life to cross the no-man's-land and rescue a robin caught in the barbed wire that separates the opposing forces.
I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944 by Laura Tarshis
In this novel, readers meet Max Rosen and his family. It's been years since the Nazis invaded Max Rosen's home country of Poland. All the Jewish people, including Max's family, have been forced to live in a ghetto. At least Max and his sister, Zena, had Papa with them...until two months ago when the Nazis took him away. Now Max and Zena are on their own. One day with barely enough food to survive, the siblings make a daring escape into the nearby forest. They are found by Jewish resistance fighters, who take them to a safe camp. But soon, bombs are falling all around them. Can Max and Zena survive the fallout of the Nazi invasion?
I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944 adapted by Georgia Ball and Alvaro Sarresca
Perfect for readers who prefer the graphic novel format, the "I Survived" graphic novel series combines historical facts with high-action storytelling that's sure to keep any reader turning the pages.
On Remembrance Day by Eleanor Creasey
For children learning about remembrance and the human toll of war, there can be hard questions to answer. This book is meant to answer the questions kids ask about Remembrance Day and to explain how and why we honour the men and women who have served our country. Through every generation, some Canadian families have lost loved ones to international conflict and war. On Remembrance Day present the origins, traditions, and customs of Canada's Remembrance Day in an engaging and easy-to-read fashion.
High School (Grades 10-12)
One Peace by Janet Wilson
One Peace celebrates the "Power of One," and specifically, the accomplishments of children from around the globe who have worked to promote world peace. Janet Wilson challenges today's children to strive to make a difference in this beautifully illustrated, fact-filled and fascinating volume of portraits of many "heroes for today."
Canadian Craig Kielburger, who started Free the Children to help victims of child labour at the age of twelve, has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize. Farlis Calle, forced to identify the body of a young friend—a victim of her country's civil war—started the Columbia Children's Movement for Peace. At age ten, Kimmie Weeks, a refugee from the Liberian civil war, came within a whisper of being buried in a mass grave. Almost miraculously, he survived and vowed to make a difference in the lives of other children. At thirteen, he established Voices of the Future, Liberia's first child rights advocacy group. Other portraits feature the accomplishments of children from Sarajevo, Japan, the United Kingdom, Cambodia, Afghanistan and the United States. These moving testaments to the courage and initiative of youth will inspire readers, young and old.
The Ghosts of War by Ryan Smithson
Ryan Smithson was an ordinary teenager until he witnessed the devastation of September 11th, 2001. Watching the Twin Towers fall motivated him to enlist in the Army Reserve at the age of seventeen. In Ghosts of War, Ryan vividly chronicles his experience of basic training and deployment to Iraq as a heavy equipment operator. From the pain of losing comrades to his inspiring encounters with Iraqi children, Ryan shares how his experience changed him—and what it taught him about the meaning of patriotism and service.
War Poems by Siegfried Sassoon
At the dawn of World War I, Siegfried Sassoon exchanged his pursuits of cricket, fox-hunting, and romantic verse for army life amid the muddy trenches of France. The first English soldier-poet to achieve notoriety as an opponent of the war, he ranks among the conflict's most critical poetic voices. This collection of his epigrammatic and satirical poetry conveys the shocking brutality and pointlessness of the Great War.
Many of these poems were written in the hospital while Sassoon recovered from wounds he received in battle. Their violence and graphic detail shocked readers, impressing upon them the horrors of trench warfare and the foot soldier's weariness of the never-ending struggle.
Wurmbrand: The Voice of the Martyrs by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand
Finalist for the 2020 Christian Book Award - Audio
On February 29, 1948, Richard Wurmbrand was arrested by the secret police. His crimes? Leading Christian worship and witnessing—both of which were illegal under the atheistic Communist regime of Romania. He also spoke up for Christ at a gathering of party officials and religious leaders. Because of his faithfulness to Christ, he endured 14 years of prison and torture. His wife, Sabina, suffered two years of forced labor. They emerged not with melancholy or a bitter spirit but with a story of victorious faith. Though Richard and Sabina endured intense persecution, they remained outspoken and bold about sharing their faith in the God who saved them.
Online Resources
Due to the sensitive nature of Remembrance Day topics, we recommend that parents guide their students in conversations while using these suggested resources.
Government of Canada: Veterans Week
The Government of Canada website for Veterans Week includes stories about Canadians who served our country and made significant contributions to commemoration. Explore Canadian Armed Forces around the world to discover how Canadians continue to defend peace and freedom worldwide. Primary and middle school students would enjoy the Learning Resources page, which includes various research activities and hands-on resources. Learn more about Indigenous Veterans, who are remembered on November 8 each year, by exploring the Government of Canada website and watching this video from the Minister of National Defence.
Government of Canada: Take Time to Remember
Take Time to Remember is an activity booklet for primary-aged children that introduces concepts of remembrance in an accessible and fun manner. It contains six activities:
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Remembrance maze
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Connect the dots
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Let's colour
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Number chart
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Word search
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Match game
Canada’s History
Teaching Canada’s History for Kids includes some resources for primary students, including a paper poppy lesson and readings about Pontiac’s War, Rebels and Resisters, and The Last Battle of the Seven Oaks.
Flanders Fields Music
On the Flanders Fields Music website, students can explore the history of the song “In Flanders Fields” by reading about John McCrae, watching videos, and downloading sheet music and mp3 recordings of the song.
Lest We Forget
Lest We Forget is a collection of Remembrance Day lessons developed by The Canadian Homeschooler. The website includes lessons plans, art activities, and books for students ranging from Grades 4-12.
You can find a list of more Remembrance Day website resources in the Learning Commons Search Portal.