Veteran's Day

‎"This nation will remain the land of the free,

only so long as it is the home of the brave."

Elmer Davis

On November 11th of every year our country celebrates Veteran's Day. Veteran's Day honors the men and women who have served in the United States military. The branches of the U.S. military are the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard. They could have served in times of peace or war. We observe this day with parades and speeches. Many schools, businesses, and government offices are closed for the day.

What can you do on Veterans Day?

* Draw a picture about Veterans Day

* Make a card or write a letter to thank veterans. You can send it to a local VA Medical Center.

* Ask your teacher to invite veterans to your classroom. You can learn a lot from your guests!

* Have your school make a poster with the names (and pictures) of relatives and friends who are veterans.

(adopted from http://www4.va.gov/kids/k-5)

A related and sometimes confused holiday is Memorial Day. On Memorial Day we remember and honor those who died serving their country.

Vocabulary:

veteran (noun) - a person who has served in a military

honor (verb) - to show respect to or recognize

served (verb) - to be in the service of; work for.

military (noun/adjective) - of or pertaining to soldiers, the armed forces

observe (verb) - to show regard for by some appropriate procedure,ceremony

related (adjective) - similiar

Pick one of the Veteran's Day Activities below:

Crossword Puzzle: http://sunniebunniezz.com/puzzles/vetkcr.htm

Use the above link to complete a Veteran's Day Crossword Puzzle.

Word Search: http://sunniebunniezz.com/puzzles/vetkws.htm

Use the above link to complete a Veteran's Day Word Search.

Grammar Point: Letter Writing

One of the suggested Veteran's Day activities is to write a letter. The format of a friendly letter has 5 parts:

1. The Heading. This includes the address, line by line, with the last line being the date. Skip a line after the heading.

2. The Greeting. The greeting always ends with a comma. The greeting may be formal, beginning with the word "dear" and using the person's given name or relationship, or it may be informal if appropriate.

Formal: Dear Uncle Jim, Dear Mr. Wilkins,

Informal: Hi Joe, Greetings,

3. The body. Also known as the main text. This includes the message you want to write.

4. The complimentary close. This short expression is always a few words on a single line. It ends in a comma. It should be indented to the same column as the heading. Skip one to three spaces (two is usual) for the signature line.

5. The signature line. Type or print your name.

Postscript. If your letter contains a postscript, begin it with P.S.

(from http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000143.htm)

Using these guidelines write a letter to a veteran thanking them for their service.