The Eastampton Community School marks Veterans’ Day with an inter-generational experience and history lesson, rolled into one.
Every year, during the week of Veterans’ Day, the school invites veterans from the community to share their stories with students, during inter-generational interviews. The veterans, spanning World War II through the Global War on Terror, and representing each branch of the service, are interviewed by eighth-graders. The students research the time periods during which the veterans served, and conduct interviews in groups of ten students.
The groups rotate, so each student has the chance to interview three different veterans. The next day in class, students share, with other members of the class, the information and insights that they gained.
The students benefit by learning historical facts, as well as the personal experiences of each veteran. They follow up the interviews with personal letters to each of the veterans they interviewed. The well-received program has been featured in school newsletters and in the local press.
Contact: Lisa Rosenthal, social studies teacher, firstname.lastname@example.org
Submitted by school district.