My Soldier Lesson Plan
GOALS:
Students will develop empathy for soldiers while they write
letters using the traditional, five-point, friendly letter
format with proper writing rules. Letters will build morale
for U.S. soldiers and let them know that someone back home
cares about the sacrifices they are making to protect democracy
and freedom.
The traditional art of "letter writing" is a valuable
skill for students to develop, one that is often overlooked
in our modern age of e-mail and text messaging. This lesson
plan for writing a friendly letter will provide a foundation
for students who will later go on to write more complex versions
of letters including the business letter.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Students will be able to:
- Name two patriotic holidays in May that honor the military,
and state why it is important for Americans to observe them.
- Express empathy and appreciation for others.
- Express thoughts and ideas about feelings and events that
happen in their life.
- Create readable documents with legible handwriting in
upper and lower case.
- Write and edit a friendly letter complete with heading;
greeting, body, closing and signature, and make sure each
part is positioned correctly on the page.
- Correctly use spelling, and commas in greetings, closures
and with dates and words in succession.
RESOURCES & MATERIALS:
- Pens or pencils
- Writing paper
- Classroom board
- Handouts (templates supplied)
- Soldier contact information will be supplied to those
who email a request to mysoldier@mville.edu and put the
phrase “request contact” in subject heading
ACTIVITIES & PROCEDURES:
I. Warm Up
To begin this lesson, the teacher will gain the student’s
attention by asking inquiry-based questions to stimulate discussion
about patriotic holidays and letter writing. The teacher will
offer a preview by telling students that they will learn the
traditional format for a friendly letter and each write a
letter of their own.
What is the purpose of a holiday? (To honor
a person or event)
Several months on the calendar have patriotic holidays that honor the United States military. What does it mean to be patriotic? What images or symbols represent patriotism? (Love for your country: flag, eagle, and statue of liberty)
Can you name some patriotic holidays that are celebrated? Can you tell me why Americans observe them?
- Veterans Day is observed officially on November 11, honors all who served honorably in the military, and who have defended the cause of freedom around the world. Veterans include all people who served in the military (U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard) in times of war or peace.
- Armed Services Day is celebrated the third Saturday in May, honors those who have or are currently serving in all branches of the services, offering their time and talents for the defense of our nation.
- Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday in May is a day of remembrance for those U.S. men and women who have died in military service for their country.
How can we honor the men and women who are currently
serving our country? (Brainstorm, write all replies
on the chalkboard. Discuss all responses but focus in on letter
writing)
Do you think writing a letter to a soldier is a patriotic
act? Why?
(Writing a letter to say thanks to a soldier demonstrates
love of country)
Have you ever written an email to someone? Who? Why?
Have you ever written a traditional letter to someone?
Who Why?
Have you received an email and/or Letter?
How does opening an envelope containing a letter
differ from opening up and reading an email?
Today we are going to write letters to soldiers serving
overseas.
How do you think it will feel for a soldier far from home
to open a thick envelope filled with our class’s letters?
(This question should trigger an in-depth discussion that
involves expressing empathy for these service men and women
who are far away miles from their homes and families. Teacher
should make sure that students recognize how receiving a letter
from home can provide a morale boost and let them know that
someone back home is thinking about them and values their
commitment).
II. Developmental Activities/Steps in writing a Friendly
Letter
Modeling: Pass out the friendly letter template and
sample format 5 pt. letter (both can be downloaded please
see files at end of lesson) to make students aware of the
proper format for a friendly letter.
Discuss the five basic features that every friendly letter
must include and position correctly on the page.
1. Heading - The heading of a letter should be placed in
the upper right corner. It contains the return address, which
includes the street address on one line, followed by the city,
state and zip code on the next line. The third line is the
date.
2. Salutation - Skip a line after your heading and start
your greeting
at the left margin . In a friendly letter, a comma follows
the salutation.
3. Body - The body presents the information you want the
letter to communicate.
To prepare to write the body of the letter, and to promote
empathy the teacher will show some photographs of patriotic
images including soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. If teachers
wish to download the “We Remember PowerPoint show”
the file of images can be found at the bottom of this lesson.
Ask students to look at the photographs and make two lists
that contain:
- Different reasons that they appreciate soldiers.
- Things they would like to tell (or ask) the soldier
After the students have completed the lists, they can take
their ideas and put them into the body of the letter.
4. Closing - The closing is like saying good-bye. It always
starts with a capital letter. If there are two words, only
the first word begins with a capital.
5. Signature - A signature identifies the writer and is placed
directly underneath the closing. The signature should be signed
by hand, never typed (even if the letter is typed).
III. EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Family Writing Project
Students interested in creating an ongoing, pen pal relationship
with a soldier can adopt a soldier at www.mysoldier.com as
a family writing project. Family writing projects can create
a bond for a common cause, which deepens familial ties and
gives the family something new to talk about. As the family
takes part in the letter writing process they will learn the
values of service and community and the knowledge that one
person can make a difference.
Creative Expression
Children enjoy expressing themselves through art projects.
Consider two art projects My Soldier has adapted from Enchanted
Learning ®. Please note, My Soldier is not affiliated
with Enchanted Learning but does find their free website www.enchantedlearning.com
useful. Worksheets based upon two of their lessons can be
downloaded (see bottom of page). Here is a brief description
of both:
Five-pointed Star - Make a five-pointed star by folding
a piece of construction paper a few times and then making
one cut.
Penny Pendant - Create a pendent that can be worn
to celebrate patriotic U.S. holidays.
CLASSROOM KITS
 Educators
interested in obtaining ‘My Soldier’ bracelets
for their students may do so in conjunction with a * Classroom
Kit order. The red rubber bracelet is a symbol that represents
a soldier who is sacrificing for freedom and democracy. The
Manhattanville My Soldier bracelet is available only to those
who pledge to participate in the program.
The Classroom Kit includes the following and can be
obtained in two ways:
They can be purchased for $18.00 or can be obtained for
free by sending the My Soldier office a note at mysoldier@mville.edu
requesting free participation.
- 36 'My Soldier' Bracelets for your group to wear in support of the
soldiers. If additional bracelets are needed simply let
the My Soldier office know the quantity needed and the kit
order will be adjusted accordingly.
- Soldier contact(s)
- My Soldier Postcards
- Prompt shipping, orders are usually processed within 48
hours (postage paid)
Please note that when we receive a donation of $18.00 we
automatically process it as a classroom kit order. Click
here to donate
*All kit sales are directly applied to our operating expenses.
About My Soldier
My Soldier is a program that puts politics aside and lets
U.S. soldiers know that someone back home cares. Sgt. Juan
Salas, who served for 14 months in Iraq, established the program
with the help of his school, Manhattanville College, when
he returned from the war. The goal of the program is to show
support for troops serving in hardship areas — Iraq,
Afghanistan, Africa — by establishing pen-pal relationships
with them. When a person enrolls in the My Soldier program,
they agree to adopt a soldier. They receive a “starter
kit” with guidelines for writing letters to their deployed
United States Armed Serviceperson and for obtaining a “MY
SOLDIER” bracelet. Participants may also choose to send
care packages, which are greatly appreciated (but not expected)
by the soldiers. The program is free, but voluntary donations
that are strictly applied to operating costs are encouraged
from those who can afford it.
About Manhattanville College
Manhattanville College offers a rigorous academic experience
within a nurturing environment. 1,600 undergraduate students
from more than 37 states and 53 countries enjoy the suburban
location along with the resources of New York City, which
is just 30 minutes away. There’s a strong social justice
and community service focus at Manhattanville — last
year students at our small school logged over 19,000 community
service hours. My Soldier is a natural outgrowth of the school’s
mission: to educate students to become ethically and socially
responsible leaders for the global community.
Available templates:
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