Objectives

"You're in the Army Now!" page 3

• Survey: Teacher asks for a show of hands of those who think they might want to someday join the Army
• Think, Pair, Share: Students turn to their neighbor and explain their reasons to join or not join
• Prediction: After introducing vocabulary, students predict what skills they think someone needs to learn in the Army (teacher charts responses)
• Partner Reading: Students read the article and write down 5 tasks the recruits learned in BCT
• Class Share: Students share responses with class and determine which skill that task is helping to teach
• Survey and Journal: Teacher again asks who wants to join the army. Students are then directed to write their response in their journal and use information from the article to explain their reasons.

"An Awesome Arsenal" page 12

• Metaphorical thinking: How is a teacher like a soldier?
• Think, pair, share: Students share ideas with their neighbor and then volunteer to share with the class.
• Vocabulary: Does a teacher have an arsenal and if so, what's in it? What would be in a soldier's arsenal?
• Jigsaw activity: Students are divided into 5 groups. Each group is assigned one of the sections ( Personal Firearms, Artillery, etc.) and reads together in their group. Class comes back together and a spokesman from each group explains the content of that section. 
• Timeline: Attach a long strip of adding machine paper across the board. Draw a line and write at intervals: 1840s, 1860s-Civil War, 1890s, World War I, World War II, Cold War, Korean War, Vietnam War, Iraq/Afghanistan. Students in each group write down on 3x5 cards, the firearms used in the section they read about. 
• Reread: Teacher rereads the article aloud and after each section, a student from each group attaches an index card at the appropriate spot on the timeline.

"An Eye on the Future" and "Pick a Career, Any Career" pages 15 and 18

• Journals: Students first read the articles silently, and then in their journals list 5 occupations that they learned were needed in the Army.
• Class discussion: Students share what they wrote as teacher charts list of job opportunities in the Army.
• Cooperative Grouping: Class selects 5 of the job opportunities and students form small groups for each. Each group is assigned to be the "Ad Agency" which has been hired to create a poster encouraging people who want that kind of job to join the Army. 
• Exhibit: Posters are displayed around the room or in the hall. 
• Enrichment: If possible ask an Army recruiter to come visit the class and discuss these job possibilities with the students.

"Making Adjustments" and "Whose Army is it Anyway?" page 26

• Take a Stand!: Teacher makes the statement: The United States should reinstate the draft. Class separates into three groups- a. those that agree, b. those that disagree, c.those that aren't sure.
• Convince the Jury!: Groups read the articles. Group C becomes the "jury" and groups a. and b. have to swing the unsure group to their way of thinking- using evidence or information from the articles.
• Role playing: Students can assume the roles of lawyer, scribe, newscasters, etc. with time limits set up by the teacher who serves as Judge. Winning group convinces the most people in Group C.

"Not Just a Fighting Force" page 34

• Vocabulary: Students scan the text and highlight 5 words on each page that they are unfamiliar with. Teacher and students establish definitions.
• Reading for Understanding: Class reads the article together looking for ways the Army has

• • Explored

  • Rescued

  • Helped

• Newsletter: Class prepares a newsletter to share with family and friends about the Army and the jobs it does for our country. Students can access the websites on page 44 for extra information.