Teacher's Guide for COBBLESTONE: Duty, Honor, Country

May 2006

Teacher's Guide prepared by: Mary B. Lawson, a teacher at Michigan Avenue Elementary School, Saint Cloud, Florida and Florida Geographic Alliance Consultant

MATERIALS:

May 2006 COBBLESTONE Issue: Duty, Honor, Country; index cards (large), hole puncher, metal rings, markers, poster board, drawing paper, markers, crayons, colored pencils, blank transparencies, tape recorders, tapes, computers, Internet connection, printer.

TIMELINE:

Divide the class in half. Have one group create a timeline of the history of the wars the U.S. Army has been in that are found in the article "Marching Through History: An Army Time Line." Have them decide how to post in the room.

The other group will create a timeline of the Army Arsenal from the information found in the article "An Awesome Arsenal: From Muskets to Missiles" p.12 Have them illustrate the timeline with pictures or drawings of the arsenal. Post the timeline in the classroom.

GEOGRAPHY:

Create maps to go with the different wars and put on the timeline. 

Research where Army bases can be found and mark them on a world map; also on a transparency.

Create a world map of locations of the wars on a transparency. 

Overlay the map of the locations of army bases with the map of the locations of the wars. Discuss what patterns if any the students see.

SPEAKERS / INTERVIEWS:

Invite an Army member, Army recruiter, and/or a war veteran to come and speak to your class.

Have students use tape recorders and interview family members or friends and neighbors about the following: 

1) Were you in the Army or any other service?

2) Did you live in the time of one of the wars: WWII, Korea, Viet Nam?

3) Were your parents in the service and/ or any of the wars?

After recording the interviews, write a report to share with the class. Make a class book out of the interviews. If possible, add a picture of the interviewee from that time.

Ask students if they have relatives who would volunteer to come speak to the class or send in a picture of themselves in uniform.

WRITING:

Using the articles, "An Eye to the Future: Opportunities in the Army" and "Pick a Career, Any Career" have the students read them and then pretend they are going to join the Army. Have them decide which career they feel they would qualify for and write a paper to persuade a recruiter why that should be the career they should be allowed to train for in the Army. When the papers are written, have them trade with a partner. The partner will read the paper and respond as a "recruiter" as to why the writer will be allowed to train for that job, or why the "recruiter" feels the writer would be better suited for another career. Share the results with the class.

VOCABULARY:

Divide the students into groups. Assign each group articles from the magazine. Have them write the vocabulary terms from the article on the index cards. Define the terms and illustrate any of the terms that can be illustrated. Hole punch the upper left hand corner and place a metal ring in the hole to make a booklet.

Have the students in small groups select some of the terms and create a crossword puzzle or word search for the rest of the class to solve.

USING THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES

Divide the class into six groups. Assign an article to each group to read, discuss and summarize. Write a group summary of each article. Put the summaries into a class summary book for each student to have a copy. Have each group present their article to the class with a visual on poster board. After presentations, have students write a 5 paragraph essay on what they have learned from the articles and the presentations.

The articles: 

• You're in the Army Now p.3
• Progress for the People p.20
• Making Adjustments p. 26-28
• Long Gray Line p.29
• Not Just A Fighting Force p.34
• A Commanding Presence p.38

Have the students read the other articles in the magazine to learn more about the U.S. Army.

RESEARCH

Using the following websites research more information about the United States Army to help with reports and writings.

www.army.mil

www.usma.edu

www.defenselink.mil

www.armyhistory.org

www2.powercom.net/-rokats/armyhome.html

www.army.mil/cmh/Museums/links.htm

Share with the class new information found on the websites.

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Updated: 11/21/09 05:54 pm
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