A Memorial Day Video Lesson
What do your students know about the origins of Memorial Day? Help them find out with this Memorial Day video lesson from Edpuzzle Originals.
Illustration by Edpuzzle Staff
A one-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and another one-mile run.
Wearing a red poppy.
Participating in a moment of remembrance at 3 p.m.
Do you know what all of these actions have in common?
They’re all ways of honoring fallen veterans for Memorial Day, celebrated on the last Monday in May.
Explore the history of Memorial Day and teach your students why we celebrate this federal holiday with an Edpuzzle Original social studies video lesson.
A Memorial Day Lesson Plan for Grades 3-12
From its post-Civil War origins all the way up to current Memorial Day traditions, this video lesson does a deep dive on the holiday.
Video length: 5 mins. 2 secs.
Key Takeaways From the Memorial Day Video Lesson Plan
In this video lesson, students will learn how fallen soldiers are honored with ceremonies, parades, and monuments.
Historically, Memorial Day as we know it was originally called Decoration Day and was established after the Civil War.
To honor those who died in the Civil War, people would decorate their graves with flowers, wreaths, flags, and other decorations.
Over time, local and state governments began to call the holiday Memorial Day (a name change that was made official in 1968), and the holiday grew to observe those who were killed in all American wars.
It also defines a memorial as anything that keeps the memory of the fallen alive and asks students to reflect on ways they could honor the lost soldiers.
Whether it’s taking part in the Murph Challenge (the high-intensity workout mentioned in the introduction and named after Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy who was killed in action), wearing a red poppy (the symbol of Memorial Day), or simply taking a moment of silence at 3 p.m., students have plenty of options to celebrate Memorial Day, including creating their own memorial.