Why I Make Time for a Veterans Day Class Performance

 There are plenty of things competing for classroom time in November, but one thing I continue to make time for is a class Veterans Day performance. I use a simple, ready-to-go Veterans Day Performance Script that gives every student a speaking part, and we practice it in small chunks leading up to the performance. It doesn't need to be elaborate. But bringing the class together to prepare something for an actual audience has benefits that are hard to duplicate with a hallway display or a patriotic coloring activity.

Students practice presenting for a real audience.

Speaking clearly, projecting, waiting for your turn, remembering where to stand, and recovering when something doesn't go exactly as planned are all skills students need. A room full of parents gives those skills a purpose - and man, those kids are proud.

Growth isn't always about becoming a polished speaker. Last year, I had an extremely shy student who was reluctant to speak in front of the group (let alone me at the start of the year). The fact she agreed to participate and say one line in front of our Veterans Day audience was a big deal. For her, that one line may have been one of the most important parts of the whole experience.

2. Veterans Day becomes more than a date on the calendar.

When students read, rehearse, and present words about service and sacrifice, they spend much more time thinking about what it actually means to be a veteran. It also starts conversations. Students begin making connections to their own families - a grandfather who served, an aunt in the military, or someone they know who is coming to watch our program.

Sometimes you find out exactly what they thought a veteran was. I remember one student looking very confused during our discussion and finally asking, “Wait...you can be a veteran and still be alive?”

That led to a much better conversation about Veterans Day than I would have gotten from simply giving them the definition.

3. The class has to work together.

A group performance gives everyone a small part in one finished product. At first, students are worried about their line. After a few rehearsals, they're reminding each other where to stand, helping with a forgotten word, and watching for missed cues. It starts becoming our performance instead of 25 individual speaking parts.

4. Parents love it.

A short performance gives families a chance to see their child in a way they don't normally get to see at school. Parents frequently comment afterward, “I can't believe you got him to stand up there and do that!” Parents know exactly what it took for their child to get up there.

5. It has a surprisingly big payoff for the time invested.

This is one of those classroom activities that looks like a much bigger production than it actually is, which is a win! With a ready-to-use script and short practices over several days, you can create a meaningful event without giving up weeks of instructional time.

Want to Try a Veterans Day Performance With Your Class?

One reason this is manageable is that I'm not creating a new program from scratch every November. I use my Veterans Day Performance Script, which is designed to give the whole class a part while keeping the preparation simple. I can adjust the speaking parts for the particular group of students I have that year—and that's actually an important part of how I set it up.

You can see the Veterans Day Performance Script here.

In my next post, I'll share exactly how I assign those speaking parts, including why I don't try to make every student's part the same length.