VETERANS’ WEEK Teacher’s Guide November 5-11 2008 Thank you for your interest and participation in introduced in 2006, shared in an inaugural edition of Veterans’ Week 2008. This special week, November the newspaper the stories of their relatives’ contributions 5-11, is an ideal time to introduce youth to the to Canada’s war efforts. In 2007, the Remembrance importance of Remembrance and its relevance in today’s Clubhouse animals introduced the symbols of society. Veterans’ achievements and sacrifices in times Remembrance to young readers and this 2008 edition of war, military conflict and peace have helped to shape explores the military history that surrounds each of us in and sustain our modern country. The accompanying our home communities. learning resources are designed to educate youth about the rich history, heritage and personal experiences Canada Remembers Times (for ages 12-18): of Canadian Veterans and all those who have served This year’s edition of the Canada Remembers Times, Canada, at home and around the world. The Canada includes stories touching on the 90th anniversary of Remembers Program of Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) the end of the First World War, the 65th anniversary encourages youth to take an active part in remembrance of the Battle of the Atlantic, the 55th anniversary of learning, activities and events. the Korean War Armistice and modern day efforts in Afghanistan. It is designed to help share the personal This guide is a companion to the learning materials, experiences of Veterans who live in our communities, Tales of Animals in War for ages 5 -11, and the Canada to excite youth about Canadian military history, and Remembers Times for ages 12-18. The newspaper format to explore ways in which youth can actively apply what of these educational resources offers a wide variety they have learned to the issues and challenges of modern of stories and information. Many of the suggested day Canada. learning activities are cross-curricular in nature and can be adapted for a variety of age groups and abilities. We welcome your comments and encourage your Additional resources to assist educators can be found on professional input. We strive to ensure that our materials the VAC Web site at www.vac-acc.gc.ca. are appropriate for your classroom. Please take a few minutes to complete and return the enclosed evaluation Tales of Animals in War (for ages 5-11): form by fax, or visit the “Youth and Educators” section Each year, a fresh edition of Tales of Animals in War on the VAC Web site at www.vac-acc.gc.ca and complete introduces young readers to Remembrance in a the evaluation on-line. Please encourage youth to take non-threatening manner. The six animal characters, first their newspapers home and share them with their families and friends. Historical Background Continuing their advance, the Canadians liberated This year marks significant anniversaries in Canada’s Valenciennes on November 5. Crossing into Belgium, military heritage. Such anniversaries are commemorated by November 9 they entered the outskirts of Mons, to ensure that the sacrifices and achievements of those Belgium where the British had fought their first battle who served Canada in war, military conflict and peace of the war more than four years earlier. Rumours of an support missions are recognized within the social context armistice circulated within the ranks. of the personal freedoms enjoyed by all Canadians in today’s society. At 10:58 a.m. on the morning of November 11, 1918, Private George Lawrence Price was killed by a sniper’s The “Last 100 Days” of the First World War leading bullet. He would be the last Canadian killed on the up to the Armistice going into effect at 11 a.m. on battlefields of the First World War. At 11 a.m. that same November 11, 1918 saw an outstanding contribution of morning, an armistice was in effect. The Canadians had Canadians to the war effort. The Germans viewed the served bravely to the end. Canadians as the Allied ‘storm troops’ and expected that they would be leading any Allied offensive. The Allied A significant Second World War milestone also Command used this to their advantage by convincing commemorated in 2008 is the 65th anniversary of the the Germans that the Canadian Corps was stationed Battle of the Atlantic, the longest running battle of the back in Flanders while it was actually moving in total Second World War. The Battle of the Atlantic officially secrecy (even from the rest of the Allies) to Amiens, France. began in September 1939 with the sinking of a passenger ship called the Athenia, and continued in the North On August 8, 1918, making good use of tanks, the Atlantic until Germany was defeated in May 1945. Canadians breached the German lines and pressed deep into German held territory. The “Flanders During this period, German surface ships and deception” had worked perfectly. This victory liberated submarines (called U-boats) tried to cut Allied approximately 25 French towns and villages and put an supply routes across the Atlantic. This threatened end to any German hopes stemming from their own the transportation of vital goods and personnel from spring offensives. The momentum of the fighting on North America to Britain. Along with the Royal the Western Front had totally shifted, a fact that was Canadian Navy (RCN) and the Royal Canadian Air recognized in Germany when General Erich Ludendorff Force (RCAF), the Merchant Navy played a key role in admitted that August 8 was the “Black Day” of the Canada’s efforts to clear the North Atlantic of U-boats. German army. The cost had been high, however, and almost 4,000 Canadians were killed or wounded. The Battle of the Atlantic was one of the few Second World War clashes that took place close to North By September 2, 1918, the Drocourt-Queant Switch, American shores. The casualty rate during the Battle of the hinge of the main German defensive lines, had been the Atlantic was the highest suffered by any of Canada’s destroyed. The strategic effect of the loss of this hinge Armed Forces during the Second World War. For every position caused the Germans to retreat behind the Canal eight people who served, one was killed or wounded. du Nord and to shorten their front line. On September 27, 1918, the Canadian Corps breached the Canal du This year also marks the 55th anniversary of the Nord line and made the Germans fall back even more. Korean War Armistice. As with the two world wars On October 9, 1918, the Canadians attacked Cambrai that preceded Korea, Canadians served in conflict far and by October 11, the entire district was secured. This from home. Canada’s military contribution was larger, action led to the liberation of approximately 54 towns in proportion to its population, than most other UN and villages. participants. The names of 516 Canadians who died in service to Canada during the Korean War are inscribed Time Line Activity (ages 12-18) in the Korean War Book of Remembrance located in the The 2008 Canada Remembers Times has a time line Peace Tower in Ottawa. that runs along the bottom of all four pages of the newspaper. Take the events mentioned in stories from The Korean War marked a new stage in Canada’s the paper and put them on one large time line, perhaps development as a nation. Since the end of the war, on a piece of chart paper on the wall. Have youth work Canada has contributed to peace support operations together to research other events from Canada’s war around the world in an effort to support international years and more recent peace efforts and insert them freedom and maintain world peace. into the time line. The dates of important events from a societal standpoint could also be inserted (i.e. the Bringing Canadian military history alive for youth date women were granted the right to vote in a federal helps pass the torch of Remembrance from our Veterans election), from a popular culture standpoint (i.e. the to the next generation. Detailed historical accounts of 1972 Canada Cup) or a personal standpoint for the these parts of Canada’s military history can be found youth (i.e. the year of parents’ or grandparents’ or on the VAC Web site at www.vac-acc.gc.ca. There are great-grandparents’ birth/marriage/significant also many titles written by Canadian historians. The achievement/death). information presented in the Canada Remembers Times is a sampling of historically informative articles; it is not Learning Activities: intended to be a definitive resource. Monumental Possibilities (ages 5-18) Cross-Curricular Learning Activities Many cities, towns and villages across Canada have a Setting the Scene: monument or memorial to honour the people from their Templates of graphic organizers for research, black line area who served in war and military conflicts. drawings for colouring, war-era music and song lyrics, 1) Perhaps your school or youth group could play a role and more are available on the VAC Web site in the next Remembrance Day ceremony at the local at www.vac-acc.gc.ca. Select “Veterans’ Week 2008,” monument (cenotaph) or you might like to take the then “Educational Resources.” initiative and plan a respectful ceremony of your own. Check out the following publications on the VAC I Spy With My Little Eye . (ages 5-11) Web site: 50 Ways to Remember and Candlelight Hidden on the town map are six symbols of Tribute Ceremony. Remembrance. Ask youth to find the symbols, 2) Have youth create a mini-memorial of their own.