Year 5 World War 1 Assembly Script
Tyler - Good morning and welcome to our Year 5 Class assembly.
We are going to tell you about all the exciting things we have been up to this year so far!
Ashton - It has been a really exciting start to the year, we have covered lots of different
topics including space, a German Christmas and the Journey to the Centre of the Earth
(display picture)
Grace - In year 5, we are given the opportunity to be more creative and challenge
ourselves in our learning which is something we relish doing – especially when competing
against the children in year 6!!!
Dylon - Even though we have had the opportunity to learn and explore lots of new and
exciting things this year, we are going to focus our assembly on Remembrance,
remembrance and World War 1.
How good are you at remembering things. Do you ever forget things?
McKenzie - I sometimes forget to bring in my PE kit.
Tristan - I always remember when it’s my birthday.
Kayla - I sometimes forget to learn my spellings.
Lacey-May - I always remember when it’s pocket money day.
Brooke - I sometimes forget to tidy my bedroom.
Monique - I always remember Christmas.
Dante - I try not to forget to say please and thank you.
Warren - I try to remember my times tables.
Tiegan - I try not to forget to bring in my homework.
Katie - I try to remember to do my best.
Alfie - I try not to forget to do some reading every day.
Kenzie - Most people find it difficult to remember everything in their busy lives.
Mikey - There are lots of different things we can use to help us remember things such
as…
Tristan - Important events can be written on a calendar.
Lilly - You can keep important phone numbers in the memory of a mobile phone (raise
up)
Reece - Post-it notes can remind us of things we need to do (hold up)
Akiri - You can record things you have done in a diary (hold up)
Warren - Some people tie a knot in a handkerchief to help them remember something
(hold up)
Mikolaj - It is said that elephants never forget.
Ben - Many people write a shopping list so that they don’t forget anything at the
supermarket.
Grace - Certificates remind us of our achievements.
McKenzie - Photograph albums hold many special memories.
Tyler - Let’s see how good your memories are.
1. Which animals never forget?
2. Who held up the mobile phone?
3. What did Warren hold up?
4. What do people take to the supermarket?
Ashton - If you remembered all of that then WELL DONE!!! You have a better memory
than Mr Kay – he is always forgetting where he puts his green and pink pens!
Monique - Remembrance Day was on the 11th November and signifies a time for us to
remember those that fought and gave their lives to allow us to live as we do today, during
World War 1.
(Display a map on the IWB of the countries who fought in Europe in World War 1).
Lilly - We can all recall special times and experiences. We all have both sad and happy
memories. Remembering helps us to learn from the past and to plan for the future. The
sharing of memories is an important part of family, school and community life.
Dylon - November is the time of year when we remember all those who sacrificed their
lives for us during wars.
Akiri - The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month marks the signing of
the Armistice, on 11th November 1918, to signal the end of World War 1.
Reece - At 11am on November 11th 1918 the guns on the Western Front fell silent after
more than four years of continuous warfare.
Tyler - Remembrance Sunday was held earlier this year, about 3 weeks ago on the 11th
November, Special services were held at war memorials and churches all over Britain.
Ben - There was a big ceremony held in London that was attended by members of the
Royal Family, the Government and men and women from the armed forces.
Lilly - Out of respect to those that gave their lives, we had a minutes silence during
assembly at school, to remember the brave men and women who lost their lives, in the
first and second world wars.
Warren - It is a way of remembering not only past events but also the suffering that war
continues to bring to the world today.
McKenzie - Some will remember heroes, others will mourn friends whose lives have
been lost. The sharing of memories in this way ensures we never forget those who have
gone before.
Dylon - Remembrance Day is also known as Poppy Day because it is traditional to wear
an artificial poppy or wristbands. These are sold by the Royal British Legion, a charity
dedicated to helping war veterans.
Ben - In year 5 and 6, we created some wonderful pieces of silhouette artwork depicting
soldiers fighting on the battle fields during the war (Show on the IWB)
Tristan - (Question to the audience) - Why do we wear poppies to remember those who
died in wars?
Lacey-May - Some of the worst fighting in World War 1 took place in Flanders Field, the
western part of Belgium. There was complete devastation. Buildings, roads, trees and
natural life simply disappeared. All that was left was a sea of mud (show a picture)
Tiegan - Only one living thing survived, the poppies. These colourful red flowers grew
everywhere where the soil had been disturbed. The sea of mud became a sea of red
flowers (show a picture)
Lilly - A young doctor, John McCrae noticed this on the day one of his best friends was
killed. He was so moved by seeing the beautiful flowers in the middle of the mud and
violence that he wrote a famous poem. – ‘In Flanders Field’ (display on the IWB)
Tiegan - In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Grace - The first Poppy Day was held in Britain on 11th November 1921 and raised a lot of
money to help soldiers who had been wounded.
Ashton - Some of the worst fighting also took place in World War!
Kenzie - The battles were brutal and thousands of men lost their lives! This is another
reason why it is so important we show remembrance.
Mikey - As well as fighting on the front line, the living conditions were horrendous too
(show pictures)
Grace – Soldiers had to live for weeks at a time inside a trench, which were often filled
with rats, water and waste! Year 5 and 6 had a go at digging some trenches in the
allotment (although we weren’t very successful) (show pictures)
Dylon - Trench foot was common for many solders (display picture), this was basically
where a soldier’s foot rotted away on the inside of their shoe!
Tyler - Quite often, soldiers had to have their feet amputated because of the disease –
the pictures behind show you just how brutal trench foot can be!
Reece - There was a brief moment of rest bite in 1914.
Akiri - There was a 24 hour truce over Christmas Day where soldiers from both sides –
the Germans and The British soldiers – stopped fighting in order to sing songs, share
sweets and photographs and…play a game of football! (Display pictures)
Warren - This happened in 1914, a few short months after the war had begun. After
1914, the High Commands on both sides tried to prevent any truces on a similar scale
happening again. We will now watch a short video showing the Christmas Day Truce.
(Play Sainsbury’s Christmas Truce video)
Monique – As you have heard, World War 1 was a truly horrific yet significant war
which shaped how we live our lives today.
Ashton - Remembering those that fought and lost their lives is paramount to preserve
their memory and legacy.
Dante - We hope you have enjoyed learning all about Remembrance Day.
Thank you for listening to our class assembly 