Duty of Remembrance
ACTIVITY 1
A.1. React to the following word cloud.
2. Say everything you know about WWII and D-Day.
B. Brainstorm and complete the following mindmap.
ACTIVITY 2
Help: LCI and LST refer to types of ships, Landing Craft Infantry and Landing Ship,
Tank.
A.1. Go to www.americandday.org/Veterans/Shumway_Smith.html.
a. List the elements suggesting chaos and confusion.
b. List elements suggesting fear, stupefaction and relief.
c. What is Second Lieutenant Smith H. Shumway’s opinion about war? Use your own
words.
2. Get ready to report what you’ve learnt to pupils from the other groups.
B.1. Go to www.americandday.org/Veterans/Peterson_Herschel_W.html and find
passages and elements showing that Private Peterson:
a. was the least experienced soldier in his company.
b. faced many dangers and had a few narrow escapes.
c. doesn’t consider himself a hero and is rather critical about wars.
2. Make sure you can briefly explain what he did on D-Day. What was his
job/mission?
3. Get ready to report what you’ve learnt to pupils from the other groups.
C. Go to www.americandday.org/Veterans/Olson_Harvey_S.html.
Get ready to report what you’ve learnt about Sergeant Harvey S. Olson to pupils from
the other groups. In your presentation briefly recount what he did, what happened to
him and comment on the impression his testimony left on you – Does he refer to his
emotions? Why (not)? What do you perceive about his personality? What sort of man
do you expect him to be? Would you say he is a hero? Do you think he is proud of
what he did and considers himself brave?
D. 1. Compare and contrast testimonies.
Contrary to/Unlike X, Y is…
Both X and W seem…
On the one hand… but on the other hand…
X sounds more… than… because…
W says that… whereas…
2. Discuss the following questions.
How did these men feel? What do they feel about the war now? What do they
remember of it? Do they want to remember? Why? Why not?...
ACTIVITY 3
Answer on a separate piece of paper where necessary.
A. First recording
1. Barbara Hatch is:
2. The Veteran Heritage Project
a. Objective of the project?
b. Reason and urgency to do it now?
c. Number of schools concerned by the project at the beginning? Now?
d. Yearly production?
e. Reason for success?
3. Michelle
a. Who is she?
b. Reason why she was immediately enthusiastic about the project?
c. Feelings it awoke in her?
B. Second recording
1. How do they find veterans to be interviewed?
2. Reason(s) why they created an association and invited other schools and parents
to join?
3. Veterans
a. They don't like being remembered because they think:
b. According to them who are the real heroes?
c. What do they grow aware of during the interviews?
C. Use your previous answers to write a paragraph recapping the recordings.
ACTIVITY 4
A. Use what you have learnt so far about these men and link it to the syllabus notion
“Myths and heroes”.
Here are some questions that may fuel your reflection:
Do they consider themselves heroes? Why? Why not?
Do YOU think they are heroes? Why? Why not?
What is/makes a hero?
Can you become a hero against your will?
B. Get ready for a 5-minute presentation on the notion “Myths and heroes”.
You may either start from the lives and testimonies of these men and gradually
connect it to the syllabus notion or start with a general definition of what a hero is or
should be and exemplify it with what you have learnt in the previous activities.
Don’t forget to make it personal and give your opinion on the issue.
ACTIVITY 5
A. Interviewing WWII veterans
Get ready to role-play an interview.
• Brainstorm ideas with your group to flesh out your character.
• Imagine anecdotes and memories.
• Make sure to express feelings and emotions.
After a few questions, start a discussion about war and heroism.
• List arguments and counter-arguments.
• Try and find examples to illustrate them.
• Get ready to react to what other people say.
B. Writing a letter
You are one of the veterans from Activity 2. A few months after the war has ended,
you decide to write a letter to your former Commander in Chief, Dwight Eisenhower,
to answer the letter you were given the day prior to the invasion of Normandy:
• Briefly introduce yourself and say what you did during the war.
• Express your feelings about the war.
• React to the letter he addressed to all the soldiers on the eve of D-Day.