Remembrance story unit · KS1 (Reception to Year 2)
The Quiet Poppy
Learning objective: Understand simply why people wear poppies and take part in a quiet moment of remembering.
Suggested story settings: Genre: Historical · Length: 2 chapters · Time: 10 minutes · Story world: Sunny Meadow
Talk questions
- Why did the grandparent wear a poppy?
- What does peace mean to you?
Writing task
Draw a poppy. Write one word or sentence about peace.
Word bank
- poppy
- a bright red wild flower; in November many people wear a paper poppy to remember
- remember
- to keep someone or something in your mind and think about them
- peace
- when everyone can be safe, calm and kind together
- quiet
- making very little noise, or none at all
- brave
- ready to do something hard, even when you feel worried
Success criteria (poem)
Reception to Year 2: I can write in lines. I can repeat a line. I can use describing words.
National Curriculum statements
- “learning to appreciate rhymes and poems, and to recite some by heart” (Year 1, Reading – comprehension (statutory))
- “writing poetry” (Year 2, Writing – composition (statutory))
- “being encouraged to link what they read or hear read to their own experiences” (Year 1, Reading – comprehension (statutory))
Sample opening (written for litsee.com, to read aloud)
Grandpa Joe had a little red poppy pinned to his coat.
“Why are you wearing a flower?” asked Zara.
“In November, lots of people wear a poppy,” said Grandpa Joe. “It helps us remember people who were brave a long time ago. And it helps us hope for peace.”
“What is peace?” asked Zara.
Grandpa Joe thought for a moment. “Peace is when everyone can be safe and kind together.”
After lunch, they went to the community garden. Zara dug a little hole, and Grandpa Joe sprinkled in some poppy seeds. They patted the soil down, gently, gently.
“Now we wait,” said Grandpa Joe. “And we remember.”
Notes
Remembrance story unit · KS2 (Years 3 to 6)
The Garden of Remembering
Learning objective: Explain why Remembrance Day is marked and how symbols like the poppy help people remember.
Suggested story settings: Genre: Historical · Length: 2 chapters · Time: 10 minutes · Story world: Sunny Meadow
Talk questions
- Why do you think people keep a silence to remember?
- What can each of us do to help keep peace in our school and community?
Writing task
Write a short, thoughtful poem or message of peace for the class remembrance display.
Word bank
- remembrance
- remembering and honouring people from the past, especially those who served their country
- silence
- complete quiet, with no talking and no noise
- symbol
- an object or picture that stands for an idea, as a red poppy stands for remembering
- peace
- a time when people and countries live together calmly and safely
- respect
- showing that you think someone or something is important and worth caring about
Success criteria (poem)
Years 3 and 4: I can write in verses. I can use a simile. I can use repetition for effect.
Years 5 and 6: I can use imagery. I can choose my form on purpose. I can end with a turn.
National Curriculum statements
- “preparing poems and plays to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone and volume so that the meaning is clear to an audience” (Years 5 and 6, Reading – comprehension (statutory))
- “recognising some different forms of poetry [for example, free verse, narrative poetry]” (Years 3 and 4, Reading – comprehension (statutory))
- “selecting appropriate grammar and vocabulary, understanding how such choices can change and enhance meaning” (Years 5 and 6, Writing – composition (statutory))
Sample opening (written for litsee.com, to read aloud)
The remembrance garden was only a square of soil by the school gate, but Class 5 had been planning it for a week.
Mr Hughes from the allotments knelt beside them with a tray of seedlings. He had a poppy on his jumper and soil on his knees.
“Why poppies?” asked Femi, pressing a seedling into place.
“More than a hundred years ago, poppies grew in the fields of France and Belgium where soldiers had served,” said Mr Hughes. “People noticed them, bright red after a long, hard time. A poet wrote about them, and soon the poppy became a way of saying: we remember.”
Ella sat back on her heels. “And the silence? Two whole minutes is a long time.”
“That’s the point,” said Mr Hughes. “Two minutes when the whole country stops. No phones, no shopping, no rushing. Just thinking.”
Femi looked at the little row of plants and wondered what he would think about.
Notes
