Lesson Plan - Wounded Warrior

Learning Objective

Students will identify how a veteran injured in the Iraq War works to help other veterans.

Content-Area Connections

Civics

Standards Correlations

CCSS: RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.3, RI.4.4, RI.4.5, RI.4.8, RI.4.10

NCSS: Civic Ideals and Practices

Text Structure

Chronology

1. Preparing to Read

Watch Videos
Build background with the two videos that accompany the article. “A Soldier’s Story” tells Danielle Green’s story. “Honoring Our Veterans” gives an overview of the U.S. armed forces.

Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

  • prosthetic 
  • resiliency


Set a Purpose for Reading
As students read, have them think about how Green showed resiliency.

2. Close-Reading Questions

1. What happened in 2004 that changed Danielle Green’s life?
In May 2004, Green was a military police officer serving in Iraq when an explosion from an enemy grenade caused her to lose her left arm below the elbow. The article states that “her life would never be the same.”
RI.4.3 Explaining Ideas

2. How does the author support the idea that Green’s “road to recovery was difficult”?
The author supports this idea by explaining that Green spent eight months in the hospital, had several surgeries, had to learn how to do things with her right hand, and had to learn to use a prosthetic left arm.
RI.4.8 Reasons and Evidence

3. In a few sentences, summarize the section “Inspiring Others.”
Sample response: This section is about how Green has devoted her life to helping other veterans. She works with a group called the Wounded Warrior Project, giving speeches to help other veterans and their caregivers.
RI.4.2 Summarizing

3. Skill Building

Featured Skill: Reading a Timeline
Use the skill builder “Serving Their Country” to review a timeline of key events in the history of women in the U.S. armed forces.
RI.4.7 Text Features

Text-to-Speech