Lesson Plan - Honoring History’s Heroes

Watch the Video
Build background knowledge about World War II and the attack on Pearl Harbor by watching the video “Pearl Harbor: The Day that Changed the Nation.” Ask: What happened on December 7, 1941? How did it change our nation?

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

• chaos
• landmarks

Set a Purpose for Reading
As students read, have them think about why it’s important to learn about what happened at Pearl Harbor.

1. What is the meaning of the word chaos? How does the author support the idea that Pearl Harbor was thrown into chaos on December 7, 1941?
The word chaos means confusion and disorder. The author supports the idea that the base was thrown into chaos by giving details about the attack. For example, she writes that “sailors scrambled to safety as battleships went up in flames. Thick smoke filled the air.”
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2. What was the goal of the “Harrison’s Heroes” fundraiser?
The goal of the “Harrison’s Heroes” fundraiser was to collect money to create new educational materials for the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, like a new VR experience that would introduce kids to some heroes of Pearl Harbor.
^{(RI.4.2 Main Idea and Key Details)}

3. What does the author mean when she writes that Harrison’s hard work “paid off”?
When the author writes that Harrison’s hard work “paid off,” she means that he was rewarded for his work by seeing it succeed. She writes that “Harrison reached his goal last May. He had collected more than $105,000.”
^{(RI.4.1 Text Evidence)}

FEATURED SKILL: Paired Texts
Share the skill builder “A Veteran Remembers” and explain that it features an excerpt from an interview a Scholastic News reporter did with a Pearl Harbor survivor for the 75th anniversary of the attack. Have students read the interview and answer the questions.
^{(RI.4.6 Paired Texts)}