What is it all about?

Remembrance Day has been observed since the First World War and is traditionally marked by a two-minute silence to remember those who lost their lives in conflict. It occurs on November 11 as this was the date in 1918 when the Armistice was signed between Allied and German armies. But while many focus on those who died during the First and Second World Wars, it is also important to remember those who fell in more recent conflicts, such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

Classroom ideas

You could hold a remembrance assembly. Ask pupils why we wear a poppy to commemorate Remembrance Day.

The reason is that poppies were grown on the battlefields after the war ended, so they came to represent peace.

You could encourage younger children to make their own remembrance poppies with red tissue paper. In secondary history lessons, you could discuss the political influences behind the start and end of the First World War, and in citizenship look at how poppies and remembrance have influenced British identity and attitudes to war today.

Help, I’ve got no time to prepare

The Royal British Legion offers a schools’ pack that covers the history and citizenship curricula, but can also be used to support literacy and aspects of PSHE and religious studies. Visit www.britishlegion.org.ukremembranceschools.

The Imperial War Museum North will host a family history weekend on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November. www.iwm.org.uknorth.

Where do I get more information?

To download an assembly, and for instructions on how to make your own poppies in class, visit www.tes.co.ukremembrance-day.