Remembrance Day Assembly Videos

The Remembrance Day Assembly has always been one of my favourite ones throughout the whole year. It is a time to reflect, learn about our history and the sacrifices that others have made to help keep our country free.

I am hoping that you can use this compilation of videos we have used over the years to help make your Remembrance Day assembly awesome too! We always try to rotate videos over the years so it isn't always the same. I will be adding new videos as a I come across any new ones. 

A Pittance of Time

This song/video by Terry Kelly is an emotional reminder to respect our veterans and those who have died for us.  It is one of my favourite videos to show at school. (5 min 07 sec)

Lest We Forget

This is a slideshow which has a solemn fall feel to it.  I like the pan flute background music. It is quite fitting! (3 min 29 sec)

Lest We Forget

This slideshow has a choir singing (with piano accompaniment) in the background the poem “In Flanders Field.” It really is put together quite nicely. (2 min 28 sec)

The Poppy Story (First Level & Up)

This video is an animated short film about the journey of the poppy. An excellent introduction to the poppy, remembrance, veterans and Poppyscotland. (5 min 45 sec)

The Poppy Story (Early Years)

This poem is an adaption of the video above. It is more simple than the one above and more appropriate for little children. (4 min 04 sec)

In Flanders Field

I love this reading of the poem In Flanders Field. (1 min 35 sec)

“In Flanders Fields” ~ (Memorial Day, Vetrans Day, Poppy Day, Remembrance Day)

This is a very realistic/graphic video best suited to older students. The Last Post is playing in the background. The middle section is a reading of In Flanders Field. At the end there is some historic images to help get students to thinking on the impact of the war. (4 min 06 sec)

In Flanders Field (1 min 47 sec)
Leonard Cohan recites this poem while in the background there is stirring images from World War I. This was created for the Legion Magazine.

Going Home - Fallen Soldier Bagpipe Tribute

I love this tribute to fallen soldiers. It is simple and different countries are represented. (2 min 03 sec)

Shawn Hlookoff - Soldier
This song has a really nice piano accompaniment which helps students reflect upon why soldiers fight for us. It is a slide show of a variety of videos and images which interchange between the Shawn singing this song. It really is quite impactful and would be great for a wide age range of students. (4 min 32 sec)

Do You Know - The History of the Poppy
This is an informative video which explains the history of the poppy by Puneet Birgi. This is a very informative, child friendly video which is in the format of a news report. (5 min 30 sec)

Remembrance Day Soldiers Cry (Soldiers Cry)
This video was produced by Global Edmonton and is a tribute for Remembrance Day. (3 min 54 sec)

Sing You Home - Remember Them At The Rooms
This video is appropriate for all age ranges. It follows a "family" who have a father who passes away due to war and how it effects them as a family. It is a very creative compilation created by "The Rooms" and The Ennis Sisters, Shallaway Youth Choir and the CBC. (6 min 17 sec)

RemembranceDay (Bryan Adams) (6 min 02 sec)
Public domain photos from World War I set to the song "Remembrance Day" from Bryan Adams' 1987 album "Into The Fire."

The Poppy's Girls: Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance Day 2013 (7 min 27 sec)
This emotional song is sung by children of British soldiers.

Why We Wear a Poppy (4 min 30 sec)
This is a silent slideshow that tells a story of why we wear a poppy with images spaced between different slides of the story.

Canadian Forces Remembrance Day Video (3 min 50 sec)
This is a powerful video which was created by Megan Desfosses for her school. It has the song Highway to Heroes in the background, by the Trews. It is a slideshow of memorable moments in the past and current events by our military. It is poignant and would be appropriate for a wide age range of students.

The Poppy Lady (4 min 03 sec)
This is a book trailer which was created in 2012 about Moina Belle Michael who played a significant role in establishing the poppy as a symbol of Remembrance Day for veterans.

Remembrance Day - Mike Knopfler (5 min 06 sec)
This is a slideshow with an instrumental background. The song is titled Remembrance Day. The photos in it show images of the lives of soldiers before, during and after effects of war. It is not very graphic and could easily be viewed by a wide range of school agers.

Remembrance Day Video (3 min 57 sec)
This video would be okay for younger children if someone was reading the words scrolled through at the beginning. It has quiet piano music playing in the background. The last half of the video there is some one reading In Flanders Fields. It has a lot of Canadian flags throughout the video.

Lest We Forget (57 sec)
This is a "silent" film in that it has no words. There are two solider's running towards each other fighting. They age as time passes and then turn into old men. There is lots of symbolism in this video!

The Solider Behind 'In Flanders Fields' (6 min 41 sec)
This is an excellent reflection upon the history of John MacRae, by the National, and the journey of how the poem became popular. It has a lot of historical information of who he was and what he did in his life. It also has a reflection on the significance of they Poppy and the growth of it the year he penned the poem.

In my primary classroom we always have a reflection activity that we do after the assembly. I will post word wall words in the class for kids to use in their writing to help them feel successful about their writing and give them visual cues about what we learned about at the assembly.

Click on the links below to visit other Canadian teacher-bloggers showcasing their ideas for Remembrance Day lessons. Thanks to 2 Peas and a Dog for coordinating this!