Procedures

• Set Up

  This lesson offers several options for you to use with your students whether you are teaching in class, using a hybrid model, or engaging through distance learning. It can be completed in steps as a class or students can move at their own pace and complete the activities independently.

  You can post links to the videos in the lesson along with the related handout and engage in discussion to share responses on a discussion board or learning management system.

  You can also save and share the following Google resource for students to use with this lesson.

  Handout: Graphic Organizer (Google Doc).

  In Google, choose "File" then "Make a Copy" to get your own copy. You can make any needed adjustments in the instructions such as which activities students need to complete, when it is due, etc. and then make it available to them via Google.

• Warm Up and Introduction

  Pose the following brainstorming question to your students: "How do we memorialize those who have died?" Have students record their responses in their graphic organizer, share with a partner, and then with the class if they choose.

  Play this introductory video clip (3:28) for your students. Direct your students to answer the following questions on their graphic organizer:

  • Based on the clip, why was Arlington National Cemetery founded? Who is buried in the cemetery?
  • Who is buried at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier?
  • According to the clip, what does the Tomb represent?
  • What does Dr. Allison Finkelstein say is the intention of the Tomb?

• Vocabulary

  Direct your students to their graphic organizers to view and define the vocabulary terms that will appear in the choice board activity in the chart in their graphic organizer handout. The vocabulary words are also listed to the right on this webpage. We recommend having your students define and present the terms in a jigsaw activity to save time. Depending on time and resources, you may consider having your students define and present the terms in a Frayer's Model activity, where each student takes one-to-two words. Students can then post their models around the room for reference throughout the lesson. Note: this is not an all-encompassing list of terms included in each video. We recommend you previewing the video to determine any necessary additions/subtractions to this list for your specific students.

• Application and Choice Activity

  Direct students to the application section of their graphic organizers. Have students view each clip, take notes, and answer each question in their graphic organizers.

  Then, have students choose (or assign) one or more of the three topics in the choice activity section in their graphic organizers. Have students view each clip, take notes, and answer each question.

• Clip #2: The Capitol Crypt and Lying in State (3:38), Samuel Holliday, of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, explained the history of the U.S. Capitol crypt and the tradition of lying in state at the Capitol. The historical society hosted this virtual event.

  • What was the crypt at the U.S. Capitol originally designed for?
  • According to Samuel Holliday, what various roles does the U.S. Capitol play?
  • How have we paid tribute to “leading figures and important people in our nation’s history?”
  • Who was the first person to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol?
  • How many people have lain in state in the U.S. Capitol in total?

• Clip #3: National Cemeteries and Arlington National Cemetery (2:55), Samuel Holliday explained the history of the National Cemeteries System and the construction of the Memorial Amphitheatre at Arlington National Cemetery.

  • According to Samuel Holliday, what authority did Congress give to the President in 1862?
  • Based on the clip, what is repatriation? Why was it necessary after the Spanish American War?
  • What did Congress approve in 1913? Why?

• Clip #4: The Development of the Tomb of the Unknown Solider (7:08), November 11, 2021 was the centennial of Arlington Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Samuel Holliday explained the story behind the tomb and the initial internment of the World War I unknown soldier.

  • Based on the clip, describe Hamilton Fish III’s background and accomplishments. For what was Fish a “driving force?”
  • What concerns complicated the retrieval of remains from World War I battlefields? Why did this lead to the “creation of a tomb for the unknown soldier” in France and Britain?
  • What legislation did Fish author?
  • Based on the clip, describe the selection process for the World War I unknown soldier. What story does Samuel Holliday share about the U.S.S. Olympia?
  • Summarize what happens to the World War I unknown soldier upon arrival to the United States.

• Clip #5: Upgrades and Additions to the Tomb of the Unknown Solider (6:55), Samuel Holliday explained the story behind the tomb, upgrades to the tomb, and later internments.

  • In 1926, what changes to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier did Congress authorize?
  • After World War II, what did Congress authorize? Why was this operation suspended?
  • Every lying-in-state ceremony at the U.S. Capitol has used Lincoln’s catafalque. How and why was the ceremony after the Korean War different?
  • According to Samuel Holliday, why was there “skepticism” after Congress’ approval to inter an unknown soldier from the Vietnam War?
  • What ultimately happened to the unknown soldier from the Vietnam War? How was the Vietnam War tomb redesignated?

• Clip #6 (Choice Activity): The Graves at the Tomb (1:37), Samuel Holliday spoke about the graves at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

  • How are the graves organized at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier?
  • According to Samuel Holliday, where do the sentinels stand guard?

• Clip #7 (Choice Activity): Selection of the Unknown (5:58), Samuel Holliday explained the story behind the tomb, who is laid to rest there, and the overseas journey that took this anonymous soldier from the fighting fields of World War I France to America’s most revered burial ground.

  • According to Samuel Holliday, how were soldiers initially identified as unknown and buried after battles?
  • What impact has DNA technology had on the identification process?
  • What does Holliday say about the selection process for the World War One unknown soldier?
  • How did the ceremony for the World War Two unknown soldier compare?

• Clip #8 (Choice Activity): Looking Forward (2:24), Samuel Holliday discussed advances in technology and the impact of identifying the deceased.

  • Why does Samuel Holliday say there have not been any additional unknown soldiers since the Vietnam War?
  • What factors does Holliday list in his explanation?

• Closure

  Direct and allow time for your students to prepare their findings from the lesson with their peers.

  After your students are finished sharing their findings with a partner, a small group, or the class, direct them to complete the final culminating writing prompt in their graphic organizers: "Having now learned about the history and various aspects of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, describe its importance as an American symbol. Be sure to include evidence from the video clips to support your argument." Direct your students to use evidence from the video clips to support their response. You can also provide the related articles linked below to your students to help them further support their arguments.

  Have students share their responses, comparing their perspectives with their classmates'.

• Optional Extensions

  Option #1: Thinking back to the honor of lying in state at the U.S. Capitol, select one of the individuals who have lain in state in the Capitol Rotunda from this website. Research the individual and develop a biography of their life and why they were selected to lie in state.

  Option #2: From this website, find and select a National Cemetery close to you or your school. Visit, call, email, or research the cemetery to select one individual buried at the cemetery. Research this individual. Prepare a presentation of the individual's accomplishments and the requirements for the individual to have been interred at the cemetery.