Service Lesson Plans
“War may be good for a nation’s economy, but it’s horrible for a nation’s education.”
— Matthew lynch, the edvocate
Dear educators, home-schooling parents, tutors, and fellow history nerds,
We're pleased to offer veteran war story lesson plans and educational resources for your classroom and homeschooling teaching needs.
Featuring four episodes of Service, each high school English-Language Arts or History common-cored aligned lesson plan comes complete with pre-listening prediction questions, detailed episode listening guides, and additional printable worksheets with hyperlinked digital files for post-listening exploration and continuation. Click here to read more about their creation and classroom specification, and stay tuned for lessons geared toward younger age groups.
Questions? Requests? Email us!
Happy learning!
— Jacqueline Raposo (Service podcast producer) and Katharine Rose Sabo (educator)
Ep 1: "We Gave Them the Food from our Mess Kits"
Image: Vintage photo of WWII Veteran Pasquale D’Ambrosio — a white Italian American in military khaki. Pat shares his veteran war story on the food podcast Service.
Veteran: Pasquale D'Ambrosio, Army
Summary: Overview of the Great Depression; introduction to the bombing of Pearl Harbor; observation on how one event immediately impacts individuals and communities; the draft; jobs in the Army; the Philippines and Japanese POWs; food as an intergenerational connecting point.
Episode Length: 27m
Ep. 1 Worksheets
Broadening an Experience Worksheet - Ep. 1
Analyze a Photo Instructions/Guide - Ep. 1
Going Behind and Beyond the Episode Worksheet for Ep. 1
General Worksheets for this episode (above)
Introduction to Service Podcast worksheet
Predicting and Reflecting worksheet
Analyze a Photo worksheet
Make Your Voice Heard! worksheet or Review Service on iTunes
Write a Veteran worksheet or send via the online form (below).
Photos for Analyze a Photo worksheet
Ep 5: Food Service Within the Service
WWII veteran William Walker is a Black man wearing his Navy uniform, gently smiling into the camera. William shares his veteran war story on the food podcast Service.
Veteran: William Walker, Navy
Summary: Cleveland during the Great Depression; racism in the 1930s and 1940s; the mistreatment of African Americans in factories, schools, and the armed forces; how food got transported via the Navy in WWII; Leyte Gulf and the Pacific theater; how Service in the armed forces can be a "great leveler".
Episode Length: 28m
Ep. 5 Worksheets
Activating Prior Knowledge - Ep. 5
Analyze a Photo Instructions/Guide - Ep 5
Going Behind and Beyond the Episode Worksheet for Ep 5
General worksheets for this episode (above)
Introduction to Service Podcast worksheet
Predicting and Reflecting worksheet
Analyze a Photo worksheet
Make Your Voice Heard! worksheet or Review Service on iTunes
Write a Veteran worksheet or send via William a message via the online form (below).
Photos for Ep. 5 Analyze a Photo worksheet:
Ep. 7: "Dad, I Can't Talk About It"
Summary: A two-part episode featuring several Service veterans and veteran organizations includes an introduction to combat fatigue/PTSD in the armed forces; how soldiers are trained for combat; the value of community; what is narrative storytelling and how can it help veterans?; racial healing; how identity groups harm and help; how food can bring veterans and civilians together.
Episode Length: 50m total
Click here for Part One and Part Two on iTunes
Thank you to those involved in the Livingston County Veterans’ Monument, The Greatest Generations Foundation, Tuskegee Airmen Inc, the Japanese American Veterans Association, the Veterans Network Committee Honor Flight, The Freedom Pantry For Veterans, and Sarah Sicard at Military Times for working with us for this episode.
Ep. 7 Worksheets
Going Behind and Beyond the Episode Worksheet for Ep. 7
Food and Identity worksheet for Ep. 7 (color)
Food and Identity worksheet for Ep. 7 (b&w)
General worksheets for this episode:
Introduction to Service Podcast worksheet
Predicting and Reflecting worksheet
Experience Overlay worksheet
Make Your Voice Heard! worksheet or Review Service on iTunes
Write a Veteran worksheet or send a veteran from this episode a message via the online form (below).
Ep. 8: When You Look Like the Enemy
Veteran: Lawson Ichiro Sakai, Army
Summary: Japanese American farming; Japanese internment in WWII; the 442nd Regimental Combat Team; "Shikata ga nai"; food as identity; the Lost Battalion; the frontlines of Italy and France; eating and resupplying on the frontline; severe combat
Episode Length: 44m
Ep. 8 Worksheets:
Activating Prior Knowledge - Ep. 8
Analyze a Photo Instructions/Guide - Ep 8
Going Behind and Beyond the Episode Worksheet for Ep 8
General worksheets for this episode:
Introduction to Service Podcast worksheet
Predicting and Reflecting worksheet
Make Your Voice Heard! worksheet or Review Service Online
Photos for Ep. 5 Analyze a Photo worksheet
The Team
K. R. Sabo: (she/her) Originally from the East Coast, Katharine Rose Sabo took up rock climbing while a student at NYU. After graduation, she took off on a (part climbing) road trip across the country. After landing in California, she found her professional passion in the form of a small continuation school in the foothills of the Eastern Sierra so she went back to school, got her teaching credential, and has been learning from her students there ever since. She finds the California climate some consolation for the West Coast version of bagels and pizza. When not in the classroom, advocating for her students, or staying up too late to grade papers, write lesson plans, and read books, she enjoys hiking, biking, and paddle boarding with her husband and rescue dog.
Jacqueline Raposo: The podcast producer of Service: Veteran Stories of Hunger and War, Jacqueline has taught classes in the creative arts for students from pre-school through middle school, playwriting for high schoolers, and speaking and performance classes for adults. She has a BFA from the University of Connecticut, which she puts into practice telling stories across mediums.