NATIVEUK.COM LESSONS
August 7th • Sacrifice & honour
Purple Heart Day
A day to honour the men and women who have been wounded or killed while serving in the military. The Purple Heart is the oldest military award still given to U.S. service members. Today, we debate the meaning of sacrifice, the emotional weight of symbols and medals, and what it truly means to show courage in the modern world.
Speaking Discussion
- What does the word sacrifice mean to you in your personal life?
- Do you think military medals are an important way for society to show gratitude, or are they just pieces of metal?
- Why is physical courage (risking your life) often respected more than moral courage (speaking the truth when it's unpopular)?
- How does a country's treatment of its veterans reflect its true national values?
- If you could award a medal of courage to anyone in your life, who would it be and why?
- Is it possible to be a hero without ever putting yourself in physical danger?
Activity 1: The Courage Speech
The Task: You are a Keynote Speaker at a graduation ceremony. You need to define modern courage for a group of young students.
Deliver your short speech. What is the most important type of courage they should have?
Activity 2: Rapid Fire honour
Complete the sentence and justify it in 20 seconds.
- "Real bravery looks like..."
- "We honour heroes because..."
- "A symbol is powerful when..."