Patriot Plaza- Stories of Patriotism and Inspiration - Grade 7-8
Patriot Plaza is an amphitheater and plaza at the Sarasota National Cemetery featuring large outdoor artworks about the military, family, American history, and one's own place in the world. Its themes are: HONOR SERVICE, INSPIRE PATRIOTISM, and EMBRACE FREEDOM. Trained Guides will provide a 90-minute tour and learning activity to groups that visit the plaza. All of the Guides at Patriot Plaza are veterans or are the family members of veterans. They will share their own stories, as well as describe and discuss the stories that are in each artwork. The artworks are as diverse as our heroes and include bronze sculptures, large mosaics, marble tablets, a global map etched in granite and documentary photographs in this open air museum.
Grade 7-8 students will focus on Civics content with an emphasis on veterans, citizenship, and the patriotic holidays of Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Additionally, two documentary photographs in the artwork "Witness to Mission" are viewed and analyzed. A Teacher's Guide provides information and activities for the classroom. A pre-visit PowerPoint provides basic information before the visit and a post-visit PowerPoint provides follow-up photos and questions for discussions and/or writing activities. Parents will be appreciative of the instruction in good citizenship!
This trip is part of the Any Given Child program of Sarasota County. Transportation is paid for by the foundation that built Patriot Plaza, The Patterson Foundation. Each school will order its own buses. Contact Lindsey Mintz, Patriot Plaza Tour Manager, to request a tour reservation form and schedule a tour. Call or email to book your tour today!