Skip to Main Content

Purple Heart Medal

Students will learn about the history of the Purple Heart medal and create a replica of it.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Gold-toned Paper
  • Heavy Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded to military members who were wounded or killed in combat. It is the nation's oldest military award. Have students research the medal that was instituted by then-General George Washington in 1782 and known as the Badge of Military Merit. How many people received the first medal? How has eligibility evolved over the years? Which U.S. president received a Purple Heart?

  • Step 2

    Have students look at images of a Purple Heart medal, then have them create a replica of one. They can make the silhouette of George Washington on a piece of gold-toned paper or create the paper with Crayola gold tempera. Next they will cut out the image and glue it on a heart-shaped cut-out from a piece of heavy paper that has the center colored with purple marker and the outer edge with gold.

  • Step 3

    Display the medals on a bulletin board. Have a discussion about how the brave military members work to protect and defend the country every day.

Standards

SS: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions: Examine various institutions that affect one’s life and influence people’s thinking and how they advocate for ideas they believe in. 

SS: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions: Explore ways in which institutions (including voluntary associations/organizations, health care networks, etc.) are created to respond to changing individual and group needs.

Adaptations

Who are the two animals who have been awarded a Purple Heart, and during what wars did they participate? Have students write a story from the point of view of either Sergeant Stubby, a mutt who received a Purple Heart during WWI, or Sergeant Reckless, a racehorse who received the medal during the Korean War. How did they feel while performing the feats that earned them their medal? What was life like for them after the war? How did they handle their celebrity status?

Ask students to learn about the origins of Veterans Day, originally known as Armistice Day. When is it observed? In what year did it begin? What did Armistice Day originally commemorate?