_______
1. Waterloo's businesses closed, flags flew at half-staff, and paraders marched together.
_______
2. General Logan declared the first Decoration Day because of a presidential order in 1865.
_______
3. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved the holiday to create a standard 3-day weekend.
_______
4. The National Moment of Remembrance asks all Americans to pause for exactly five minutes.
_______
5. Originally, Decoration Day only honored soldiers who died in the American Civil War.
_______
6. The holiday was first named Memorial Day before it was called Decoration Day.
_______
7. The National Moment of Remembrance takes place at 3:00 PM local time on Memorial Day.
Decoration Day Origins Lesson Page 2 of 3
Student Assessment Sheet Name: ___________________________
Part C: Fill in the Blanks (1 point each)
Word Bank
May 30 John A. Logan Monday Waterloo Flowers
1. The general who ordered the first Decoration Day was named __________________________.
2. President Johnson declared __________________________ as the official birthplace of the holiday.
3. May 30 was chosen because beautiful __________________________ would be growing across the country.
4. Today, we celebrate Memorial Day on the last __________________________ in May.
Part D: Short Answer & Open Response (4 points each)
Write a complete, thoughtful response. Use the provided sentence starter to begin.
1. How did the holiday change from honoring soldiers of just one war to honoring all fallen American heroes?
Sentence Starter: "The holiday changed after World War I because..."
2. Why did the government create the National Moment of Remembrance? How does it help us remember the real meaning of the holiday?
Sentence Starter: "The National Moment of Remembrance was created to help us..."
Decoration Day Origins Lesson Page 3 of 3
(B) Arlington Cemetery Decoration Law
(C) Logan General Order No. 11
(D) Civil War Healing Act
10. At what time on Memorial Day does the National Moment of Remembrance happen?
(A) 12:00 PM noon
(B) 3:00 PM local time
(C) 9:00 AM Eastern time
(D) Sunset
Part B: True or False (1 point each - 7 questions total)
T
1. Waterloo's businesses closed, flags flew at half-staff, and paraders marched together.
F
2. General Logan declared the first Decoration Day because of a presidential order in 1865. (In 1868)
T
3. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved the holiday to create a standard 3-day weekend.
F
4. The National Moment of Remembrance asks all Americans to pause for exactly five minutes. (1 minute)
T
5. Originally, Decoration Day only honored soldiers who died in the American Civil War.
F
6. The holiday was first named Memorial Day before it was called Decoration Day. (Decoration Day first)
T
7. The National Moment of Remembrance takes place at 3:00 PM local time on Memorial Day.
Decoration Day origins teacher key Page 2 of 3
Teacher Grading Companion ANSWER KEY
Part C: Fill in the Blanks (1 point each - 4 points total)
1. The general who ordered the first Decoration Day was named John A. Logan.
2. President Johnson declared Waterloo as the official birthplace of the holiday.
3. May 30 was chosen because beautiful Flowers would be growing across the country.
4. Today, we celebrate Memorial Day on the last Monday in May.
Part D: Short Answer & Open Response (4 points each - 8 points total)
Exemplar responses guidelines shown below. Full credit is awarded for simple, complete thoughts referencing details from the text.
1. How did the holiday change from honoring soldiers of just one war to honoring all fallen American heroes?
Grading Criteria: Answers should note that after World War I, the holiday expanded to include soldiers lost in any war, not just the Civil War.
Exemplar Response:
The holiday changed after World War I because the United States wanted to honor all the brave soldiers who died in any American war. Instead of just remembering Civil War soldiers, the name was also changed to Memorial Day to honor every generation of fallen heroes.
2. Why did the government create the National Moment of Remembrance? How does it help us remember the real meaning of the holiday?
Grading Criteria: Answers should state it helps people pause and remember the true, solemn meaning of the holiday instead of just seeing it as a long summer weekend.
Exemplar Response:
The National Moment of Remembrance was created to help us stop and think about the brave soldiers who died for our country. Since many people use the long three-day weekend for fun and travel, pausing for one minute at 3:00 PM brings our focus back to honoring our freedom.
Decoration Day origins teacher key Page 3 of 3
