80 years on: should VE Day still make the Headlines?

VE Day ended World War II 80 years ago, so why does it still make headlines?

Collage of pages from the “80 years on: should VE Day still make the Headlines?” teaching resource showing the cover and lesson plan

Published 17 April 2025

About this lesson

May 8th 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of "Victory in Europe Day" – when the fighting in Europe against Nazi Germany ended.

Why are we still talking about VE Day? And how long should we remember events that shaped our world?

Use this lesson to help students:

  • Discuss what commemorative days are and why they exist
  • Debate whether schools should still teach about VE Day
  • Consider which commemorative days are most important to observe

Skills and knowledge

Every lesson has a skill and knowledge focus. Click to see this lesson's focus and some of the questions students will answer 

  • Listening

    Step 0: I listen to others without interrupting
    Did you listen to the news stories other people remembered?

    Step 5: I listen to others and record important information as I do
    Did you listen to other ideas and record the important information on Post-it notes?

    Step 7: I listen critically and think about where differences in perspectives come from
    Did you think about why news about VE Day might be more important to some people than others?

  • Knowledge

    I know what VE Day is and what commemorative days are
    What is VE Day? How do people commemorate it?

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