Citizenship
November
1st Grade
Citizenship - membership in a community or the quality of an individual's response to a
connection in a community
Purpose of the Lesson – To correlate citizenship with patriotic symbols, holidays and events
GPS - Social Studies Curriculum Guidelines for First Grade
Patriotic Symbols/Events/Holidays - S.S.1.4.2, S.S.1.4.3, S.S.1.4.4, S.S.1.4.5
Concept: Citizenship and Patriotism
Masterwork:
Significant Question: What are symbols of patriotism and citizenship?
Song: Songs about the flag, the bald Eagle, the US Flag, and patriotism
Rally Around the Flag
My Country Tis of Thee
America the Beautiful
Stars and Stripes Forever
The Star Spangled Banner
To the Colors
Under the Double Eagle
http://www.discoverynet.com/~ajsnead/patriotic/usasongs.html
Materials – images of Statue of Liberty, the Bald Eagle, the US Flag, and Uncle Sam, Find the
hidden symbols of patriotism and citizenshop
Procedure: patriotic music may be playing while students are coming in the classroom
1.
The teachers introduce the unit by asking student what it means to be a good citizen.
The teacher will read the definition and describe in their own words hat a good citizen
is perhaps listing several characteristics like, responsible member of their community,
helpful to their neighbors, respectful of their community and leaders such as teachers,
someone who votes, someone who salutes the flag or sings the national Anthem…..
2.
The teacher will then conduct a discussion and ask students who they think are good
citizens and what makes them a good citizen?
3.
4.
The teacher will ask what are symbols of our country that would signify patriotism or
citizenship.
The teacher will then introduce the basic symbols of our country and give a brief
description of each one
5.
The teacher will then ask if the students can think of other symbols of our country (ex:
the Liberty Bell, Mount Rushmore, symbols of courage, symbols of strength, symbols
of US pride). The teacher will ask students to draw other symbols of patriotism or our
country and post these in the room.
6.
The teacher will ask the students what they should do when the national Anthem is
played or the Pledge of Allegiance is said. The teacher will ask students why this is
done. Songs may be replayed at this time.
7.
Students will then be handed a worksheet and asked to find the hidden symbols of
patriotism and freedom.
8.
As a fun and interesting culminating activity, students are asked to stare at the
unusual-colored flag for about 60 second. They are then asked to stare at a sheet of
white paper. The surprise ghost image will be a red, white and blue replica of the US
flag.
US Flag Sites - http://www.usflag.org/
Patriotic Site - http://www.alighthouse.com/patriotic.htm
Uncle Sam
Biography of Uncle Sam
Historians aren't completely certain how the character "Uncle Sam" was created, or who (if
anyone) he was named after. The prevailing theory is that Uncle Sam was named after Samuel
Wilson.
Wilson was born in Arlington, Mass., on September 13, 1766. His childhood home was in
Mason, New Hampshire. In 1789, he and his brother Ebenezer walked to Troy, New York.
During the War of 1812, Wilson was in the business of slaughtering and packing meat. He
provided large shipments of meat to the US Army, in barrels that were stamped with the initials
"U.S." Supposedly, someone who saw the "U.S." stamp suggested -- perhaps as a joke -- that the
initials stood for "Uncle Sam" Wilson. The suggestion that the meat shipments came from
"Uncle Sam" led to the idea that Uncle Sam symbolized the federal government.
Samuel Wilson died in 1854. His grave is in the Oakwood Cemetery in Troy.
Uncle Sam's traditional appearance, with a white goatee and star-spangled suit, is an invention of
artists and political cartoonists; Samuel Wilson did not look like the modern image of Uncle
Sam. For example, Wilson was clean-shaven, while Uncle Sam is usually portrayed with a
goatee.
Thomas Nast, a prominent 19th-century political cartoonist, produced many of the earliest
cartoons of Uncle Sam. However, historians and collectors take note: Many of Nast's cartoons
may appear to depict Uncle Sam, while in fact they depict Yankee Doodle or "Brother Jonathan."
It is easy to mistake a Brother Jonathan cartoon for one of Uncle Sam, since both figures wear
star-spangled suits of red, white and blue. As a rule, Brother Jonathan was drawn with a feather
in his cap, while Uncle Sam was not; and Uncle Sam is nearly always drawn with a beard, while
Brother Jonathan was clean-shaven.
Some have suggested that Dan Rice, a 19th-century clown, inspired Thomas Nast's Uncle Sam
cartoons. Rice's clown costume consisted of a hat and star-spangled suit, much like the costome
worn by Uncle Sam. However, Rice was born in 1823, and did not begin clowning until 1844;
and Uncle Sam cartoons appeared as early as 1838. Therefore, it seems unlikely that Rice was, in
fact, the inspiration for Nast's cartoons.
The single most famous portrait of Uncle Sam is the "I WANT YOU" Army recruiting poster
from World War I. The poster was painted by James Montgomery Flagg in 1916-1917.
Many early examples of Uncle Sam cartoons can be found in The Foremost Guide to Uncle Sam
Collectibles, by Gerald E. Czulewicz (Collector Books, 1995).
The Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle Information
NAME: Bald Eagle or American Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
U.S.A.'S NATIONAL EMBLEM: The Bald Eagle was officially declared the National Emblem
of the United States by the Second Continental Congress in 1782. It was selected by the U.S.A.'s
founding fathers because it is a species unique to North America. Ben Franklin wanted the wild
turkey to be the national bird, because he thought the eagle was of bad moral character. The Bald
Eagle has since become the living symbol of the U.S.A.'s freedoms, spirit and pursuit of
excellence. Its image and symbolism have played a significant role in American art, folklore,
music and architecture.
COLOR & SIZE: The feathers of newly hatched Bald Eaglets are light grey, and turn dark
brown before they leave the nest at about 12 weeks of age. During their third and fourth years,
Bald Eagles have mottled brown and white feathers under their wings and on their head, tail and
breast. The distinctive white head and tail feathers do not appear until Bald Eagles are about 4 to
5 years old. Their beak and eyes turn yellow during the fourth and fifth year, and are dark brown
prior to that time. Bald Eagles are about 29 to 42 inches long, can weigh 7 to 15 pounds, and
have a wing span of 6 to 8 feet. This makes them one of the largest birds in North America.
Females are larger than males. Bald Eagles residing in the northern U. S. are larger than those
that reside in the south. They have a life span of up to 40 years in the wild, and longer in
captivity.
HABITAT & RANGE: Bald Eagles live near large bodies of open water such as lakes,
marshes, seacoasts and rivers, where there are plenty of fish to eat and tall trees for nesting and
roosting. Bald Eagles have a presence in every U. S. state except Hawaii. Bald Eagles use a
specific territory for nesting, winter feeding or a year-round residence. Its natural domain is from
Alaska to Baja, California, and from Maine to Florida. Bald Eagles that reside in the northern U.
S. and Canada migrate to the warmer southern climates of the U. S. during the winter to obtain
easier access to food, especially fish. Some Bald Eagles that reside in the southern U. S. migrate
slightly north during the hot summer months.
NESTING & BREEDING: Bald Eagles are monogamous and mate for life. A Bald Eagle will
only select another mate if its faithful companion should die. They build large nests, called
eyries, at the top of sturdy tall trees. The nests become larger as the eagles return to breed and
add new nesting materials year after year. Bald Eagles make their new nests an average of 2 feet
deep and 5 feet across. Eventually, some nests reach sizes of more than 10 feet wide and can
weigh several tons. When a nest is destroyed by natural causes it is often rebuilt nearby. Nests
are lined with twigs, soft mosses, grasses and feathers. The female lays 1 to 3 eggs annually in
the springtime, which hatch after about 35 days of incubation. Hunting, egg incubation, nest
watch, eaglet feeding and eaglet brooding duties are shared by both parents until the young are
strong enough to fly at about 12 weeks of age. Eaglets are full size at 12 weeks of age. Only
about 50% of eaglets hatched survive the first year.
Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty Facts
Event at which a gift from France to the US was conceived: Dinner Party
Date: 1865
Location: Glatigny, France (near Versailles)
Host: Edouard-Rene Lefebvre de Laboulaye (1811-83)
Honored Guest: Frederic Auguste Bartholdi
Date Construction of the Statue began in France: 1875
Title of Statue: "Liberty Enlightening the World"
Sculptor: Frederic Auguste Bartholdi
Structural Engineer: Gustave Eiffel
Statue completed in Paris: June 1884
Statue presented to America by the people of France: July 4, 1884
1885 Transport Ship: French frigate "Isere"
Number of individual pieces shipped to US: 350
Number of crates required: 214
Official accepting Statue on behalf of US: President Grover Cleveland
Date of Acceptance by President: October 28, 1886
Wind speed at which Statue sways: 3 inches :50 mph
Torch sway in 50 mph wind: 5 inches
Number of windows in the crown: 25
Number of spikes in the crown: Seven rays of the diadem – (7 oceans of the World)
Hand with which Statue holds tablet: Left
Inscription on tablet: "July 4, 1776" (in Roman numerals)
Height from base to torch: 152' 2"
Foundation of pedestal to torch : 306' 8"
Heel to top of head: 111' 1"
Length of hand: 16' 5"
Index finger: 8' 0"
Size of fingernail: 13"x10"
Head from chin to cranium: 17' 3"
Length of nose: 4' 6"
Right arm length: 42' 0"
Width of mouth: 3' 0"
Tablet, length: 23' 7"
Length of sandal: 25'-0"
US Women's Shoe Size based on standard fomula: 879
US Flag
US Flag Information
No one knows with absolute certainty who designed the first stars and stripes or who made it.
Congressman Francis Hopkinson seems most likely to have designed it, and few historians
believe that Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress, made the first one.
Until the Executive Order of June 24, 1912, neither the order of the stars nor the proportions of
the flag was prescribed. Consequently, flags dating before this period sometimes show unusual
arrangements of the stars and odd proportions, these features being left to the discretion of the
flag maker. In general, however, straight rows of stars and proportions similar to those later
adopted officially were used. The principal acts affecting the flag of the United States are the
following:
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On June 14, 1777, in order to establish an official flag for the new nation, the Continental
Congress passed the first Flag Act: "Resolved, That the flag of the United States be
made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in
a blue field, representing a new Constellation."
Act of January 13, 1794 - provided for 15 stripes and 15 stars after May 1795.
Act of April 4, 1818 - provided for 13 stripes and one star for each state, to be added to
the flag on the 4th of July following the admission of each new state, signed by President
Monroe.
Executive Order of President Taft dated June 24, 1912 - established proportions of the
flag and provided for arrangement of the stars in six horizontal rows of eight each, a
single point of each star to be upward.
Executive Order of President Eisenhower dated January 3, 1959 - provided for the
arrangement of the stars in seven rows of seven stars each, staggered horizontally and
vertically.
Executive Order of President Eisenhower dated August 21, 1959 - provided for the
arrangement of the stars in nine rows of stars staggered horizon tally and eleven rows of
stars staggered vertically.
What do the colors of the Flag mean?
From the book "Our Flag" published in 1989 by the House of Representatives...
"On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution authorizing a committee to
devise a seal for the United States of America. This mission, designed to reflect the Founding
Fathers' beliefs, values, and sovereignty of the new Nation, did not become a reality until June
20, 1782. In heraldic devices, such as seals, each element has a specific meaning. Even colors
have specific meanings. The colors red, white, and blue did not have meanings for The Stars and
Stripes when it was adopted in 1777. However, the colors in the Great Seal did have specific
meanings. Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, reporting to Congress on
the Seal, stated:
"The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes) are those used in the flag of the United States of
America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valour, and Blue, the color of
the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice."
Also this from a book about the flag published in 1977 by the House of Representatives...
"The star is a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired from time
immemorial; the stripe is symbolic of the rays of light emanating from the sun."
The quote below concerning gold fringe on the Flag is from the book "So Proudly We Hail, The
History of the United States Flag" Smithsonian Institute Press 1981, by William R. Furlong and
Byron McCandless. "The placing of a fringe on Our Flag is optional with the person of
organization, and no Act of Congress or Executive Order either prohibits the practice, according
to the Institute of Hearaldry. Fringe is used on indoor flags only, as fringe on flags on outdoor
flags would deteriorate rapidly. The fringe on a Flag is considered and 'honorable enrichment
only', and its official use by the US Army dates from 1895.. A 1925 Attorney General's Opinion
states: 'the fringe does not appear to be regarded as an integral part of the Flag, and its presence
cannot be said to constitute an unauthorized addition to the design prescribed by statute. An
external fringe is to be distinguished from letters, words, or emblematic designs printed or
superimposed upon the body of the flag itself. Under law, such additions might be open to
objection as unauthorized; but the same is not necessarily true of the fringe.'"
The gold trim is generally used on ceremonial indoor flags that are used for special services and
is believed to have been first used in a military setting. It has no specific significance that I have
ever run across, and its (gold trim) use is in compliance with applicable flag codes and laws.
Hidden Symbols of Patriotism and Freedom
Uncle Sam, Liberty Bell, Eagle, American Flag, Statue of Liberty
Optical Illusion Flag
Lesson Plan Evaluation
Character Word___________________Grade Level_____________
Objective
Yes
Somewhat
Was the lesson easy to read and understand buy the
teachers?
Was the sequence of the lesson correct?
Were the activities easy to understand?
Were the students engaged throughout the lesson?
Did the students enjoy the activities?
Were the materials easy to use?
Were the visuals appropriate for the learners?
Were there adequate activities planned?
Was the lesson relevant to the learners?
Comments:
Please return form to Mr. Richardson or Dr. Carsillo
No