Famous U.S. Symbols
Robin Zelinski
&
Jennifer Morrow
EDE 417
Table of Contents
Pg. 3 Introduction to slides
Pg. 4-7 History, Activities,
Websites
Pg. 16-20 Economics,
Activities, Websites
Pg. 21- 24 Government,
Activities, Websites
Pg. 8-11 People in
Societies, Activities,
Websites
Pg. 25- 28 Citizenship,
Activities, Websites
Pg. 12-15 Geography,
Activities, Websites
Pg. 29- 32 S.S. Skills,
Activities, Websites
Famous U.S. Symbols
• 2nd Grade
• The students will learn about the:
• Liberty Bell
• Great Seal
• American Flag
• Mount Rushmore
• Pledge of Allegiance
History
• The students will learn about the
following areas:
• Chronology
• Daily Life
• Heritage
Flag Facts
•
•
•
•
13 stripes
50 stars
Red=valor and bravery
Blue=vigilance,
perseverance, and
justice
• White= purity and
innocence
• Stars are considered a
symbol of the heavens
and the stripes
symbolize a ray of light
from the sun
• First official flag came
about in 1777
• Has gone through
many changes since
then
History Activities
•
•
•
Students will document
on a timeline each year a
change was made to the
U.S. Flag. We will talk
about what adding a star
to the flag meant
Students will do a
webquest on the making
of the flag. They will
write in their journal
about how the flag was
made in 1777, versus
how it would be made
today.
Students will create a
“flag” and document facts
they learn about the flag
during the lesson
History Activities
(continued)
• Students will examine
pictures of the different US
flags and note their
similarities and differences
•
Students will create a flag
and put into words in their
journals what the colors of
the flag means to them.
• Students will learn how to
properly fold the flag
History Websites
• Ben’s Guide to U.S. Government
• http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/flag.html
• Betsy Ross’s Homepage
• http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/
• Fact Monster for Kids
• http://www.factmonster.com/spot/flagday.html
• History of the U.S. Flag
• http://www.usflag.org/
• Flag Rules and Regulations
• http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagetiq.html
People in Societies
• The students will learn about:
•Cultures
•Diffusion
People in Society Activities
• The students will take
a poll of teachers in
the school to see
whether or not they
think Betsy Ross
sewed the first flag
• The students will
research, using books
and computers, the
myth surrounding
Betsy Ross.
People in Society
• Students will dress in
period costume and tell the
story of the making of the
flag (Teacher will have
costumes available)
• On a five sided star the
students will create an
acrostic poem using the flag
• Discussion on what it was
like to live 225 years ago.
Make a Venn diagram
comparing how it was alike
and different from today
Websites
• Education World Lesson Plans
• http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson267.shtml
•
•
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•
Ben’s Guide to U.S. Government-Flag
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/flag.html
History of the American Flag
http://www.usa-flag-site.org/history.shtml
PBS for Educators of the Flag
• http://www.pbs.org/americaresponds/theamericanflag.html
• VA Kids
• http://www.va.gov/kids/k-5/multicontent.asp?intPageId=8
Geography
• The students will learn about:
• Location
• Places and Regions
• Human Environmental Interaction
Mount Rushmore Facts
• Location: Black Hills,
South Dakota
• Created by Gutzon
Borglum
• Faces are between 5070 feet high
• 4 presidents:
Washington, Jefferson,
Roosevelt, Lincoln
• Began drilling in 1927
• Took 14 years to
complete by Gutzon’s
son
• 800 million pounds of
stone were removed
• Workers had to climb
506 steps each day to
the top
Geography Activities
• Students will look at a
map, and map the
distance from their
home to the Black
Hills in South Dakota
• Students will create a
diagram that compares
the similarities and
differences between
South Dakota and the
state they live in.
Geography Activities
• Students will go outside
and try to measure out 5070 feet, using whatever
measures necessary (This
was the height of the faces)
• We will discuss as a class,
why John Borglum was not
able to carve from the head
to the waist (CLUE: this
was due to the granite
being to crumble)
Brainstorm as a class and
make a bar graph of the
different ideas
Websites for Mount Rushmore
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•
•
•
South Dakota Tourism
http://travelsd.com/placestogo/rushmore/
Ben’s Guide to Mount Rushmore
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/35/symbols/mountrushmore.html
National Park Service
http://www.nps.gov/moru/
American Park Network
http://www.americanparknetwork.com/parkinfo/ru/
Enchanted Learning
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/history/us/sym
bols/index.shtml
Economics
• The students will learn about:
• Scarcity and Resource Allocation
• Production, Distribution, and
Consumption
• Markets
Liberty Bell Facts
• Bell was ordered from
London, England
• Liberty Bell was recast
several times in order to
make the ring sound “right”
• Had a crack in the bell
from shipping
• Liberty Bell was removed
from Independence Hall in
1777 for safe keeping
during the war
• Weighs 2000 pounds
• 70% copper & 30% tin
• Liberty Bell is gently rung
on July 4th each year
Economics Activities
• We will discuss the
differences in price
between 1751 and
present day
• Foundry workers
created the Liberty
bell. There will be a
discussion about the
role of machinery
today versus handmade
Economics Activities
• The U.S. bought the
Liberty Bell from
London. We will
examine different
types of money i.e.
American, English and
other types (have real
examples if possible)
• The class will make a
chart of services that
you normally pay for
and those that are free
Economic Activities
• The Liberty Bell was
melted down several
times, using different
metals. The students
can determine if this
made the price of the
bell go up or down.
(opinion-based,
depending on the age
of the children)
Economic Websites
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•
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The Liberty Bell
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/libertybell.html
Liberty Bell Museum
http://www.libertybellmuseum.com/activities.htm
Liberty Bell-Enchanted Learning
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/history/us/monuments/liberty
bell/
U.S. History
http://www.ushistory.org/libertybell/
Liberty Bell Facts
http://home.att.net/~honorAmerica/libertybell/history/bellfacts.ht
m
Government
• The students will learn about:
• The role of government
• Rules and laws of government
Government Activities
• We will read So you want to
be President?
• As a class, we will discuss
the role of the President
and the rules they have to
enforce and follow. Make a
chart of rules these
particular presidents may
have had to follow and how
the rules are different from
today.
Government Activities
• The students will elect a President
for the day, this student will make
speeches, enforce rules, get along
with people and shake hands with
those in the hall.
• Each student will do a webquest on
a different president. They will
find out their home state and what
number president they were. Once
information is gathered each
student will place their president
on a map in the classroom.
• Explain that presidents wear
many hats. Each time a student
learns an new fact about the
presidents job, they will write it on
the “President’s Hat”
Websites
• Scholastic
• http://teacher.scholastic.com/researchtools/articlearchives/civics
/index.htm
• 2nd Grade Teaching Site
• http://www.orange.k12.nc.us/he/pages/teaching%20internet/2
nd%20grade.html#Government
• White House
• http://www.whitehouse.gov/
• PBS
• http://pbskids.org/democracy/presforaday/
• Education World
• http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson223.shtml
Citizenship Rights and
Responsibilities
• The students will learn about:
• Participation
• Rights and Responsibilities
Pledge of Allegiance
• First published in
1892
• Published in the
Youth’s Companion
magazine
• First published in
public schools to
celebrate Columbus
Day on Oct. 12,
1892
• Received
recognition by
Congress as an act
on June 22, 1942
• The phrase “under
God” was added on
June 14, 1954
Citizenship Activities
• Read America: A Patriotic
Primer by Lynne Cheney
• The students will learn how
to display and take care of
the U.S. Flag
• Students will look closely at
the Pledge of Allegiance
and break it down line by
line into words that we
think it means
Citizenship Activities
• Have students vote which
book they would like to
listen to today. Explain the
concept of voting in a
democracy
• The teacher will explain
what “citizenship” is, and
the students will
participate in Citizenship
Day! Students will take
notice when they see others
showing good citizenship in
school.
Citizenship Websites
• Memorial Day Activities
• http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/may/memorial_activ
ities.html
• The Flag of the United States
• http://www.usflag.org/
• Betsy Ross Homepage
• http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/
• Education World Citizenship activities
• http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr008.shtml
• Ben’s Guide to U.S. Government-Flag
• http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/flag.html
S.S. Skills and Methods
• The students will learn about:
• Obtaining Information
• Thinking and organizing
• Communicating information
• Problem-solving
Great Seal Facts
• Created by Ben Franklin,
John Adams, and Thomas
Jefferson
• Approved on June 20, 1782
• One claw holds an olive
branch and the other claw
holds a bundle of 13 arrows;
these symbolize power and
peace
• Center of Seal=Eagle
(National bird)
• Shield with 13 red and white
stripes covers the eagle’s
breast
• Beak holds a scroll that says
“E pluribus unum” which
means out of many, one; one
nation created from 13
colonies
• Cloud above the eagles head
contains 13 stars which form a
constellation
• There is a pattern of 13 on the
seal representing the 13 states
Social Studies Skills
• Students will work together
in pairs to do a webquest on
a symbol of their choice,
they will report interesting
facts they have found to the
entire class
• Students will read about
the myth surrounding who
actually made the first flag.
Was it Betsy Ross or not?
They will hold a debate in
class, presenting both sides
Social Studies Skills
• As a class, we will determine if
George Washington actually
cut down the cherry tree
• Students will brainstorm in
groups, to determine all of the
sources that are available for
finding information on a topic,
come together as a large group
to identify all of their sources
• Students will participate in a
quiz bowl, which will be a
review of all of the facts they
have learned
Websites
• Education World
• http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/soc_sci.shtml
• PBS- Liberty
• http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/
• Symbols of the U.S.
• http://www.evergreen.edu/library/GovDocs/symbols.html
• Info USA
• http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/symbols.htm
• AtoZ Kids Stuff
• http://www.atozkidsstuff.com/symbols.html