Our American Symbols. Standards. Multiple Intelligences Utilized. Titles in this series: Teaching Cloverleaf Books

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1 Teaching Cloverleaf Books Our American Symbols Interest Level: Grades K 2 ing Level: Grade 2 Titles in this series: Can We Ring the Liberty Bell? Can You Sing The Star-Spangled Banner? Is a Bald Eagle Really Bald? What Is Inside the Lincoln Memorial? Why Are There Stripes on the American Flag? Why Is the Statue of Liberty Green? Standards NCSS Early Grades Time, Continuity, and Change Enacting role-plays in which past events and experiences are reconstructed Constructing timelines that indicate an understanding of a sequence of events C3 Framework for Social Studies D2.His.2.K-2. Compare life in the past to life today D2.His.3.K-2. Generate questions about individuals and groups who have shaped a significant historical change D2.His.14.K-2. Generate possible reasons for an event or development in the past D2.His.16.K-2. Select which reasons might be more likely than others to explain a historical event or development Common Core ing (Informational Text) Key Ideas and Details Craft and Structure Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Multiple Intelligences Utilized Verbal-linguistic, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal

2 2 TEACHING OUR AMERICAN SYMBOLS Lesson 1 Create a Timeline Students will learn to create a timeline based on the text of a book. Can You Sing The Star- Spangled Banner? What Is Inside the Lincoln Memorial? Why Are There Stripes on the American Flag? Why Is the Statue of Liberty Green? Choose a book from the Our American Symbols series to use as an example. What is a timeline? As a class, read through the selected book from the Our American Symbols series. On the board, draw a long horizontal line. This will serve as an example timeline. As a class, read through the book a second time. Each time a date is mentioned, add that date to the timeline, along with a short description of the event. For example, you might add 1776 to the timeline and note that in that year the Declaration of Independence was signed. List the events in chronological order, with the earliest events at the far left and the most recent events at the far right. Make sure to incorporate any dates included in the photo captions. Students will read a second book from the Our American Symbols series. Students will write down any dates mentioned in the text and list the events that took place on those dates. Students will then construct their own timelines, placing those events in chronological order. If time allows, students can look up additional information about these events online. For example, after doing additional research, students might include a note on their timeline that the Declaration of Independence was officially adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776, which is why we celebrate Independence Day on July 4. How does making a timeline help us remember what we ve read? How do timelines help us understand historical events? students timelines for completion and comprehension.

3 3 TEACHING OUR AMERICAN SYMBOLS Lesson 2 American Symbols Students will learn about several major American symbols and discuss possible reasons for why those symbols were chosen to represent the United States. Our American Symbols series American Symbols p. 7 Gather examples of symbols that your students will easily recognize. These examples might include a stop sign, a peace sign, a recycling sign, or the symbols for male and female that appear on restroom signs. Copy American Symbols p. 7 for each student. What is a symbol? Display your examples, one at a time. Ask students to identify each symbol and explain what it means. Explain that a symbol is something that stands for something else. As a class, come up with a few more examples of common symbols. Where do we see symbols? What are some of the symbols of the United States? Where do we see these symbols? Pass out American Symbols p. 7 to each student. Students will try to identify each symbol and guess why it was chosen as a symbol of the United States. Divide students into groups. Assign each group one symbol from American Symbols p. 7. Students will compare their answers for the assigned symbol and discuss why they believe that symbol was chosen as a symbol of the United States. Each group will then decide on which of their proposed reasons seems most likely and share this reason with the class. Each group will read the book from the Our American Symbols series pertaining to their assigned symbol to find out why it is a symbol of America. Assess students American Symbols p. 7 for completion. students teamwork and participation.

4 4 TEACHING OUR AMERICAN SYMBOLS Lesson 3 Then and Now Students will learn how life in the 1700s was different from life today. Can We Ring the Liberty Bell? Then and Now p. 8 Gather information, such as articles, websites, or photos, that compares life in the 1700s with life today. For example, you might provide examples of how people dressed during that time period or how technology was different. Copy Then and Now p. 8 for each student. How was life different in the 1700s? As a class, read Can We Ring the Liberty Bell? from the Our American Symbols series. In the 1700s, bells were used to tell people there was news. How do people get their news today? What else has changed since the 1700s? On the board, make a list of things that have changed since the 1700s. This list might include items such as clothing and hairstyles, popular foods, forms of entertainment, or technology. Share any additional examples you gathered that demonstrate these differences. Students will choose one item that is different today from how it was in the 1700s. Students will look up images online of how their item looked in the past and how it looks today. Using Then and Now p. 8, students will draw an image of how that item looked during the 1700s and how it looks today. Assess students drawings for creativity and comprehension.

5 5 TEACHING OUR AMERICAN SYMBOLS Lesson 4 Skits Students will work in groups to learn more about an event in early American history. Each group will then perform a short skit reenacting that historical event. Our American Symbols series props Compile a list of historical events referenced in the Our American Symbols series that students can reenact. For example, one group might reenact the signing of the Declaration of Independence. If possible, provide students with a selection of props. What is a skit? Students will read books from the Our American Symbols series. Assign each group an event from early American history, or allow each group to choose an event from the list of choices you compiled. Explain that each group will research the group s assigned event and then perform a skit for the class reenacting this event. Each group will research the group s assigned event online. Groups should focus on determining the dates the event took place and the different people that participated. Groups should also try to determine why this particular event took place. Each group will write a short script of the event (one to two lines per student) that mentions the dates, participants, and any reasons they found for why it took place. Groups will practice their skits using the provided props. Groups will then perform their skits for the class. What was happening in each skit? How do skits help us understand historical events? each group s skit for creativity and comprehension. Assess students participation and teamwork.

6 6 TEACHING OUR AMERICAN SYMBOLS Lesson 5 Create a Symbol Students will create an original symbol and explain how it represents America. Our American Symbols series coloring utensils sketch paper an example of an original American symbol. Provide each student with sketch paper. What is a symbol? Give an example of a symbol. Students will read books from the Our American Symbols series for inspiration. Explain that students will be creating their own American symbols. Explain that symbols are small things that represent bigger things. They can come in many forms. They can be songs or poems (like The Star-Spangled Banner ), objects (like the Liberty Bell), animals (like the bald eagle), or images (like the Great Seal or the stars and stripes on the American flag). Ask students to come up with other examples of symbols. Write their suggestions on the board. Explain that students will create a song, a poem, an object, an animal, or an image to use as an original symbol. Students who opt to write a song can either alter the lyrics of an existing song or write one verse of a new song. Students who opt to write a poem should write an original version. Explain that students will need to describe how their symbol represents America. Show the class the example symbol you have prepared. Explain how it represents America. Encourage students to be creative with their designs. Students will brainstorm ideas for their symbols. Students will look up images, lyrics, or both online as a starting point. Students can also look up the meanings of words for different animals, colors, symbols, and so on. Students will create a draft about their symbol. This will be either a written song verse or a poem or a drawing of their chosen animal, object, or image. Students will then present their symbols to the class and explain how the symbol they created represents America. What makes something a symbol? Why are symbols important to America? students symbols for creativity and comprehension.

7 7 Teaching Our American Symbols Name American Symbols Identify as many of these symbols as you can. Then write down why you think each one was chosen as a symbol of America. Symbol Name of Symbol Why is this an American symbol?

8 8 Teaching Our American Symbols Name Then and Now Then Now