June

Flag Day  

Duration:     

Objectives:    Students will:  

Materials:   

Key Vocabulary:  

timeline, president, flag, state, graphic organizer, symbol

Procedures:    

In this activity, which students can do as a whole class or in smaller groups, challenge students to use library and/or Internet sources to create a timeline(s) illustrating the history of the U.S. flag. Tell students they should include on the timeline important events in the history of the flag and images of the flag throughout history. Have students particularly note the new states represented by each change in the flag. To provide additional historic reference points on the timeline, students might also include the names and/or photographs of the relevant U.S. presidents, and information about other important historical events.

Encourage students to make the timeline red, white, and blue! Have students cut a 2-inch strip of red construction paper and mark on it the "Year" reference points; mount a 2-inch strip of blue construction paper below the red strip, and mount a 2-inch strip of white construction paper below the blue. The blue and red areas of the timeline create a backdrop for photos or student-drawn images, including images of U.S. presidents, historic events, and the flag throughout history. The Presidents of the United States Web page, which is part of the White House Web site, provides a good source of presidential images. Several sources of flag images are noted below. The white strip makes a nice backdrop for timeline text.

Internet resources for flag images: If you or your students have Internet access, the following sites are excellent resources for this activity:

 

Display the timeline(s) on a classroom bulletin board.

Assessment:  

Create a ten-question quiz about the completed timeline(s). Students will use the timeline(s) displayed as a source as they answer the questions. They should correctly answer at least eight of the ten questions.

Home Learning:   

Ask your students "Who designed the U.S. flag? "

No one knows for sure who designed the U.S. flag or who created the first one. Today, most experts agree that Francis Hopkinson, a delegate to the Continental Congress from New Jersey, designed the flag. But, in 1870, William J. Canby claimed that his grandmother, a seamstress from Philadelphia named Betsy Ross, made the first U.S. flag.

Challenge students to use the Internet and other resources to learn more about this debate and to come to their own conclusions about who designed the first U.S. flag.

Extension Activity:

Collect a variety of books and other resources on the subject of the U.S. flag. In the days leading up to June 14, invite students to use the Internet and the other resources you've collected to learn more about the U.S. flag. Ask students to record in their notebooks any facts they find that they didn't know before about the flag or Flag Day. Set aside a special time a day or two before Flag Day for students to share the facts they've collected.