Lesson Five
Island Flags
(meaning of flag)
Instructional Objectives:
Students will develop an awareness of some traditional
symbols of the U.S.
Students will access the Internet.
Students will increase their computer skills.
Students will become familiar with American symbols.
Students will increase their knowledge of American history
and culture.
Students will use telecommunication to gain knowledge
and to share their discoveries.
Time Required:
30 minute session for discussing patriotic symbols (Internet);
30 minutes whole class time to explain, demo and discuss assignment, individual
time at the computer to create the flags and type their explanations.
Advance Preparation and Prerequisite Knowledge/Skills:
-
know how to use the Internet
-
have "Flag" sites bookmarked
-
know how to use a drawing program (teacher and students)
Materials/Resources Needed:
-
computer with Internet
-
word processing program (optional)
-
Kid Pix, Paint or other program which allows the students
to create an illustration and add text
web sites:
Flags of all countries: http://immigration-usa.com/flags/
Flag Identifier: http://photius.com/flags/alphabetic_list.html
World Flag Database: http://flags.net/
World Animated Flags: http://atlasgeo.net/flags/Eindex.htm
World Fact book: http://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
*Flags and Facts (meaning): http://crwflags.com/fotw/flags/iso3166.html#r
Ben's guide to U.S. goverment for kids http://bensguide.gpo.gov/k-2/symbols/
Vocabulary:
Patriotic, symbols.
Procedures:
Session 1 - Patriotic symbols
-
As a class visit http://bensguide.gpo.gov/k-2/symbols/
on the Internet and discuss the meaning of the various patriotic symbols
-
Visit some of the sites mentioned above and discuss the visuals
about the flags (differences, colors, shapes, etc.), and find out about
the meaning of the visuals (what the colors represent, etc.)
Flags of all countries: http://immigration-usa.com/flags/
Flag Identifier: http://photius.com/flags/alphabetic_list.html
World Flag Database: http://flags.net/
World Animated Flags: http://atlasgeo.net/flags/Eindex.htm
World Fact book: http://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
*Flags and Facts (meaning): http://crwflags.com/fotw/flags/iso3166.html#r
Ben's guide to U.S. goverment for kids http://bensguide.gpo.gov/k-2/symbols/
-
Give the students time to explore these sites individually
(supervised...computer lab is good)
Session 2 - Assignment/Demo/Individual time
-
Tell the students that they will be creating a flag for their
imaginary islands. Explain that they will need to pay attention to what
shapes and color they use and why, because they will be writting about
the meaning of their flag
-
Using a video converter, LCD projector or SmartBoard if available
demostrate how to draw a flag using a program such as Microsoft's Paint
-
Assign the tasks of drawing their flags and writing the meaning
of their flags. Give the students individual computer time (or computer
lab time) to complete the task
When flags are done share with "Keypals" via Internet as
attachments to E-mail
Activities:
Explore and learn about patriotic symbols on the Internet.
Design a flag using Microsoft Paint program.
Write the meaning of the imaginary island flag.
E-mail work to other students.
Extensions or Follow-up (related Special Projects, events):
-
Create the flags out of fabric.
-
Write a "patriotic" song for your island. ( For inspiration
use the video U.S. Songs and Poems, American History for Children
video Series. Schlessinger Video Productions.)
-
Start a journal or scrapbook of your imaginary island. (use
An
Island Scrapbook, Dawn to Dusk on a Barrier Island, by Virginia Wright-Frierson.
Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers)
Homework:
Explain the meaning of the American Flag to one or more
family members.
If you have Internet at home (or you can go to your local
public library, or maybe a Boys and Girls Club), do the following online
pursuit for patriotism (an Internet treasure hunt) with an adult.
http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/as/education/projects/hunts/patriotism.html
Evaluation:
Flag- Does the flag have the following:
A Title |
10 points |
Creativity |
10 points |
Good Design |
10 points |
An Explanation for the colors |
10 points |
An Explanation for the Shapes |
10 points |
50 points = 100% = A
Illustrative Materials (worksheets, handouts, graphic
organizers, photos, maps, and answer keys):
None used.
Student Work Samples:
Jessica N. Rivera
November 2002