Lesson Plan By: Katherine Keeling

 

Lesson: The American Flag                                                             Length: 35-40 minutes

 

Grade Level Intended: 1st Grade      

Academic Standard: History: Historical Knowledge

1.1.3        Identify American songs and symbols.
Example: Symbols – The United States Flag, the Bald Eagle, and the Statue of Liberty; Songs – “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “America the Beautiful.”

Performance Objective:

 After seeing and learning about the American Flag’s thirteen stripes and fifty stars, the students will create their own accurate ( thirteen stripes, fifty stars) American Flag with red and blue construction paper and star stickers with 100% percent completion.

 

Advanced Preparation by the Teacher:

The teacher will need to have a piece of red, white, and blue construction paper for each student.

The teacher will need to have star stickers (fifty) for each student.

The teacher will need to provide a glue stick for each student.

The teacher will also need to provide a pamphlet for each student, giving them a short history of the American Flag to take home.

The teacher will need to have an example of the American Flag the students will make to show the students.

 

Procedure: Introduction/ Motivation:

  Have the students gather around you on the carpet. Point out the American Flag in your room and ask the students if they know what it is called. Then ask them if anyone can count the stripes on the flag and tell the class how may stripes on the flag there are. Then explain to the students that the thirteen stripes represent the thirteen original colonies of the United States. Then ask the students to notice the stars. Then point out that there are a lot of stars. Fifty in fact! Help the students count the number of stars together as a class. Then explain to the students that the fifty stars represent the fifty states of the United States.

 

Step by Step:

 

  1. 1.Then have the students go back to their desks and then show them the example of the American Flag you created. 2.Then explain to the students that they will be creating their very own American Flag. (visual)
  2.  3.Then explain the instructions to the students of how to make the American Flag. (cut red construction paper into strips ( for stripes) and glue onto white construction paper. Leave room between the stripes so there is a pattern of red, white, red, white. Then cut the blue piece of construction paper into a medium sized square and glue it onto the paper in the left hand corner. Then place the fifty star stickers in rows on the blue square like the American Flag.)
  3. 4.Then pass out a piece of red, blue, and white construction paper to each students.4.
  4. 5.Then pass out fifty star stickers to each student.
  5. 6.Then give the students 15 minutes to construct their American Flag. (bodily/kinesthetic)

(The teacher should go around the room helping the students who need help putting their flag together.)

 

Closure: After the students have created their flag ask the students if they remember what the stripes mean and what the stars mean. Then if they do not remind them of what both the stars and stripes symbolize. Also give them the pamphlet about the American Flag to take home and share with their families.

 

Adaptations/ Enrichments:

 For students who do not have very good fine motor skills and cannot cut very well, offer to help them cut their stripes of if the problem is really and it will hold them back then pre-cut the stripes for these students.

 

For students who are gifted encourage them to write on the back of the paper they create their flag on a sentence about what the stripes and stars represent on the American Flag.

 

Reflection:

Was the lesson successful?

Can the students identify the American Flag?

Did the students understand what the stripes and stars represent on the American Flag?

Were the students engaged in the lesson?

Did the students meet my objective?

What could I do to make this lesson better or more successful?

 

Bloom’s Taxonomy:

  1. 1.What do the thirteen stripes on the American Flag represent? ( Knowledge)
  2. 2.Can you explain why the American Flag has fifty stars on it? ( Comprehension)
  3. 3.Construct an American Flag out of construction paper, glue, and star stickers.  (Application)
  4. 4.Compare the American Flag with the Mexican Flag, what do they have in common? What is different about them? ( Analysis)
  5. 5.If you could create your own design for an American Flag what would it look like? How would it be different from the remake of the American Flag you created today? Explain. (Synthesis)

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