National Symbols

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National Symbols

• Resource Unit for 2nd Grade
• ED 417 Dr. Helms
• Kelly Detty
• Arianne Edwards
• Tricia Hannahs
• Stephanie Hripko

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Table of Contents
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Introduction
The 2nd grade students at Breckenridge
Elementary will be learning about National
Symbols in a 10 day unit. The unit is designed
so that a variety of learning styles are
incorporated. Some learning will be teacher
centered, but most of the unit allows for
hands-on, exploratory learning by the
students. The unit will begin the first week of
November. This will coincide with Election Day,
which will be one topic covered in the unit. The
unit itself will last 9 days, and on the 10th
day, the students will be evaluated on the topics
covered. Topics include the American flag, the
Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell, the White
House and the voting process. Ohio has
introduced Academic Content Standards into the
state education system. These standards give a
clear picture of what is expected from students
and teachers alike. Standards were created for
all subjects, including Social Studies. There
are three benchmarks included in the Social
Studies Standards that will be covered and
expanded upon throughout this unit.
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Introduction (Continued)
The first benchmark states that students will,
recognize symbols of the United States that
represent its democracy and values. This
standard is designed for first grade students, so
we will be building upon students prior
knowledge. The second benchmark states that
students will, explain the importance of
landmarks in the United States and the ideals
that they represent. This will be fairly new
material to the students. The third benchmark
states that students will, Identify leaders such
as mayor, governor and president, and explain
that they are elected by the people. In this
unit, the students will be learning about the
President. They will learn about the mayor and
governor in future lessons.
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Content

• Days 1 2 The United States Flag
• Day 1 The unit will be introduced to the
  students. The unit will begin with the students
  learning about Betsy Ross. Students will also
  learn about the original flag. Half of the class
  will sew replicas of the original flag, and the
  other half will sew replicas of the current flag.
  Students will compare and contrast the flags
  with a venn diagram.
• Day 2 The students will learn about the current
  American flag. Students will learn about the
  stars, stripes, and colors of the flag. They
  will also learn about the Pledge of Allegiance
  and what it means when we say the Pledge.
• Days 3 4 The Statue of Liberty
• Day 3 The students will learn background
  information about the Statue of Liberty. The
  class will watch a video to learn where the
  Statue of Liberty is located, what it stands for
  and which country presented the Statue to the U.S.

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Content (Continued)

• Days 3 4 The Statue of Liberty (continued)
• Day 4 The students will learn more about the
  actual statue itself. Topics discussed will
  include the crown, the torch and other physical
  features of the statue.
• Days 5 6 The Liberty Bell
• Day 5 The class will brainstorm possibilities
  of how the bell became cracked. Students will
  hear the story of the Liberty Bell and why the
  crack is in the bell. The students will create a
  picture of the Liberty Bell using KidPix.
• Day 6 The class will locate the Liberty Bell
  and the state of Pennsylvania on a map. Students
  will also create Liberty Bells using edible clay.

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Content (Continued)

• Days 7 8 The Voting Process
• Day 7 The students will listen to a book about
  the voting process. They will then write
  persuasive speeches to determine the name of the
  class pet. Each student will create a poster
  encouraging their classmates to vote for the name
  he or she has chosen for the class pet.
• Day 8 Students will view a power point
  presentation on the Democratic and Republican
  parties. The class will then hold a discussion
  on the different ways people can vote. Students
  will participate in the election of a name for
  the class pet.
• Day 9 The White House
• Day 9 The students will learn the results of
  the class election. Students will brainstorm
  about people who are elected. The class will
  take an electronic tour of the White House. They
  will then play jeopardy with a PowerPoint
  presentation.
• Day 10 Evaluation and Wrap Up of Unit

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Concepts

• Days 1 2 Flag
• red
• white
• blue
• Betsy Ross
• stars
• stripes
• flag
• America
• Pledge

• Days 3 4
• Statue of Liberty
• France
• New York
• torch
• immigrants
• crown
• freedom
• Ellis Island

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Concepts (Continued)

• Days 5 6
• Liberty Bell
• Philadelphia
• crack
• Pennsylvania
• England

• Days 7 8
• Voting Process
• Republican
• Democratic
• ballot
• polls
• election
• donkey
• elephant
• citizen

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Concepts (Continued)

• Day 9
• White House
• President
• Washington D.C.
• Capital
• election
• party

• Throughout Unit
• National
• symbol
• expression
• feelings
• patriotism

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Objectives

• Days 1 2 The American Flag
• Compare and contrast original and current flag.
• State what stars on the flag represent.
• Recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
• Sew original and current flag replicas.
• State what stripes on the flag represent.
• Days 3 4 The Statue of Liberty
• Locate New York and the Statue of Liberty on a
  map.
• Name the parts of the statue.
• Use unifix cubes to determine distances.
• Write responses to video on Statue of Liberty.
• Demonstrate attentive behavior during video.

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Objectives (Continued)

• Days 5 6 The Liberty Bell
• Locate the Liberty Bell and Pennsylvania on a
  map.
• Use software to create pictures of the Liberty
  Bell.
• Share responses to brainstorming session.
• Create representations of the Liberty Bell with
  food.
• Remain attentive during the book-on-tape.
• Days 7 8 The Voting Process
• Create ballots.
• Use skills to vote for and elect a name for the
  class pet.
• Organize thoughts to write a persuasive speech.
• Identify symbols for the Democratic and
  Republican parties.
• Identify ways people vote.

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Objectives (Continued)

• Day 9 The White House
• Identify the location of the White House.
• State who lives in the White House.
• Identify the highest power in the U.S.
• Identify the first President.
• Identify the current President.
• Day 10 Evaluation

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Activities
Day 1 The Flag Introduction The teacher will
begin the lesson by reading Betsy Ross to the
students. The students will then have a
discussion about the original flag. Developing
The students will sew original flags as well as
current flags using construction paper, plastic
needles and yarn. Culminating The students will
complete a venn diagram comparing and contrasting
the original and current flag of the United
States.
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Activities (Continued)
Day 2 The Flag Introduction The teacher will
begin the lesson by reading The Flag We Love to
the students. The students will describe the
characteristics of the flag. The class will then
create a large flag out of construction
paper. Developing The students will write the
states on stars and then put the stars onto the
flag. Children will use maps to spell the states
correctly. Culminating The students will write
the Pledge of Allegiance onto the stripes of the
flag during a guided writing session. When
finished the students will recite the Pledge.
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Activities (Continued)
Day 3 The Statue of Liberty Introduction The
teacher will introduce the lesson by showing the
students a video. Developing The students will
locate the state of New York on their maps.
Students will color New York and place a sticker
where the Statue is located. Culminating In
small groups, students will view a teacher
created PowerPoint presentation on the Statue of
Liberty.
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Activities (Continued)
Day 4 The Statue of Liberty Introduction A
learning center designed to compare measurements
between students and the Statue will be set up.
Students will work in pairs to take measurements.
Developing The students will use unifix
cubes to measure the distance between Ohio and
New York. Culminating The students will write a
journal entry on their favorite part of the
Statue of Liberty.
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Activities (Continued)
Day 5 The Liberty Bell Introduction The
teacher will begin the lesson by asking students
to brainstorm what they know about the Liberty
Bell. The students will then brainstorm about
reasons the bell is cracked. Developing The
teacher will then read The Liberty Bell to the
students. They will confirm or correct their
predictions. Culminating The students will use
KidPix to draw Liberty Bell photos.
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Activities (Continued)
Day 6 The Liberty Bell Introduction The
students will locate the state of Pennsylvania on
their maps. Students will color PA and place a
sticker where the Bell is located. Developing
The students will visit the website
http//www.atozkidsstuff.com/symbols.html to view
pictures of the Liberty Bell. Culminating The
students will create edible Liberty Bell
sculptures.
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Activities (Continued)
Day 7 The Voting Process Introduction The
students will read a book, Vote!, to learn about
the voting process. The students will write down
two concepts that they learned from the book.
Developing The students will write persuasive
speeches on class pet names. Culminating The
students will create campaign posters to
encourage voting.
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Activities (Continued)
Day 8 Elections Introduction The teacher will
share a PowerPoint Presentation on Political
Parties with the students. Developing The
students will brainstorm ways that people might
vote for something. This brainstorming will lead
into a class discussion on Elections. Culminating
The students will vote in the class election
What to name our pet
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Activities (Continued)
Day 9 The White House Introduction The teacher
will begin the lesson by announcing the results
of the election. Students will brainstorm other
items that are elected. Developing The
students will take an electronic tour of the
White House. Culminating The class will play a
teacher created game of President Jeopardy.
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Evaluation

• Multiple Choice
• What are the two major Political Parties of the
  United States?
• Reds and Bengals
• Flowers and Bees
• Democrats and Republicans
• President and Vice President
• Where is the Liberty Bell located?
• Philadelphia, PA
• Washington, D.C.
• San Francisco, CA
• Columbus, OH

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Evaluation (Continued)

• 3. What are the colors of the United States
  flag?
• Red and Orange
• Red, Blue and Purple
• Red, Yellow and Black
• Red, White and Blue
• 4. Who lives in the White House?
• Barney
• The Principal
• The President
• The Governor

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Evaluation (Continued)

• 5. What country gave the Statue of Liberty to
  the U.S.?
• Finland
• France
• Spain
• Portugal
• Objective Questions
• True or False The flag has 48 stars. Why or
  why not?
• _______________ created the first U.S. flag.
• Short Essays
• 8. Why is the Liberty Bell cracked?
• Explain what the crown and torch on the Statue of
  Liberty represent.

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Teacher References

• Social Studies Activities Kids Can't Resist 40
  Sensational Activities for the Topics You Teach.
  Activity Book. Benscoter, 2002.
• This book includes many hands-on activities,
  including shaped time lines, want ads, and map
  explorations. The activities are a fun way to
  encourage students to develop an understanding of
  history.
•  
• American History for Children Washington, D.C.
  Schlessinger, 1996.
• This program illustrates the planning and
  building of important buildings and monuments of
  Washington, D.C., including the Capitol Building,
  the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the
  Jefferson Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial and the
  Supreme Court Building.

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Teacher References (Continued)

• Fun-Filled 5 10 Minute Social Studies
  Activities for Young Learners. Scholastic, 2003.
  
• This book includes brief but engaging activities
  that lay the groundwork to help students grasp
  basic social studies concepts.
• Social Studies in a Bag Connecting Home and
  School. Teacher Created Materials, 1995.
• This book allows students to learn about topics
  like national symbols through scavenger hunts.
• This Is Our Country. (VHS) 100 Educational
  Video, 2002.
• This video explains topics including Washington,
  D.C., national landmarks, national holidays, our
  flag and its symbols to two children.

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Student References

• Red, White, Blue and Uncle Who? Paperback.
  Holiday House. Bateman, 2001.
• Brief, lively chapters illuminate how and why
  Americas great patriotic symbols came to be
  Americas great patriotic symbols
• The White House. Picture Book. Learner
  Publications Company. Braithwaite, 2003.
• This book provides an introduction to the White
  House, including the history of its construction,
  a description of its interior and gardens, and
  its importance as a national symbol.
• The Liberty Bell. Picture Book. Mason Crest
  Publishers. Marcovitz, 2002.
• This book traces the history of the Liberty Bell,
  including information about the use of bells in
  colonial America, statistics about this
  particular bell, legends surrounding it, and its
  importance as an American symbol.
•  

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Student References (continued)

• 4. The Pledge of Allegiance. Picture Book.
  Scholastic. Douglas, 2003.
• This book gives quick facts about the Pledge.
  Items discussed include the actual Pledge itself
  as well as explanations to what different parts
  mean.
• 5. The Liberty Bell. Picture Book. Scholastic.
  Douglas, 2003.
• This quick read provides students with pictures
  and information on the Liberty Bell. The book
  tells why the bell was made as well as the last
  time the bell was rung.
• 6. The Statue of Liberty. Picture Book.
  Scholastic. Douglas, 2003.
• This book provides realistic pictures and gives
  the reader information on where the Statue of
  Liberty is and what country gave it to the United
  States.

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Student References (continued)

•  7. The American Flag. Picture Book.
  Scholastic. Douglas, 2003.
• This short book is packed with lots of
  information on the flag. Characteristics of the
  first flag designed are discussed as well as the
  current design.
•  
• 8. The White House. Picture Book. Scholastic.
  Douglas, 2003.
• This book gives readers factual information
  about the White House. Topics covered include
  where the White House is located, who lives in
  the White House and who the first President to
  live in the White House was.
•  
• 9. The Statue of Liberty. Chapter Book.
  Scholastic. Penner, 1995.
• This book provides readers with information on
  how the statue was actually created. The book
  talks about the creator of the statue and how he
  pieced her together as he went along.

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Student References (continued)

• 10. The Childrens Book of America. Chapter
  Book. Scholastic. Bennett, 1998.
• This book provides students with a more in depth
  look at aspects of America, including stories
  about the Star Spangled Banner and America the
  Beautiful.
•  
• 11. The Flag We Love. Picture Book.
  Charlesbridge. Ryan, 2000.
• Poetic verses about the flag are included.
  Sidebars on the pages in the book offer
  interesting tidbits about the flag.
•  
• 12. Betsy Ross. Picture Book. Holiday House.
  Wallner, 1994.
• This book gives biographical information about
  Betsy Ross. Characteristics of colonial life are
  also included throughout the pages.

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Student References (continued)

•  
• 13. Woodrow for President A Tail of Voting,
  Campaigns, and Elections. Picture Book.
  Vacation Spot Publishing. Barnes, 1999.
• This book teaches children about voting,
  campaigns, elections and civic responsibility.
•  
• So You Want to Be President? Picture Book.
  Philomel. St. George, 2000.
• A book about the presidency that is a lot of fun.
  This book encourages all types of people to run
  for President.
• 15. Vote! Picture Book. Clarion Books.
  Christelow, 2003.
• Using a campaign for mayor as an example,
  shows the steps involved in an election, from the
  candidate's speeches and rallies, to the voting
  booth where every vote counts, to the
  announcement of the winner.

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Media References
Category 1 Video (4) Category 2 Posters
(2) Category 3 Websites (6) Category 4
GeoSafari Game (1) Category 5 PowerPoint
(3) Category 6 Bulletin Boards (2) Category 7
Learning Centers (4) Category 8 CD-ROMs (1)
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Media References - Videos

• Symbols and Ceremonies Celebrating America
  
  This live-action program explores the
  significance and origins of the American flag,
  the Pledge of Allegiance, the Statue of Liberty,
  Independence Day, the Great Seal of the United
  States and more.
• American History for Children Washington, D.C.
  
  This program illustrates the planning and
  building of important buildings and monuments of
  Washington, D.C.
• Discovery Channel Symbols of America
  
  Designed to correlate with curriculum standards,
  this live-action program explores the history
  behind America's greatest symbols of democracy,
  including the Declaration of Independence, the
  Statue of Liberty and presidential monuments.
•  
• Dave and Augies Home Movies The Statue of
  Liberty and Ellis Island
  This entertaining, live-action program follows a
  pair of fun-loving puppets on a tour of the
  famous American landmarks.

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Media References - Posters

• American Monuments Poster Shows most of the
  more popular monuments in America.  Everything
  from Mount Rushmore to the Statue of Liberty to
  the great monuments in Washington, D.C.
•  
• Statue of Liberty Door Size Poster - This large
  2- x 6-foot poster includes an information sheet
  on on the history, measurements and symbolism of
  the Statue of Liberty.  Designed to fit on doors
  and is laminated for long life.  Printed in full
  color.

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Media References - Websites

• http//www.ushistory.org/betsy/
• http//bensguide.gpo.gov/k-2/symbols/index.html
• http//whitehouse.gov/kids
• http//www.congressforkids.net/games/Elections_pol
  iticalparties/2_politicalparties.htm
• http//www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gaininfo/ussymbo
  ls/
• http//www.enchantedlearning.com/history/ussymbols
  /

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Media References GeoSafari Game

• Discover America
• Kids can use this talking interactive map t
  discover over 1,000 facts about America. Users
  can visit all 50 states and famed landmarks.

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Media References - PowerPoint

• Democrats and Republicans.
• Teacher created. Students will learn about the
  symbols associated with each party.
• Statue of Liberty
• Teacher created. Students will discover who
  gave us the Statue, why and when.
• Presidents Jeopardy.
• Teacher created. Students will be given phrases
  including, This person lives in the White House
  or The address of the White House

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Media References Bulletin Boards

• America! Patriotic SymbolsFantastic bulletin
  board to help you celebrate patriotic holidays or
  election time. Colorful large cut-outs include
  George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, The Statue of
  Liberty and Uncle Sam. We've also included the
  U.S. Flag, Pledge of Allegiance, Star-Spangled
  Banner, Republican and Democrat Signs and 30
  campaign buttons. Plastic-coated for durability.
•  
• Map of the United StatesColorful, large
  display of all fifty states. Most states are
  individually die-cut. Students can assemble the
  separate states to form the entire map. State
  names and capitols are included. Lots of separate
  signs indicate the following directions, major
  rivers and lakes, major mountain ranges and
  deserts, time zones, oceans, lowest and highest
  point in the U.S., the thirteen original
  colonies, specific geographical areas, and more.

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Media References Learning Centers
Learning Center 1 Flags Then and Now Students
will sew replicas of the first flag created and
the current flag. They will use construction
paper, plastic needles and yarn to do
this. Learning Center 2 Edible Liberty
Bells The students will create edible Liberty
Bells with a special recipe created by the
teacher. The recipe includes honey, peanut
butter and butter.
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Media References Learning Centers (continued)
Learning Center 3 Comparisons through
Measurement Students will measure their own body
parts with unifix cubes. They will compare their
measurements with those of the Statue of Liberty.
Learning Center 4 Election Booth The students
will participate in an election. They will fill
out ballots at a booth in the classroom. The
election will decide the name of the class pet.
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Media References CD-ROM

• Schoolhouse Rock!  School Editions CD-ROM
• CD features games and activities with multiple
  skill levels that encourage students to have fun
  while learning.  Includes teacher's guides that
  have reproducible handouts, activity ideas and
  curriculum integration.