Kindergarten Unit Six: US Symbols

Sarah Blascovich Brown Teacher on Assignment

Finding the Symbols:

~Statue of Liberty ~National Flag: : http://www.statueofliberty.org/default_sol.htm

~Pledge of Allegiance: http://www1.va.gov/opa/feature/celebrate/pledge.asp

~Star Spangled Banner: http://americanhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/ http://www.usembassy.org.uk/rcflags.html

~Bald Eagle: http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/eagle.html

~State Flag: http://sos.georgia.gov/archives/museum/html/georgia_state_flag_current.htm

Unit Six Highlights

The Statue of Liberty Lucille R. Penner

Unit Six Highlights

Happy Birthday, America By: Mary Pope Osborne

• Great book for comparing different ways of recognizing a holiday (family/community).

• Have students pick out the parts of the celebration that have stayed the same over time, and the ones that have changed (useful for Time, Change, Continuity EU).

• Economics tie-in: have students plan a remembrance of the Fourth of July (or other holiday from the unit), make choices, and budget.

• Look for other examples of Fourth of July stories in books, and compare.

Website Resources

• Fourth of July Fun: http://www.dltk-kids.com/usa/ • Primary Sources and history at the Library of Congress: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul04.html

• Facts about the Fourth from the U.S. Census: http://www.census.gov/Press Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editi ons/004772.html

• Flag Day documents and history from the Library of Congress: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jun14.html

• Simple Flag Day story from America’s Library: http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/modern/jb_modern_birth_1.html

• Flag Day Background: http://www.noblenet.org/year/flagday/ • Memorial Day Information from the Dept. of Veterans’ Affairs: http://www1.va.gov/opa/speceven/memday/ • Library of Congress documents related to Memorial Day: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/may30.html

Literacy Resources:

Memorial Day Jacqueline Cotton Flag Day Kelly Bennett Apple Pie 4 th of July Janet Wong Independence Day Trudy Trueit The Great Birthday of Our Republic Laura Malkin Celebrate Independence Day Deborah Heiligman

123 USA: A Cool Counting Book By: Puck

• Great model for student/class books • Allows students to identify important symbols • Students could talk through this, and share the significance of the portrayed symbols • Also excellent for allowing text-to-self connections!

• Check it out on LookyBook: http://www.lookybook.com/mainpage.php?name_id=1562

Looking for a Book?

• www.lookybook.com

• Flip through a book to decide if it’s right for you & your students • Visit Sarah’s bookshelf: http://www.lookybook.

com/bookshelf detail.php?bookshelf_i

d=18309 .

Technological Possibilities

• Microsoft PhotoStory • Animoto.com

Teaching Unit Six:

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Culture

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Brief, grade-appropriate history of Memorial Day, Flag Day, & Independence Day

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Discussion of ways those special days are observed – be sure to include your community!

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Comparison of state & national flags

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Symbolism of flags

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Significance of Statue of Liberty