Facing History and Ourselves
Finding Your Voice
To begin a study of what it means to be American, high schoolers first consider their own identities. They draw a picture of what they think an American looks like and share their images. Next, they examine an image of the "Flag of...
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Kentucky in the Civil War
Seventh graders consider how Kentucky was involved in the Civil War. In this American Civil War lesson, 7th graders view PowerPoint presentations on the topic and then discuss the state's neutrality policy and eventual secession....
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The Stars and Stripes
Students design their own flag as a symbol of community. In this flag lesson plan, students study the importance of the American flag, and then make their own.
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Let Freedom Ring
Students go to the computer lab to engage in this thoughtful lesson on our national symbols. Students access the internet, and solve an on-line puzzle of a national symbol of freedom. The symbols are the Eagle, The Statue of Liberty, The...
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Flawed Democracies
Ninth graders examine the struggle for equal opportunity. In this American Government activity, 9th graders create a timeline outlining various groups' struggles for equal opportunity. Students research and construct a timeline to...
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Flags
Students read You're a Grand Old Flag as well as other provided books about flags. In this flag lesson, students cut, decorate and bake cookies as flags, practice the letter f, the number 4, the rectangle shape and use the color white....
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Reading The Flag Maker
Young scholars explore The Flag Maker. In this reading comprehension lesson, students listen to the book The Flag Maker, making predictions and answering questions during the reading. Young scholars locate facts and opinions within the...
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Lesson One: Flag Day
Students discuss importance and symbolism of flags to United States and its people, discuss history and meaning of American flag, identify flags of other countries, analyze symbolism of color, shape, and design, and view images of Civil...
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Flags
Students study the flag they describe in their writing. This is done by either having the entire class view the one flag they are describing, or by handing out pictures of various flags to each individual student.
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Johnny Tremain for the 21st Century
Seventh graders complete a unit of lessons on the American Revolution based on the novel, 'Johnny Tremain.' They define key vocabulary terms, develop a timeline, write a report on a colonial craft, make a colonial flag, and create a...
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Documents and Symbols and American Freedom
Students complete a unit of lessons on the documents, symbols, and famous people involved in the founding of the U.S. government. They create a personal bill of rights, write a found poem, design a flag, conduct research, and role-play...
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Design a Community Flag
Students research basic principles for flag design. They investigate where their city flag ranked in a national survey. Students use computers and apply the principles of flag design to create their own community flags.
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A Twist On American Symbolism
Students discover how and why flag and national anthem of the United States were created, and in what ways they represent the foundation of our national identity.
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American and Patriotic Symbols
Students study the concept of symbolism. Many students know what the
different patriotic symbols are, but they do not know why these things
symbolize patriotism. They identify classic American symbols, explain why they are symbols and...
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Stars and Stripes Book
Students create a stars and stripes patriotic book. In this visual arts lesson plan, students create pages with stars and flags. The students identify which item is the largest.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services
Thanksgiving 2—The Pilgrim Story and My Immigrant Story
The tradition of the First Thanksgiving is really a story of immigration. Connect the feelings and customs of the early Pilgrims to the experiences of the immigrants in your class with an introduction to the 13 colonies, the Mayflower,...
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Lincoln and the War’s Larger Meaning
Students analyze Abraham Lincoln's view of the Civil War. In this American Civil War activity, students read excerpts of Lincoln's speeches to determine whether he had a dual view of the war. Students respond to discussion questions...
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Countries of Africa
Students study the coutries of Africa. In this African American history, small groups of students research a different country, color the country on the map of Africa, write a paragraph about the country, and draw pictures of its flag.
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The Pledge of Allegiance
Pupils memorize the Pledge of Allegiance. In this American history lesson, students identify the meaning of words in the Pledge of Allegiance. Pupils put together a Pledge of Allegiance puzzle.
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KWL on flags
Third graders engage in a writing activity in order to research and establish meaning for the subject of the American Flag. They use a graphic organizer known as a KWL Chart in order to progress through the lesson.
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Star Spangled Banner
Students use the Internet to discover the basic information about the American Flag. They explore how to fold a flag and which holidays to use the flag. They compare Betsy Ross's flag to the ones of today. They discover the story of the...
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Symbols of America
Young scholars learn about and discuss the important symbols that represent America. In this symbols lesson plan, students cut out pictures of the bald eagle, American flag, Liberty Bell, and more. They color them when they have them cut...
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Canadian Symbols
Students discover the ideals of Canada by analyzing its symbols. In this Canadian culture lesson, students identify the symbols that established the U.S. as its own nation and compare them to important Canadian symbols....
Facing History and Ourselves
Many Voices, One National Identity
To conclude the unit on "Exploring Identity in the United States," pupils consider whether it is possible to combine many voices into one national identity. After creating an identity chart that lists words, phrases, and images that they...