GRADES:

2

SUBJECTS:

Social Studies

Overview

It is important that the students start thinking about the ways in which people have joined together to form nations, states, and other unions. Learning about national flags will help students in this process. They will consider how a flag represents the people of a country and why a flag can evoke emotions.

SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE:

1 hour

Objectives:

Students will

• discuss their feelings about being alone versus being with other people;
• discuss the ways in which people in the United States identify with their country and with other people in the country;
• hypothesize what it would be like if all the states were actually distinct countries, with their own languages, food, etc.;
• discuss the significance of a national flag;
• view and describe a few flags from around the world; and
• design a new American flag, using ideas about the United States gathered from the Web.

Materials:

• Student journals
• Drawing materials
• Computer with internet connection

Activities/Procedure:

Start the topic with a discussion on playing in groups compared to playing all alone. How do they like being all alone always? Ask them what they like and don't like about working and playing with other people or on teams.

Tell students that being a citizen of a country is kind of like being on a team. You sometimes have to work hard to get along with the other people in your country, and the rules don't always seem fair to everyone, but citizens of the country can benefit from cooperating with other residents.

Ask students what they think might make the people of the United States feel like they are all part of the same country, despite it's being so big with so many different types of people. You might suggest to them that people in the United States are proud of the country's history, natural beauty, and diversity.

Ask students to describe the American flag. What do the stars and stripes stand for? Do they think it's a good symbol for the country? Tell them that other countries have flags, too. Have students go to NationMaster's Flags Page and look at some flags from around the world.

Ask students to choose a few flags that seem particularly interesting and to explain what they find intriguing about those flags. What feelings do the flags give them? If they lived in one of those countries, do they think they would be proud of their flag? What do they think the countries might be like, based on what the flags show?

Ask students why they think it is important for a country to have its own flag. Why do they think all these countries have flags, and why do most of the flags look different from one another? Discuss their responses.

Have students draw pictures of the real American flag and write short sentences describing what the stars and stripes represent. Then ask them what feelings they get when they look at the flag or when they sing the national anthem at a ball game or elsewhere. Why do they think a flag or song can make people feel a certain way?

Ask students to imagine that the President of the United States has decided that he wants to create a new American flag, and he has asked your class to design it. Have students create these new flags on construction paper, either individually, in pairs, in small groups, or as a class. Their flags should show scenes or symbols that depict their ideas about the things that make the United States interesting.

Assessment:

Evaluation of students should be based on the innovation shown in flag design.

Source:

NationMaster