Suggested levels for Guided Reading, DRA, Lexile, and Reading Recovery are provided in the Pearson Scott Foresman Leveling Guide.

GenreComprehension

Skills and StrategyText Features

Expository nonfi ction

Fact and Opinion

Main Idea

Questioning

Captions

Headings

Glossary

Scott Foresman Reading Street 3.6.1

by Alma Ransford

ISBN-13:ISBN-10:

978-0-328-51420-50-328-51420-9

9 7 8 0 3 2 8 5 1 4 2 0 5

9 0 0 0 0

51420_CVR.indd Page A-B 3/27/09 12:00:26 AM EL-Hi5-017 /Volumes/104/SF00327/work%0/indd%0/SF_RE_TX:NL_L...

Note: The total word count includes words in the running text and headings only. Numerals and words in chapter titles, captions, labels, diagrams, charts, graphs, sidebars, and extra features are not included.

by Alma Ransford

An important symbol of our country is our flag.

Symbols of AmericaIn the United States, we have many

symbols that stand for things our nation holds dear. Some of them are official symbols of our country. The flag and the bald eagle are two examples. Others are popular symbols that we use, see, or sing all the time. Some of these popular symbols are the Statue of Liberty, our national anthem, and the White House. What symbols of the United States can you think of?

4

Betsy Ross shows the first American flag to General Washington.

Our Nations FlagOne of our countrys official symbols

is the American flag. Legend says that Betsy Ross of Pennsylvania sewed the first flag for our new nation. The Continental Congress adopted the national flag on June 14, 1777.

Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress, said the flag was to be red (for hardiness and valor), white (for innocence), and blue (for vigilance, perseverance, and justice).

As new states enter the Union, stars are added. The thirteen stripes remain to remind us of the original thirteen colonies.

5

Bet

sy R

oss

an

d t

he

Firs

t St

ars

and

Str

ipes

b

y Jo

hn

War

d D

un

smo

re, 1

920.

Francis Scott Key

Our Nations SongsThe American flag inspired Francis

Scott Key to write the song that became our national anthem. Key watched the British attack Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. The attack went on all night. It seemed impossible that the fort could survive the bombardment by the British army and navy.

Yet early the next morning, Key looked at the fort through the dim light of dawn. The American flag was still waving over the fort. Thrilled by the sight, Key wrote a poem about it.

6

Battle at Fort McHenry

77

The poem began:Oh, say can you see, by the

dawns early lightWhat so proudly we hailed at

the twilights last gleaming?The poem was set to music. The

Star-Spangled Banner became our official national anthem in 1931.

Over the years, other songs have come to symbolize the United States. America the Beautiful by Katharine Lee Bates is nearly as popular as the national anthem.

Patriotic songs and music symbolize pride in our country.

Composer George M. Cohan met a Civil War veteran who inspired him to write one of his most popular songs. The man was carrying a very carefully folded flag. Cohan wrote Youre a Grand Old Flag as a tribute to the flag and to the man who so proudly carried it.

Another important song that symbolizes our country is Hail to the Chief. It is the official anthem of the President and has been since 1954. It accompanies the President at most every public event.

8

The Great Sealof the United States is used on allofficial documents.

Our Nations Official SealOn July 4, 1776, the Continental

Congress authorized design of a device for a seal of the United States of America. William Barton and Charles Thomson created the design.

The design was approved by Congress in 1782. The seal includes the American bald eagle with a ribbon in its mouth. On the ribbon are the Latin words E Pluribus Unum, which means out of many, one. In the eagles left talon, or claw, are thirteen arrows, representing war. In the right talon is an olive branch, representing peace.

9

The bald eagle isour national bird.It stands for freedom.

The bald eagle has been the national bird since 1782. It is a symbol of our nations freedom. It appears in many places. Youll find it on the Presidents flag, on the Great Seal, and on the one-dollar bill.

If Benjamin Franklin had had his way, our national bird would be the wild turkey. Franklin argued that the wild turkey was native to America and a very intelligent bird. He lost the argument.

10

This cartoon of Uncle Sam was used during World War II to persuade men to join the armed forces.

Our Nations Uncle SamAnother unforgettable symbol that uses

the colors red, white, and blue is Uncle Sam. He is usually pictured as a tall man with white hair, a small white beard, and dressed in a star-spangled suit.

Samuel Wilson, a beef supplier in Troy, New York, probably inspired the idea for Uncle Sam. During the War of 1812, he supplied barrels of beef to the U.S. Army. He stamped them U.S. to show that they were government property. People think this led to the use of the nickname Uncle Sam to symbolize the United States.

11

For more than one hundred years, the Statue of Liberty has welcomed immigrants to the United States.

Our Nations Statue of Freedom The Statue of Liberty is one of

the United States most famous symbols. The people of France gave the statue to the people of the United States in 1886 to celebrate the friendship between the two nations.

The statue was designed by Frederic Bartholdi. He made several models for each of its major parts. In Lady Libertys crown are seven rays representing the seven seas and continents of the world. In her right hand is a torch lighting the way to America. The tablet in her left hand has the date July 4, 1776, in Roman numerals. That is the date of the Declaration of Independence.

12 13

Poet Emma Lazarus wrote a poem, The New Colossus, in 1883, before the statue was unveiled. The poem was

placed on a bronze plaque at the base of the statue. The statue

symbolizes the poems message of hope, freedom, and democracy.

Senators and members of the House of Representatives make our laws in the U.S. Capitol.

Our Nations Government BuildingsThree important symbols of our

national government are the White House, the U.S. Supreme Court building, and the U.S. Capitol building. The U.S. Supreme Court hears the most important cases in the nation in the Supreme Court building. The White House is home to the President of the United States. The Capitol building is the meeting place of the U.S. Congress.

14

The United States Supreme Court Building

Thomas Jefferson was the first President to be inaugurated, or sworn into office, at the Capitol. This is a tradition that continues to this day. The original Capitol building burned during the War of 1812, but later it was rebuilt.

15

Our Nations Liberty BellPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, is home to

the Liberty Bell. It was hung in the state house in Philadelphia in 1753. The bell was rung on July 8, 1776, to celebrate the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. It was rung for the last time on George Washingtons birthday in 1846, when its famous crack became so large that it could notbe fixed.

18

The Liberty Bell first rang out in 1776 to announce the Declaration of Independence.

Our Nations Creed and MottosOur nation has an official creed and

motto. The Creed reads in part, I believe in the United States of America as a

government of the people, by the people, for the people....

Since 1956, the motto of the United States has been In God We Trust. The government also recognized the phrase E Pluribus Unum, which appears on the Great Seal. Since 1963, Congress has used both as our national mottos.

19

crown n. head covering of precious metals worn by a king or queen.

liberty n. freedom.

models n. small scale copies of objects.

symbol n. something that stands for something else.

tablet n. a flat surface with an inscription, or message, carved into it or placed upon it.

torch n. portable light produced by lighting material fastened to the end of a stick.

unforgettable adj. not able to be forgotten.

unveiled v. removed a covering from.

20

Glossary Reader Response1. Reread pages 12 and 13. Use a chart like

the one below. Find a fact and write it in the chart. Then write an opinion of your own about the Statue of Liberty.

Fact Opinion

2. What questions did you ask yourself about Americas symbols, signs, and songs as you read? How did asking questions help you better understand the book?

3. Two of the glossary words begin with the same prefix. Name the words and identify the prefix. What other words do you know that begin with that prefix? Name two and use each in a sentence.

4. Why do you think the scene described on page 6 inspired Francis Scott Key? Would it have inspired you? Why or why not?

Button2: Button5: Button3: