Summary of the Week: Students will explore American values and beliefs, including  the national symbols of the flag, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the national  anthem.  

Teacher Background Knowledge: The purpose of this week is to tie the celebrations  and symbols of the United States to the underlying core values that they represent.  

Enduring Understandings:   1. Geography determines how and where people live, move, and use what is  

around them.   2. Economics is how people use the resources around them to meet their  

needs and wants.  3. Culture is the resulting beliefs and behavior of people based on where they  

live, move, and use what is around them.   4. People and events are interconnected over time and place.   5. The purpose of government is to protect the rights of the people.  6. When authority becomes destructive to people’s liberty and freedom, it is  

the right of the people to alter or abolish that authority.  

Essential Questions:  1. What are some of our national symbols?  2. What values and beliefs do they represent?  

Vocabulary:   allegiance: being loyal  patriotism: a feeling of love for your country  pledge: a promise  Pledge of Allegiance: a promise we make to be loyal to our country  

Notes for Teacher: The sequencing of the articles this week was designed to both  scaffold and build upon each other.  

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Think Deeply: National symbols can help citizens feel patriotism. Write an acrostic  poem about your favorite national symbol. Include phrases and words to describe  the ways that it helps you feel patriotic.  

English Language Arts Standards:  3.L.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word  and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a  range of strategies.  3.L.4.a Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: Use sentence-level context as a clue to the  meaning of a word or phrase.  3.R.I.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring  explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.  3.R.I.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words  and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.  3.R.F.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.  3.R.F.4.a Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.  3.W.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using  effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.  3.W.3.c Text Types and Purposes: Use temporal words and phrases to signal event  order.  

Well-Being Questions:  ● Draw a picture to represent what patriotism means to you.   ● In groups of three, describe a time when you felt patriotic.  ● What does it feel like when you are patriotic?   

Let’s Write: Write a story about a new U.S. citizen who is seeing one of our national  symbols for the first time.   

Weekly Assessment Questions:  1. Matching: Match the details of the American flag with their meanings.   

a. stars: states  b. stripes: 13 original colonies  

2. Multiple Choice: What was the original name of the White House?   a. the Brown House  b. the President’s Mansion  c. the United House  d. the Executive Mansion  

3. Fill in the blank: When we say the Pledge of Allegiance, we are promising to  be loyal to our country .  

a. Distractors for “loyal”: free, brave, kind   b. Distractors for “country”: city, parents, president  

4. Fill in the blank: “The Star-Spangled Banner” is about our country’s flag .  a. Distractors for “flag”: land, wars, poster  

   

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Student Edition Week 5  

 

 

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Article 1: American Values and Beliefs  Lexile: 700-800L  Word Count: 95   Lesson Plan:  

1. Show students the video “American Symbols.”  2. Ask students:  

a. Have you ever been to/seen the national symbols listed in the video?  3. Read the article.  4. Display the images of the Liberty Bell and bald eagle found in related media.  

Allow students to preview the images in this week’s edition. *Optional: show  students the video “Bald Eagle Intro.”  

5. Discuss patriotism and the significance of the symbols in helping us feel  patriotic.   

6. Ask students:  a. When do you feel patriotic?  b. What are some ways you can feel patriotic each day?  

7. Have students add their ideas to their interactive notebooks.   Article Assessment Questions:  

1. What is a feeling of love for your country called?  a. citizens  b. symbols  c. liberty  d. patriotism  

2. What is something you do every day in class that shows patriotism?  a. say the Pledge of Allegiance  b. color the American flag  c. play games with friends  d. complete homework  

3. In the United States, we have ___________ that represent our values and  beliefs.  

a. flags  b. mountains  c. symbols  d. houses  

 Materials Needed:   Images found online under Explore More   Online Related Media (Explore More):  Video “American Symbols”  Video “Bald Eagle Intro”   Image of the Liberty Bell  Image of a bald eagle   

 

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Article 2: The American Flag  Lexile: 700-800L  Word Count: 77   LLesson Plan:  

1. Display the American flag, using your classroom flag or the image of the  American flag found in related media.   

2. Set a purpose for reading: we are going to read about the American flag. As  we read, see if you can find how the original flag was different from the flag  we have today.   

3. Read the article.  4. Ask students:  

a. How is the original flag different from the current one? (It had only 13  stars.)  

b. Why does the current flag have 13 stripes? (to represent the 13  colonies)  

c. Why does our current flag have 50 stars? (to represent the 50 states)  5. Show students the video “U.S. Flag Intro.”  

 Article Assessment Questions:  

1. What year was the flag adopted?  a. 1776  b. 1777  c. 1790  d. 1977  

2. What do the 13 stripes on the U.S. flag represent?  a. the original 13 colonies  b. the original 13 states  c. the 13 creators of the flag  d. the 13 stars  

3. How many stars did the first American flag have?  a. 50  b. seven  c. 13  d. 100  

 Materials Needed:   Flag or image of the American flag   Online Related Media (Explore More):  Video “U.S. Flag Intro”  Image of the American flag   

  Article 3: The Pledge of Allegiance   Lexile: 600-700L  Word Count: 52  

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 Lesson Plan:  

1. Display the image “Class Saying the Pledge of Allegiance,” found in related  media.   

2. Recite the Pledge of Allegiance as a class.   3. Discuss the words pledge and allegiance.  4. Show students the video “The Pledge of Allegiance Intro.”   5. Read the article.   6. Have students finish the American Flag - The Pledge of Allegiance graphic  

organizer from their interactive notebooks.   7. Discuss the meaning of the words in the Pledge of Allegiance, and have  

students add notes to their graphic organizer. Important words or phrases to  discuss:  

a. pledge: promise  b. allegiance: loyalty  c. republic: the country  d. for which it stands: the flag is a symbol for  e. one nation: bringing the states together  f. indivisible: unable to divide  g. liberty and justice for all: everyone has rights  

 Article Assessment Questions:  

1. Who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance?  a. Francis Bellamy  b. George Washington  c. Abraham Lincoln  d. Benjamin Franklin  

2. What is another word for a promise?  a. allegiance  b. loyalty  c. citizenship  d. pledge  

3. When you pledge allegiance, you promise to do what?  a. be kind  b. be respectful  c. be loyal  d. be careful  

 Materials Needed: N/A   Online Related Media (Explore More):  Image “Class Saying the Pledge of Allegiance”  Video “The Pledge of Allegiance Intro”   

  Article 4: The National Anthem   Lexile: 600-700L  

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Word Count: 72   Lesson Plan:  

1. Play the national anthem for the students. Invite them to stand and listen to  the words. Have students follow along with a copy of the words. Invite  students to highlight words that they don’t understand or to draw a question  mark next to phrases that they don’t understand.  

a. Have you ever wondered where this song came from?  b. What words stood out?   c. What questions do you have about the song?   

2. Read the article.  3. Show students the video “U.S. National Anthem Intro.”   4. Have students underline/highlight the phrase “Land of the free and the home  

of the brave.”   a. What does this phrase mean?   

5. Put students into pairs, and give each pair a blank piece of paper.   6. Ask students to design a poster that represents our country and uses the  

phrase: “Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.”   7. Allow time for the students to complete their posters. Listen to the National  

Anthem and other patriotic songs while students are working.  8. Display posters for a gallery walk.   9. Have students add their posters to their interactive notebooks.   10.Extension: Invite students to learn more about the story behind the National  

Anthem.    Article Assessment Questions:  

1. What is the name of our national anthem?  a. “America the Beautiful”  b. “The Stars and Stripes”  c. “Land of the Free”  d. “The Star-Spangled Banner”  

2. Who wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner”?  a. George Washington  b. The principal  c. Francis Scott Key  d. Abraham Lincoln  

3. What was “The Star-Spangled Banner” written about?  a. the sky  b. the United States flag  c. the Pledge of Allegiance  d. the Constitution  

 Materials Needed:   Blank pieces of paper (one per group)   Online Related Media (Explore More):  Video “U.S. National Anthem Intro”  A recording of “The Star-Spangled Banner”  

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Recordings of other patriotic songs   

  Article 5: Statue of Liberty and Lady Justice   Lexile: 600-700L  Word Count: 131   Lesson Plan:  

1. Set a purpose for reading: We are going to read about two important  national symbols: Lady Justice and the Statue of Liberty. Look for important  facts about each one, and underline them as we read.   

2. Read the article.  3. Have students cut out the pictures of the Statue of Liberty and Lady Justice  

and glue them in their interactive notebooks with room to write around them.   a. What important details did you learn about the Statue of Liberty?  b. What important details did you learn about Lady Justice?  c. How are they similar and different?  

4. Have students write the details down in their interactive notebooks around the  pictures.   

5. Watch the video “Statue of Liberty Intro.”   6. Show the images “Inside the Statue of Liberty,” “Assembling the Statue of  

Liberty,” and “Unpacking the Statue of Liberty” found in related media.  7. Have students add any final details they learned to their interactive  

notebooks.   Article Assessment Questions:  

1. Which country gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States?  a. Germany  b. France  c. Spain  d. England  

2. Where can you commonly see statues of Lady Justice?  a. houses  b. schools  c. the Statue of Liberty  d. courthouses  

3. What does the scale in Lady Justice’s hand represent?  a. judgement  b. weight  c. power  d. freedom  

 Materials Needed:   Images found online under Explore More   Online Related Media (Explore More):  Video “Statue of Liberty Intro”  

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Image: Inside the Statue of Liberty  Image: Assembling the Statue of Liberty  Image: Unpacking the Statue of Liberty   

  Article 6: The White House  Lexile: 500-600L   Word Count: 58   Lesson Plan:  

1. Display the image “The White House,” found in related media.  a. How old is your house?   b. Do you know when it was built?  c. How old is the White House?  

2. Have students look at the images associated with the article. Point out the  dates in the corner of each image. Ask students:  

a. What is the same about each image?  b. What has changed over time?  

3. Read the article.  a. How did the White House get its name?   b. Do you think it is important for the president to live in the White House?  c. How is the White House a symbol of our nation?  

 Article Assessment Questions:  

1. Where is the White House located?  a. Washington, D.C.  b. Dallas, Texas  c. Sacramento, California  d. Atlanta, Georgia  

2. Who lives in the White House?  a. the government  b. the Statue of Liberty  c. the United States President  d. the governor  

3. What was the White House originally called?  a. the Brown House  b. the President’s Mansion  c. the United House  d. the Executive Mansion  

 Materials Needed:   Images found online under Explore More   Online Related Media (Explore More):  Image: The White House  

 

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Name ___________________________________________________________   Date _____________  

Our Community Studies Weekly – Michigan    

  

Patriotism and National Symbols   

Week 5 Assessment   

1. Match the details of the American flag with its meaning.   

stars   states  

stripes   13 original colonies  

 

2. What was the original name of the White House?   

A. the Brown House  

B. the President’s Mansion  

C. the United House  

D. the Executive Mansion  

 

3. When we say the Pledge of Allegiance, we are promising to be _________________ to  

our _________________ .  

 

Blank 1 loyal Blank 2 parents  

free country  

brave president  

kind   city  

 

 

 

 

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4. “The Star-Spangled Banner” is about our country’s _________________ .  

poster  

flag  

land  

wars  

 

 

 

 

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Star Spangled Banner

Name: Date:

O! say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming:

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming,

And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;

O! say, does that Star-spangled Banner still wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?