Resources for Flag Day

Date Published
Image
Envelope, Elmer Ellsworth with sword, pistol, and flag, c.1861-1865, LoC
Article Body

Do you celebrate Flag Day? Though not an official federal holiday, June 14 (one week from today) memorializes the day when the Second Continental Congress approved the first version of what evolved into our modern national flag.

Since 1777, the flag has gained 37 stars and exact specifications for color and design, but it's always been recognizable. Red, white, and blue, it has waved over people, places, and events throughout U.S. history. How much do your students know about the flag and its history? If you ask them to share what they know, do they offer stories about Betsy Ross or the writing of "The Star-Spangled Banner"? Use these stories as starting points or explore other pieces of flag history with free online resources.

On Teachinghistory.org
  • Historian John Buescher describes the history of the flag—and the history of the story of Betsy Ross.
  • Historian Alan Gevinson looks at the design of the Confederate flag and how it differs from the U.S. flag.
  • In Lesson Plan Reviews, we explore the strong points of a Smithsonian Institution lesson on "The Star-Spangled Banner" and the War of 1812.
The Wider Web
  • The Smithsonian National Museum of American History lets you interact online with the flag that inspired the national anthem.
  • The Smithsonian exhibit July 1942: United We Stand looks at ways the image of the flag was used in World War II.
  • You can find more flag-related artifacts on the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's History Explorer.
  • OurStory, another project of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, offers a reading guide for the picture book The Flag Maker, which looks at the flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.
  • The Library of Congress suggests questions to ask students about the flag and related primary sources.
  • When Alaska and Hawaii became states, the 48-star flag needed two new stars. The National Archives preserves two possible designs sent to the White House by citizens.
  • Every year, the president proclaims Flag Day. Read recent proclamations at the White House website.
  • EDSITEment offers crosscurricular lessons on the flag as a symbol and other symbols of the U.S.
For more information

Looking for resources for other holidays? How about heritage months? Check out Teachinghistory.org's spotlight pages! Spotlight pages are available all year long and update constantly.

Lesson Plans from History News Network

Date Published
Image
Photo, Newspapers B&W (4), Aug. 11, 2011, NS Newsflash, Flickr
Article Body

Do not publish; quality of resources not high enough

George Mason University's History News Network (HNN) recently debuted Teacher's Editions for grades 3–6 and grades 9–12. "Our mission is to help put current events into historical perspective," says the HNN, which invites historians to comment on hot topics in the news.

With the new Teacher's Edition sections, HNN plans to release two lesson plans for each section each month. All lessons will focus on current events. Current lesson plans focus on Occupy Wall Street, the Tea Party, the economic downturn, presidential campaigning, North Korea, Iran, and Syria. You can also find background articles on news topics in the "News Backgrounders" sections and links to useful resources in the "Teacher's Lounge" sections, and subscribe to a twice-monthly newsletter.

Lesson plans like these can help students understand contemporary events well enough to trace them back through history.

  • What does the modern Tea Party stand for and what is it doing? How does it compare to the Boston Tea Party? How have people viewed the Constitution in different times and places throughout history?
  • What traits have presidents elected throughout history shared? Are there any traits that are particularly uncommon in presidents? How have the traits of successful candidates changed (or not) over time?
  • How did North Korea come to be? How did the U.S.'s interaction with Korea in the past influence what North Korea is today?

Answering these questions and other can help students critically analyze the headlines in today's news and learn how to form their own questions. HNN's lesson plans can be used as-is or you can use them inspire your own lesson plans or adaptations.

For more information

Looking for more lesson plans? Browse Teachinghistory.org's Lesson Plan Reviews! We break lesson plans down using our custom rubric and show you what makes each lesson plan top-notch (or not).

Political or editorial cartoons make a good "hook" for snagging students at the start of a lesson. High school teacher Joe Jelen suggests where to find cartoons, how to analyze them, and how to make your own in his blog entry. Whether contemporary or historical, there are cartoons out there on thousands of topics!

On This Day

Description

Colonial Wiliamsburg Librarian Juleigh Clark describes her research into the events described in Revolutionary-War-era newspapers, both in articles and advertisements.

Note: this podcast is no longer available. To view a transcript of the original podcast, click here.

Printer

Description

Pete Stinely, a printer at Colonial Williamsburg, talks about the work of printing according to colonial-era practices.

Dunmore's Proclamation

Description

Dennis Watson, who portrays royal governor Lord Dunmore at Colonial Williamsburg, talks about the governor's actions prior to and during the American RevolutionᾹincluding his removal of the powder from the Williamsburg Powder Magazine and his issuing of a proclamation promising slaves freedom if they joined the British in the war.

Subscribe to Media