Social Studies

April 15,2015

History: American-patriotic symbols

Grade 2

3 class periods

I.

Intended Student Outcomes/ Objectives

A) Students will create an American symbols research poster which they will
present to the class. Grading will be based on participation in their small
group as well as overall poster presentation.
B) Students will demonstrate their knowledge by completing the American
symbols match up worksheet, achieving 85% accuracy.
C) Students will apply their knowledge of learned American symbols by
achieving 85% accuracy on the given patriotic symbols assessment.
D) Students will demonstrate newfound knowledge of American symbols by
completing the American symbols word search and achieving 85%
accuracy on the worksheet.

History, Maine State Learning Results: Students understand historical aspects of the
uniqueness and commonality of individuals and groups, including Maine Native
Americans.
A) Explain how individuals, families, and communities share both common and
unique aspects of culture, values, and beliefs through stories, traditions,
religion, celebrations, or the arts.

E) Create a brief historical account about family, the local community, or the nation
by using artifacts, photographs, or stories of the past.

II.

Preparation
A) Materials1) Student materials: Pencils, markers, crayons, glue sticks, scissors.
2) Teachers materials: American symbols worksheets, Smart Board/power
point, poster paper, patriotic symbols assessments, American symbols
crossword puzzle worksheet, laptop, and computer lab.
B) Need to do ahead of time1) First, I need to create a short power point presentation to show on the smart
board to introduce the topic of American/patriotic symbols. Then I will need
to print enough copies of the American symbols worksheets and American
symbols crossword puzzles for all of the students. Also need to create and
print enough copies of the patriotic symbols assessment. Lastly, I will need
to reserve the computer lab for the first half of the next class period.

III. Body of the lesson

A) Introduction/setting the stage for learning
1) I will start by showing the students a short power point I created to introduce
the topic we will be discussing. I will explain to them what American symbols we
will be talking about; why they are important, what they represent, and such
pertinent information. I will explain that we will be breaking into small groups
next class to create a poster they will be presenting to the class. I will also put

out there the fact that we will be having a test at the end of this lesson based on
their newfound knowledge with American symbols.

B) Procedure and Closure

1. First, students will gather in the front of the room to watch the short power
point presentation I created. I will open up the floor for questions once the
presentation is over before I move on and start discussing the worksheet(s)
we will be working on today in class. Students will return to their desks with
American symbols match up worksheets. They will first cut out the symbols,
names, or facts (i.e. a picture of the liberty bell or a square that has the
words, liberty bell, or where the president lives). They are to match them
using symbol, name, and fact and glue them onto the correct space in the
worksheet. They will be able to color their work should they finish the
worksheet sooner than the 25-30 minute time frame. Once the students
finish this worksheet, I will hand out the American symbols word search for
students to increase their knowledge. I have found that some repetition is
going to help the information really stick with the children for a long time to
come. They will have the last 15-20 minutes to complete the word search; if
they finish, they are allowed to color the symbols at the bottom of the
worksheet. When students arrive next class, I will break them up into small
groups of 3 or 4 students to work on the research poster. We will go the
computer lab for about 20-25 minutes so students can complete the

research portion of their given American symbol poster topic. Once we

return to the room, students will receive their poster paper and needed
materials, and will have the remaining 20-30 minutes of class (longer session
today as library was cancelled) to work in their groups. This should give the
students ample time to complete their posters; however, should they not
finish, they will have about 15 minutes at the start of next class in order to
put any finishing touches on the poster before presentation to the class. This
poster will be graded based on their level of creativeness, neatness of the
work, equal participation of work, and the presentation of their poster to the
class. When students arrive for the next class period, they will finish their
posters and present them to the class; for 7 groups, this should take about
20-30 minutes. For the last 20 minutes of class, students will complete the
patriotic symbols assessment. Students will identify important American
symbols and be able to pick them out from a group of other non-American
symbols; they will also be asked to define what the symbols stand for. They
will also be asked to write 2 complete sentences; one about the flag and
another about the bald eagle. The final question on the exam will ask
students to create a symbol for America; what would it be, why, and they are
then to draw a picture of that symbol. 85% accuracy will be achieved on this
assessment.

IV. Evaluation/ Assessment

A) For the assessment, students will identify important American symbols and be
able to pick them out from a group of other non-American symbols; they will
also be asked to define what the symbols stand for. They will also be asked to
write 2 complete sentences; one about the flag and another about the bald
eagle. The final question on the exam will ask students to create a symbol for
America; what would it be, why, and they are then to draw a picture of that
symbol. Students will achieve 85% accuracy on this assessment.
B) Assessment with rubric
1. Name 5%
2. Accuracy defining American symbols 70%
3. Creativeness/neatness of their symbol creation and drawing 15%
4. Completeness of 2 written sentences 10%
5. For a total possible points of 100%

V. Modifications/ Differentiation
A) D/I left/ right brained - Smart Board is used for those students who favor
demonstrated instruction while my brief verbal introduction of American symbols favors
those left brained folks that prefer verbal instruction.
B) M/I- The handout worksheets are great for the students to see and use in class
and at home; it will help them memorize the symbols and why they are important. The
poster making group activity gets them up and working together to get the cooperative
learning going. The self-work of the worksheets and patriotic symbol assessment is geared
towards the students who learn best by not working with others, but alone.

C) L/S & V/A/K- Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners will all do very well with
this lesson, as it connects to all of them. Visual learners will have the Smart Board
examples, the worksheets, and the computer lab work. The auditory learners will have my
brief intro lecture and the answering of any questions during the worksheets/activities, and
the kinesthetic learners will be up and moving around in the group work and poster
making.
D) I/P- The students will be learning about American symbols a little bit prior to 3
class periods we will be working on it. They will also be completing the symbol poster
project which will help them gain a greater understanding of each symbol; each student
will have more than ample time to fully understand the American symbols and meanings
behind them.
E) I/R- Whole class, small group, and independent work. Teacher interaction and
teacher check-ins. Connecting with existing interests/knowledge; I will ask students
prior to showing the power point presentation what American symbols they know. I will
inform them that we salute one of the most important symbols everyday here in class. We
will make a short list of symbols we know before we view the power point. The bald eagle,
the American flag, and the white house are just a few that we came up with.

VI. Reflection
A) I believe my students will do very well with this lesson. I feel they have a strong
knowledge of American symbols already, so for some of them, this will just be a

review to help deepen what they know. The group work on the poster will be
helpful for the students as they can get up and moving, and work on their small
group skills. My students should have no problems with the worksheets, as we
have discussed the American symbols in great detail, and they have received all
information they will need in order to complete the sheets successfully on their
own. For the assessment, students are very well prepared. They will have the
two class periods prior to the assessment to ask any questions they have or
express any concerns they may have. With their level of understanding on the
given topic at this point, students should have no problem achieving 85%
accuracy on the assessment. Overall, I think this lesson should go very smoothly
and create a high level of understanding amongst the students.