Virginia+Hassel

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=Lesson Plan= **This lesson plan, "Understanding Government", helps teach children about values and symbols of America. The students will learn about the Lincoln Memorial and other American symbols. This plan has the students learn about the American flag and then create a class flag representing the class values in conclusion of the lesson. The evaluation is based on a point system, 3 being the highest understanding the students get out of the experience. The "Understanding Government" lesson can by easily molded or changed to if needed.**

Joyce's Response
 __**Molly's Response**__: I really liked this lesson and thought the best part was having the kids create their own flag representing their classroom. It shows their understanding of what flags represent by having them think about what their classroom represents. My lesson plan is very similar to this because after learning about the National Anthem and National Hymn, we make one of our own representing our class. What I would add to this lesson is incorporating books like it is done in my lesson plan. I think something with pictures and something you can read aloud to the class would be fun to use instead of just teaching it. I think it mentions a video which is a great idea to use as well. Incorporating different kinds of media keeps it interesting for the kids and keeps it fun.
 * I think that this lesson is presented very clearly and has great ideas for use in the classroom. One extension I would suggest would be to also have students think of a symbol that could represent their class. Like the Liberty Bell and the Statue of Liberty represent America, it could be interesting to see what symbols the students could think of that would represent their classroom. Another refinement I would add would be to specifically address the meaning of the colors in the flag. Since each color in the American flag represents something, I think it could be interesting to have students select specific colors for the flag they create that would represent different aspects of the class. They would incorporate that information into their paragraphs and presentations. **

Lyttia's Response: I really like the way this lesson engages the students in hands on learning where they not only learn about the meaning of an important American symbol but they also learn to think about their own experiences in a community and how to use symbols to represent that. It lends itself to deeper contemplation in the students' mind. They could start asking themselves questions such as "Why is the symbol I made important to my community?". I think if I were to use this lesson plan I would not require every students to create a flag symbolizing our class but I would allow them to create a flag for any community in which they were a part of, using guiding questions simiar to the ones about the classroom. This way, all the students flags will be very different showing different symbols, values, and freedoms/rules and they would be required to fully justify and explain their symbolism with examples for the class. It would also allow students to experience all being from different communities (as if they were from different countries) rather than than the same one (like the U.S. or the classroom). They could still compare and contrast while learning about their peers' values and cultures. I think the students would really like this more than having to make a flag for the class because the students probably dont care about the class as much as they care about other communities they are involved in. They would rather answer those guiding questions given in the lesson plan if they weren't talking about their classroom. ===** Angela's Response: I love the hands on aspect of this lesson plan. I think it is essential for young students to explore their creative mind and have introspection to who they are. I think it would be helpful for this lesson to go into some learning about how each star represents a state and maybe the students could also each research a little information about each state including the state bird, flower, color, flag, etc... Then in addition to their own personal flag that represents themselves, they can share the state flag that they made and teach the class the significance of that symbol. Then to stretch their knowledge of other cultures they could form groups and make flags from a different countries a present those to the class. This would allow students to see how symbols are alike and different all throughout the world. It would also help them realize the importance of these symbols and the pride that goes along with them. **===