Rachel+Beck

Home PLN 8 Main Page Megan Lum Josephine Pacheco Sarah Randall Rachel Beck



**Understanding the US Government **

Click [|HERE] to view a lesson about the US government for 3rd to 5th graders, or view the PDF document below:

The lesson consists of an explanation about the basic elements of the American flag and the symbolism it serves for the United States. The students will learn about American values and the reasoning behind the existence of laws within American society. This lesson can be related back to the classroom environment by allowing the students to create values and laws within the classroom. At the end of the lesson the students will be asked to create their own classroom flag and provide an explanation for how it symbolizes the classroom. To help them create their own flag, the students will be provided with references to introduce them to flags around the world.



Josephine's Response I really like the depth of this lesson. It covers not just the symbolism behind the flag but the values it stands for. A possible extension activity would be to have the children write down their own values and use that to make a flag. They would then have to write a paragraph explaining the flag they made and how they developed their values. Where they born with values? Did they learn values? This could lead into the conversation about where America got its values. Sarah's Response I think that this is a great lesson plan. It seems like it would be something that would really engage the students because not only are they learning about the laws and values within America but they are then able to go in and create laws for their classroom. At a younger age this seems like a perfect activity because kids really like to follow the rules and being able to have a set of rules that they created themselves can be really fun. Jamie's Response  I like this lesson because it describes the American flag and what it symbolizes and discusses the meaning of shared values. This lesson is appropriate for students because it really solidifies the meaning of value, responsibilities, and freedom. Students learn about the American flag and the meaning behind each star and stripe. Towards the end of the lesson, students are asked to write down values they have previously discussed and incorporate them into one huge, unique flag. This assignment/ task is wonderful because its hands on and gives the students an opportunity to express and explore their creative side while working in groups. This lesson provides students with access to the web if they need help or ideas about what they want their flag to look like. What I like the most is that students will become more familiar and aware of their culture, global connections, power, and continuity.  Megan's Response I really liked this lesson because it took a step further; it not only taught students about the flag and what it stands for it, it make students think about American values and how they are upheld in the community today. Lessons that focuses on values, as well as content, is very important for the child's moral education. A spin-off from this lesson is to ask students questions about citizenship, and what it means to being a good American citizen. From there, the teacher can teach students about what rights we have as citizens and what is within our power. Students can learn about voting and speaking up for their community. Teachers may also have students research a problem within their own community and write letters about the subject to their representatives.