U.S. Symbols SOL K. 9 Laura Matthews

The American Flag Betsy Ross was credited with making the first American Flag in May of 1776. Was first approved by Congress on June 14th, 1777-That is why we celebrate Flag Day. At that time, the flag only had 13 stars, one for each of the 13 original colonies. Today there are 50 stars on the American Flag-one for each of the 50 states. There are still 13 stripes on the American Flag, one for each of the 13 original colonies. What colors do you see on the American Flag? What do they mean?

The meaning of the colors on the American Flag Red-represents bravery White-hope and purity Blue-loyalty, sincerity, justice, and truth. www.usconsulate.org.hk/pas/kids/sym_flag.htm.

Historical Timeline of the American Flag www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagfact.html. I like this website because it shows an accurate timeline of how the American Flag has changed over the centuries. I plan to show my students this very important website during my TWS unit when explaining the significance of the American Flag.

The Pledge of Allegiance Was written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, who was a minister from New York. The original version was written like this: “ I pledge allegiance to my flag and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” It was changed in 1924, when the words “my flag” were changed to “the United States of America”. Congress added the words “Under God” in 1954. The new version and the one we say today: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”. www.homeofheroes.com/hallofheroes/1st_floor/flag/1bfc_pledge.html Excellent website explaining the history of the Pledge of Allegiance. I plan to show my students how the Pledge has changed by using this website to write out the different versions of the Pledge and show them how words have been added and subtracted from the Pledge over time.

Why do we say the Pledge of Allegiance? A. We say the Pledge of Allegiance to honor our flag, which is a symbol of freedom and peace. By saying the Pledge, you are saying how much you enjoy living in America, where you have freedom to make choices. Why do we put our hands over our hearts when we say the Pledge? A. Did you know that we have what’s called a “Flag Code”. And it says that when we say the Pledge of Allegiance, we have to put our right hand over our hearts. We have to do it.

Original version of the Pledge of Allegiance This was also taken from www.hallofheroes.com. Excellent website.

Today’s version of the Pledge of Allegiance I pledge allegiance to the Flag      of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands:      one Nation under God, indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for all. June 14, 1954 www.homeofheroes.com/hallofheroes/1st_floor/flag/1bfc_pledge.html

The President of the United States Is Leader of the people of the United States Is elected every four years by the people of the United States. Can only serve for 8 years-no more than that. Lives in the White House, which is located in Washington D.C. The current and 44th President is Barack Obama The first President of the United States was George Washington.

George Washington George Washington-1st President of the United States I will show students a picture of George Washington and tell them how he was our very first President. I will also show them a penny and a one dollar bill, which also has George Washington on it.

Barack Obama 44th President of the United States Many of my students already know who Barack Obama is and that he lives in the White House.

The White House-Where the President Lives

Other U.S. Symbols-The Bald Eagle The three last slides are not really part of Virginia SOL K.9 but I feel that the Bald Eagle, The Statue of Liberty, and The Liberty Bell are also important and significant symbols of freedom and I feel tie into the U.S. Symbols nicely.

The Statue of Liberty-New York City, NY I was surprised at the K.9 SOL for leaving the Statue of Liberty out. I feel that the Statue or Lady Liberty, is a wonderful example of freedom and peace. I feel that she needs to be a part of the U.S. Symbols unit.

The Liberty Bell-Philadelphia, PA The Liberty Bell is not really part of the K.9 SOL but I feel that the Liberty Bell is an American symbol and that students need to know something about it.