U.S. Symbols Alabama Course of Study

Introduction

A symbol is anything that represents something else such as a color, shape, or statue.  How are symbols important to our country and to you as a United States citizen? The United States has many symbols that have great importance to our country.  In this webquest, you will look at pictures, read information about each symbol, and read informational texts about symbols.  You will choose which symbol you think is your favorite and design a poster to persuade your classmates that your symbol is the best.  Finally, the class will vote on their favorite symbol.  Good luck!

Task

Today, you will be researching some of the U.S. symbols using the internet and books.  Your job is to choose which symbol you think is the most important.  You will join a group based on the symbol that you chose.  Your group will create a poster and try to convince your classmates that your symbol is the best!  The class will listen to your presentation, and at the end, each student will vote on which symbol is the most important.  Good luck!

Process

Day 1: First, you will visit each of the sites with your research partner to help you decide which of the symbols we are learning about is your favorite and that you think is the most important. You should spend about 5 minutes on each website.

Statue of Liberty:

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/k-2/symbols/ladyliberty.html

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/ladyliberty.html

Statue of Lady Justice: 

https://foundationofpatriotism.org/new-exhibits/lady-justice/ 

United States Flag:

http://www.usconsulate.org.hk/pas/kids/sym_flag.htm

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/k-2/symbols/flag.html

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/flag.html

National Anthem:

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/anthem.html 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh20Xsn_p9k

http://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/ 

Day 2:

1)  You will be matched up with a group based on which symbol that you believe is the most important to the United States.

2)  Then, you will each print the United States Symbol Research Worksheet.  Please click on the link at the bottom of the page to view and print the worksheet.

3)  Your group will research the symbol together using the books and links for your symbol below. 

4)  You need to complete each question on the Research Worksheet.

Statue of Liberty:

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/k-2/symbols/ladyliberty.html

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/ladyliberty.html

Statue of Lady Justice: 

https://foundationofpatriotism.org/new-exhibits/lady-justice/ 

United States Flag:

http://www.usconsulate.org.hk/pas/kids/sym_flag.htm

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/k-2/symbols/flag.html

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/flag.html

National Anthem:

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/anthem.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh20Xsn_p9k

http://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/ 

 5. After your group finishes your Research Worksheet, you need to show your teacher your complete answers to determine if more research is necessary.

Day 3:  

1)  When your teacher approves your research, your group will begin thinking about creating a poster with all of the information on your Research Worksheet.  You will also need to draw a picture of the symbol.

 

Group Roles:

    1. Write name of symbol, date, place, and person who made the symbol.

    2. Draw the picture.

    3. Write why the symbol is important to the United States and two important

        facts about the symbol.

   *4. All group members should check over the poster for neatness and 

        accuracy before color is added.

     5.  Add color to the picture and trace the words in a color that stands out. 

 

2. Complete the Self-Scoring Rubric.  You can view and print the rubric using the link at the bottom of the page.

 

3. Turn your poster, Research Worksheet, and Self-Scoring Rubric in to your teacher.

 

Day 4:

 

1. Meet with your group to discuss your class poster presentation.  Each group member needs to have a part in the presentation.

 

2. Your group will present your U.S. symbol poster to the class, trying to convince your classmates why your symbol is the most important to the United States.  Be ready to answer questions from your classmates about your symbol.

 

3. After all presentations are complete, each student will write down which symbol that he or she feels is the most important on a small piece of paper to turn in to the teacher.  The teacher will use tallies to collect the data on a datatable, and the class will make a bar graph of the data to make conclusions.

 

Evaluation

Evaluation Rubric
  Beginning 1 Developing 2 Very Good 3 Exemplary 4 Score
Teamwork Did not get along with group members or did not contribute to the project Got along with the group members some of the time and contributed some to the project Got along well with group members and contributed to the project Got along exceptionally well with group members and greatly contributed to the project %20
Research Did not complete the research worksheet using the resources provided or inaccurately answered the questions Completed some of the questions on the research worksheet using the resources provided Completed most of the questions on the research worksheet using the resources provided Thoroughly completed all of the questions on the research worksheet using the resources provided %30
Poster Poster did not contain all of the necessary components and was not visually appealing Poster contained some of the necessary components but was not visually appealing Poster contained most of the necessary components and was somewhat visually appealing Poster contained all of the necessary components and was visually appealing %30
Presentation Did not have a role in the presentation Had a role in the presentation but did not maintain appropriate eyecontact, pace, and volume Had a role in the presentation and maintained okay eye contact, pace, and volume Had a role in the presentation and maintained good eye contact, pace, and volume %20
Total Score: %100
 
   

Conclusion

I hope that you have learned more about each United States symbol and why the symbols are important to our country.  There are other U.S. sites, traditions, and documents that you can research to learn more about the history of our country.

 

United States Sites

 

 

Washington Monument
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/wa_monument.html

 

Capital Building
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/capitol.html

 

United States Traditions

 

Pledge of Allegiance
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/pledgeallegiance.html

 

United States Documents

 

 Declaration of Independence

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/documents/declaration/index.html

 

U.S. Constitution 
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/documents/constitution/index.html

  

Credits