Restoring American Pride

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Restoring American Pride

• WebQuest By Shannon Bienek

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Introduction

• Our fourth grade class was stunned as we slowly
  walked off the bus to start another morning. We
  wiped our eyes from morning fatigue and stared in
  disbelief. We wondered what was going
• on at our boring, little
• school. You would never
• imagine what we saw.
• Wake up, it is not a dream!!!

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• News reporters and the press surrounded the small
  courtyard in front of our school. We wondered,
  what would all of these people want from our
  school? We suddenly realized that no other kids
  had come to school that day. It was just Miss
  Bieneks fourth grade class, alone in the midst
  of thousands of reporters.

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• We squeezed and twisted in as our teacher slammed
  the classroom door behind us. Anxiously
  awaiting, she said, Boys and girls, something
  terrible has happened. Our country has lost its
  patriotism. People have gone wild they are
  showing no respect, tearing flags apart and
  throwing them away like trash. Right now, there
  are only a few American flags left and the Statue
  of Liberty has fallen. People have lost the
  great American pride and spirit that our country
  was founded on.

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• Fourth graders, YOU are the only class here today
  because the President of the United States has
  called on you. He trusts our class to finish the
  mission and instill a new and fresh American
  pride in all people. The President is counting
  on us, lets complete this mission before this
  country crumbles away. I wiped my eyes even
  harder, but it really was not a dream!

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TASKS

• Create and Design a more effective and patriotic
  American flag (Make sure flag fraction sheet is
  done first).
• 2. Practice singing the National Anthem and
  America the Beautiful which need to be
  memorized for a whole group exercise later.
• 3. Write and Report on one National Symbol of
  choice, add a picture to the cover page.
• 4. Put together a Flag Etiquette brochure to
  distribute to all Americans.

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• 5. Individually read one American spirit book to
  share with a first grade student.
• 6. Write a flag poem.
• 7. Complete the Statue of Liberty worksheet by
  researching its history.
• FINAL MISSION Prepare and Present a We Have a
  Dream, persuasive speech using all of your
  previous tasks and knowledge of American symbols
  and patriotism.

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PROCESS

• You will be assigned as one of these mission
  leaders listed below that will be used throughout
  each task
• Artist You have that creative touch and
  artistic senses. You must lead the group in
  designing and creating the flag, symbol, and
  brochure styles.
• Betsy Ross You are the American flag expert.
  You were known to have sewn the very first
  American flag. Your spirit and pride are still
  strong and your group needs you to start the
  frame for every project.

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• Writer Your writing skills will impress Mr.
  President and will help your group restore
  American pride. You must lead the poem, speech,
  and report writing.
• Politician You are a great speaker, fact finder,
  and involved in the government. Your group needs
  these skills in order to give the We have a
  dream speech and to complete research tasks.
  Your relations to the President might benefit
  your group.

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PROCESS

• Task 1 It might be that the American flag is
  not designed well enough for people to really
  feel that American connectedness. Your job is
  to design a new a creative flag using some
  existing national symbols.
• Before this activity, make sure your math flag
  worksheet (page 1) is completed, check answers
  with your team.
• Each group must create and design a new American
  flag that stands for freedom and independence.
  Check other countrys flags for ideas and use
  symbols that define our country.
• Betsy, you must make a rough draft plan for the
  flag. Artist, you will be the creative person who
  leads the drawing and coloring of the flag.
  Writer, you will include any words on the flag
  and tell the rest of the class what your group
  created. Politician, you will lead the search on
  the internet to find flags and symbols that could
  be used in your creation.
• Must be done on white poster board.

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• Task 2 Now relax, and practice singing America
  the Beautiful and The National Anthem. Use
  these lyrics as a guide.
• They must be memorized by next week!
• Task 3 Your group has to impress the President
  with a 3-paragraph report on one National symbol
  of choice.
• Paper must be a least 1/2 to 1 page
  double-spaced, word processed, and correct
  spelling and grammar.
• Betsy, you are now the typist, after the paper is
  completed it must be typed by you. Artist, you
  will search for one picture to add to the cover
  page of this report, completed by you.
  Politician, you must decide on and convince your
  group what symbol to use based on extensive
  research. Writer, you must lead the writing of
  this complete 3-paragraph report.

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• Task 4 Mr. President needs our class to
  distribute thousands of brochures to
• Americans dealing with flag etiquette.
• Your group must design a creative brochure on
  white paper that includes rules of flag etiquette
  since so many Americans do not know how to
  properly display the flag.
• Job Duties Betsy, you must create the design
  outline for the brochure, how it should be
  presented. Artist, you will fill the brochure
  with drawn and printed pictures to intrigue the
  readers. Politician, you will research on flag
  etiquette to decide what to include. Writer, you
  must put complete sentences in the brochure that
  can be read by all.

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• Task 5 Individual Activity
• Choose one American spirit book from this list to
  practice reading and comprehension. Tomorrow,
  you are responsible for reading this book to a
  first grade student.
• Task 6 Write a poem using the word FLAG (scroll
  down to page 2).
• This task includes writing a creative poem using
  the letters contained in the word FLAG. The
  requirements are 5 words per letter. For example
  F could include freedom or fireworks.
• Grouping Betsy, you must use your crafty skills
  to design an appealing poem page. Artist, you
  will help the politician to find rich words to
  use in the poem. Politician, you will search
  patriotic words to include in the poem. Writer,
  you must put the poem together in words, watch
  for spelling and capitalization.
• HINT try using the dictionary

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• Task 7 Mr. President really needs each and every
  one of you to know a lot about each of our
  national symbols. He especially needs you to
  learn about the Statue of Liberty , and more
  since no one remembers what it means to our
  country.
• Complete the Statue of Liberty worksheet (page
  3-4) by researching its history in America.
• Job Duties Betsy, Artist, Politician, and
  Writer, you must all participate in this research
  process. Betsy should make sure everyone is
  involved. Politician and Artist must stay on the
  research topic and writer must record the
  answers.

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• Culminating Activity To complete this final web
  quest, your group must present a We have a
  dream persuasive speech using all that we have
  learned so far.
• Not only will it be your groups dream for better
  American pride but it has to persuade people to
  want to change America by telling them your
  dream. Read Martin Luther King Jr.s speech.
• Betsy, you will start the project with an outline
  for the speech. Artist, you will help the
  politician research about American spirit.
  Politician, you must organize the speech in front
  of the class. All members of your group must
  also speak. Writer, you must lead the format and
  writing of the speech making sure your speech met
  its purpose.

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RESOURCES

• Internet Sites
• http//www.ushistory.org/betsy/
• http//bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/index.html
• http//www.flags.net/
• http//americanhistory.mrdonn.org/Symbols.html
• http//www.butlerwebs.com/holidays/starspangledban
  ner.htm
• http//www.atozkidsstuff.com/symbols.html
• http//www.enchantedlearning.com/history/us/symbol
  s/
• http//www.usflag.org/flagetiquette.html
• http//www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagetiq.html
• http//www.americanparknetwork.com/parkinfo/sl/his
  tory/liberty.html
• http//www.kidzworld.com/site/p2512.htm
• http//www.mecca.org/crights/dream.html
• http//www.usdreams.com/Greenwood79.html

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Other Resources

• Math flag, flag poem, and Statue of Liberty
  worksheets
• My Unit Plan
• Super Social Studies Scholastic Grades 4-8 ISBN
  0-439-05008-1
• www.abcteach.com
• United States flags
• Proud To Be American Audio CD

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RESOURCES

• Picture/Trade Books
• 1) This is America The American Spirit in
  Places and People by Don Robb Illustrated by
  Christine Joy Pratt
• ISBN 1-57091-604-7
• 2) America the Beautiful by Katharine Lee Bates
  Illustrated by Chris Gall
• ISBN 0-316-73743-7
• 3) When Johnny Comes Marching Home A Song
  About a Soldiers Return by Patrick S. Gilmore
• ISBN 1-4048-0171-5
• 4) ABC USA by Martin Jarrie
• ISBN 1-4027-1619-2
• 5) America Is by Louise Borden Illustrated by
  Stacey Schuett
• ISBN 1-4169-0286-4

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More Books

• 6) Our National Symbols by Linda Carlson Johnson
• ISBN 1-56294-108-9
• 7) Red, White, and Blue The Story of the
  American Flag by John Herman Illustrated by Robin
  Roraback
• ISBN 0-448-41271-3
• 8) Red, White, Blue and Uncle Who? The Stories
  Behind Some of Americas Patriotic Symbols by
  Teresa Bateman
• ISBN 0-8234-1784-0
• 9) The Star-Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key
  Illustrated by Susan Winget
• ISBN 1-894997-12-3
• 10) The Day Martin Luther King, Jr. Was Shot by
  Jim Haskins
• ISBN 0-590-43661-9

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Assessment/Evaluation

• Group Rubric (page 1) for Final activity
  Dream/Persuasive Speech
• INDIVIDUAL (scroll to page 2) accountability
  Checklist
• Group Creative American Flag Design Rubric (page
  3)
• Teacher Records Students will keep a daily
  journal completed at the end of each day where
  students can reflect on where they are at with
  the web quest, concerns, accomplishments, etc.
  (Teacher resource to correct student concerns, 5
  pts./ day)

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• Group National Symbol Report Rubric (page 4)
• Individual grades on worksheets and completed
  read-aloud.
• Job Duty Checklist

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CONCLUSION

• Congratulations!!! Mr. President approved the
  mission and was pleased with all of your effort
  and cooperation. Each of you made our country
  stand back up on its feet strong and proud.
  Arent you proud to be an American? You should
  be because you have convinced every American from
  the mountains, through the prairies and all of
  the way across the USA. Liberty and Union, Now
  and Forever, One and Inseparable. Now you can go
  back to sleep!!!