Be True To The Red White And Blue

A big part of going back to school is teaching a variety of routines.

One of the things that my Y5’s were learning for the first time was The Pledge Of Allegiance.

Like many schools through out the US, we started our day with announcements.

Our principal’s voice would boom over the PA system and lead us in the Pledge.

My Y5’s were doing a wonderful job with memorization, but when I asked my little ones what they were saying, they were clueless, or had a very different interpretation of what some of the words meant.

For example, many of them thought indivisible meant being invisible.

I told them that it was important to understand what they were pledging, and asked them if they wanted to know what the words really meant?

Their curiosity was peaked and most of them raised their hands in agreement.

I designed My Pledge Definition Dictionary with kid-friendly synonyms they could understand.

As long as teachers are required to increase students’ vocabularies, why not start with these very important words!

This packet also includes a certificate of praise as well as a copy of The Pledge of Allegiance for students to practice tracing, as a means of memorization, so that they become familiar with the words.

Click on the link to view/download My Pledge Of Allegiance Definition Dictionary Packet

I feel that knowing about our flag is very important.

The Easy Reader booklet My Flag is a wonderful way to learn important facts about the flag, as students trace and then write key words, cutting and gluing matching pictures to the appropriate sentences.

The booklet can be used as an introduction to The Pledge of Allegiance or a review and has 3 different endings, which makes it very versatile.

Click on the link to view/download My Flag.

The 49-page Flag Activities Packet, covers the history of our flag, information about the flag, and includes links, articles, art projects, skill sheets and writing activities.

It’s a wonderful resource for something patriotic to do with your students.

One of my students' favorite activities was making their own personal flag.  These are a great way to learn about your new students and make a terrific back to school bulletin board too.

Click on the link to view download the Flag Activities Packet.

Finally, the I’m Proud To Be An American Writing Prompt fits well at the beginning of the year when you’re teaching the Pledge, or looking for an activity for Constitution Day.

Use students’ finished pages as an easy bulletin board, or collate them into a class book.

Click on the link to view/download Proud to be an American Writing Prompt

Thanks for visiting today.  I hope you can also stop by tomorrow for more back to school ideas.

Do you have one to share?  I’d enjoy hearing from you! diane@teachwithme.com or take a moment and post a comment here.

Feel free to PIN anything that you think others might find helpful.

“I find that a great part of the information I have acquired was by looking up something and finding something else on the way.” –Franklin P. Adams

Hooray For Constitution Day!

Here are some easy and fun activities to do with your children/students.

Constitution Activities for younger citizens:

I kept things very simple for the Y5's. An easy definition of what the constitution is, followed up with everyone signing their name to our classroom constitution works well.

One of our standards is learning to write our name so this is a nice overlap of that standard.

I also made tea-stained paper and explained to the children that during that time period  people wrote on parchment paper with feather pens called quills.

I collect seagull and goose feathers all summer, from area beaches so I have enough for each child to write their name with a quill dipped in black paint. They can then take it home with their parchment-paper signature.

I was amazed at how excited they got over keeping a feather!

They really enjoyed this activity and wondered how in the world anyone wrote anything of any length with a feather! "Hands on!" definitely helped them understand that time period a bit more.

These ideas and templates can be found in the 10-page Activities For Constitution Day packet. Click on the link to zoom there and view/or print a copy.

More Writing:

I've also made a "Happy Constitution Day!" Trace & Write skill sheet.  To view/print it, click on the link. Constitution Day activity sheet.

The Constitution delegates responsibility. Even younger students can understand this, if you break it down for them and give specific real-world examples.

A perfect way to do this is by making a class book entitled We're Responsible.  A sample booklet is included in my Activities For Constitution Day.

Also included in this packet is a My Constitution Fact Booklet that students can easily read as they cut and glue a matching picture for the text. It's an easy way for young children to learn about the basic facts of the Constitution, while practicing the skills of cutting, matching, tracing, reading and writing.

Plus students have a nice booklet to take home at the end of Constitution Day, that they can share with their families, to once again review what they have learned.

The packet also includes Constitution picture cards as a fun way to review.  Print the cards twice and turn them into a Memory Match game that can be used as an independent center activity. Encourage students to say the names of the picture to increase their new "Constitutional vocabulary".

There's also a set for the original 13 states which helps students understand that things were different during the time the Constitution was written.

Click on the link to view/download this fun-filled 36-page Constitution Day activity packet.

Another helpful packet is Constitution Day Stuff. Click on the link to view/download that packet.

So that I could answer any questions my students might have,  I researched basic facts about the Constitution.  Click on the link to view/print my fact sheet for some great background information on the Constitution. Basic Facts About The Constitution

I show my students a poster I made of the 3 parts of our government. Click on the link to view/print a copy, perfect for helping explain the Constitution. Constitution Day poster

You can turn the poster into a labeling lesson for older students. Click on the link to view/print this Constitution Day activity.   

Gross Motor and Story Time:

To get the wiggles out we march around to some Sousa music and I settle them down by reading several America-themed books including We The Kids.  It’s the perfect book for explaining the constitution in kid-friendly language. {amazonWS:itemId=0142402761}

Show & Share:

I was fortunate to visit Washington D.C. and able to purchase a parchment copy of the Constitution.  It's a nice "Show & Share" item for my students.  "Fat Brain" sells nice reproductions for only $2.95.  Click on the link to check them out. Parchment Copy of the Constitution

Games:

Reinforcing learning by taking just 5-minutes to play a game, is a fun way to culminate your Constitution Day lessons.

To review the 3 parts of the Constitution as well as the 3 branches of our government play my 123 dice game.  Click on the link to view/print a copy.  Constitution Day Dice Game

I also made up a Constitution Day tic tac toe game.  To save paper, simply glue 4 large Popsicle sticks together to make permanent playing boards.

Use flag erasers, red, white and blue flat marbles, or my Constitution Day game pieces.  Print off the page, laminate and then cut out the individual pieces.  Store in Snack Baggies to use each year.

Click on the link to view/print a page. Constitution Day Tic Tac Toe

A math game for older students would be for them to find out how many years ago the Constitution was signed.  Write today's year on the board. To find the answer, subtract 1787 from it.   Give a flag sticker to the student who finds out the correct answer first.

Apples4Teachers offers 14 Constitution Day coloring pages.  I use these to make bingo-dot-a-pattern center sheets, toppers for mazes, dot-to-dots, and headers for my word finds. My students also enjoy practice writing their name and tracing Constitution Day themed words that I write under these pictures.

A nice culmination to the days activities is to graph your students feelings about the Constitution and Constitution Day. Click on the link to view/print some graphs. Constitution Day Graphs

Related Constitution Day Activities: Our Flag

Because this is such a patriotic day, I also review a few geography related things with my students, such as: the city where they go to school, the state they live in, the country they live in, as well as facts about our flag including The Pledge of Allegiance.

I have several free lessons centered on the flag, which would also make great centers for this day.  Click on the links to check them out.  Flag Activities Book, and My Pledge Definition Book. 

The easy reader booklet “My Flag” is a nice way to transition from story time to an independent writing activity.

Finish the day off by giving everyone a few pretzels during snack time,  to review the 3 branches of the government and the 3 things that the Constitution creates.  See how many students remember.  Take a bite out of each pretzel section as you say a word!

As always, if you have anything that you do on Constitution Day with your students, I’d enjoy hearing from you.  diane@teachwithme.com

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything you think others might find helpful.

"A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour." -Unknown

Does anyone else besides me, feel there isn't enough time in the day for everything?  Then the government comes along and mandates a lesson on the Constitution...

Don't get me wrong, I'm a very proud citizen and love my country, but I'm often in a dilemma at how to explain this rather complicated document to my 4-year-old students.

Only a handful can tell me who the President is, and when I asked them, "Who is the president's wife?" I got the answer: "Mrs. America."

If some of you are feeling that same pressure, perhaps you'll find a few of these ideas at the following websites helpful, as well as my bibliography of interesting books you can read on Constitution Day. 

Books To Read:

I've compiled a list of my favorite books that are appropriate for Constitution Day.  Some of them I use as a teacher resource for information for myself, others I read and some I use as a picture source to share with my students. 

Click on the link to view/print a copy. Constitution Day Bibliography

Many of them can be purchased from Scholastic Books so you can get points.  They are also available on Amazon at reduced rates.

Interesting Constitution Websites:

Constitutionfacts.com will send you a FREE pocket guide to the constitution for the price of shipping and handling.  It’s a nice reference tool and also contains some interesting facts.  Click on the link to check it out. 

Congress For Kids is a great interactive site with lots of options including an entire section about the Constitution. Their Online Learning Module has a great tutorial about the 3 branches of the government.  Perfect for a Smart Board activity.

Click on the links to check out some fun ways to incorporate these things into your Constitution Day activities.

The National Constitution Center is a great interactive site.  You can search the constitution by keywords or phrases. Explore the Constitution by topic, or search the Constitution by court cases. Click on the link to check out this helpful site. 

One of the best things at this site is their webcast about Constitution Day.  It’s narrated by Sandra Day O’Connor, and is perfect for Smart Boards.  Click on the link to check it out and see an interesting tour of Signers’ Hall that will help your class celebrate and learn about Constitution Day.  (The 42 statues are life size! Awesome.) 

Junior Achievement offers a lesson on personal property and a person’s rights. This is easily understood by even a young child.  Click on the link to check out this Constitution Day activity.

Constitution Day: This site has a plethora of additional educational sites and an explanation of what each one offers. Click on the link if you’re searching for specific information and additional age-appropriate links for Constitution Day.

Ben’s Guide To The Government: Is a nice site with a variety of activities for various ages including K-2.

Thanks for visiting today! Be sure and check back tomorrow when I'll give you some more ideas and activities of how you can celebrate and learn about Constitution Day.

Feel free to PIN anything you think others will find helpful.

"Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great!" -Kenny Rogers