Seeing Stars

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Subjects Arts & Humanities Language Arts, Visual Arts Mathematics Social Studies Civics, U.S. History

Grades 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Brief Description

Students follow directions to make five-point stars like the ones on the American flag.

Objectives

Students

• follow oral or written directions as they fold and cut a five-point star like the one that appears on the American flag.
• perform one of the writing exercises in the Lesson Plan section below.

Keywords

flag, star, Betsy Ross, following directions, America

Materials Needed

• white paper cut to 8 1/2 inches by 10 inches
• scissors

Lesson Plan

According to some historical accounts, George Washington presented Betsy Ross with a sketch of a flag that he and others wanted to represent the United States. That sketch included 13 six-point stars, one for each of the original 13 colonies. When Betsy Ross saw the sketch, legend has it, she suggested a five-point star in place of the six-point star. Invite students to read, or read aloud to students, a brief description of that legend on the 5-Pointed Star in One Snip page of the Betsy Ross Homepage.

On that same page, you will find instructions for cutting a five-point star. Use those instructions to help students make five-point stars. (Be sure to practice ahead of time!) This will be a real test of your students' abilities to follow directions.

When students have successfully cut out their stars, instruct them to complete one of these language activities:

• Think of as many adjectives as you can to describe the United States and explain what living here is like. Write those adjectives on your star.
• Name some places of historic significance in the United States, such as the White House. Write the names of those places on your star.
• Write on your star the names of ten people who have made this country great.
• Write on your star a response to the question "What does it mean to be an American?"

Extension Activities

• Instead of asking students to complete one of the language activities above, assign each student a state or states. Have students research their assigned states and write on their stars five facts about each state. Encourage students to include an illustration or two. Alternative: Ask all students to write on their stars the same basic facts about each state, such as the state's population, capital, motto, and flower).
• The stars that students make can be placed on a giant flag of the United States. See another Education World lesson, This Is America! Flag Collage, for ideas about making a flag to welcome visitors to your school.

Assessment

Students write in their journals a brief response to the question "What did you learn about the United States from this activity?

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Gary Hopkins

National Standards

FINE ARTS: Visual Arts

• GRADES K - 4
  NA-VA.K-4.1 Understanding and Applying Media, Techniques, and Processes
  NA-VA.K-4.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines

• GRADES 5 - 8
  NA-VA.5-8.1 Understanding and Applying Media, Techniques, and Processes
  NA-VA.5-8.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines

• GRADES 9 - 12
  NA-VA.9-12.1 Understanding and Applying Media, Techniques, and Processes
  NA-VA.9-12.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines

LANGUAGE ARTS: English

• GRADES K - 12
  NL-ENG.K-12.8 Developing Research Skills
  NL-ENG.K-12.12 Applying Language Skills

MATHEMATICS: Connections

• GRADES Pre-K - 12
  NM-CONN.PK-12.3 Recognize and Apply Mathematics in Contexts Outside of Mathematics

Return to the Flag Day lesson plan page.

See additional Flag Day lessons in the Education World articles A Salute to Flag Day and Celebrate the Stars and Stripes.