Flag Day

Objective:
The students will research their state flag and locate other states on a map.
 

Materials

• A book with a picture of the school's State Flag, or a printout of it from the following web site,  States And Capitals This will give information on your state, including the flag and what its symbols mean.  (A color printout will work best.  If this is not available to you, try and color the printout to give the students the sense of what colors are in their flag, or simply allow them to view it online.)
• A large map of the United States.
• Use the above link to get printouts of different state flags (enough so there is one per student or pair of students.)  Write the name of the state somewhere on the flag, or the back of the flag.  Place them in a container to be picked by the students.

Procedure

1. Brainstorm and list the different organizations and communities which have flags.  For example, schools, clubs, sports teams, cities, states, countries.
2. Show the display or picture of your state's flag.  Discuss what the different symbols and colors mean on the flag.
3. Have the students locate their state on a map. 
4. Have each student, or pair of students, pick a flag out of the container of state flags.  They may then come up to the United States Map one at a time (or in their pair) and locate that state on the map.  (Younger students will need more help in completing this step than older students.) 
5. Attach the flag cutout to the map.  If it is too big to go on the actual state, attach it off to the side and have a piece of string connecting the flag to its state.

Other Lesson Ideas

1. The above lesson can be done with the American Flag.  Discuss the symbols, colors, and what they mean.  (Today the flag consists of thirteen horizontal stripes, seven red and 6 white. The stripes stand for the original 13 colonies, the stars represent the 50 states. The colors of the flag mean the following; red symbolizes Hardiness and Valor; White symbolizes Purity and Innocence and Blue represents Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice.) Then the students may find different country's flags and locate those countries on a world map.
2. Have a lesson on the history of the United States Flag.  The following web site will be helpful, Historical Flags Of The United States. 
3. Have a lesson on Betsy Ross.  The following web sites will be helpful, Betsy Ross Homepage, and Biography.com.
4. Discuss the history of the sewing machine and how they have changed over time, increasing the ease of stitching flags.  How were flags (as well as other jobs) done before machines?
5. Discuss how explorers place flags when discovering or reaching new areas.  For example, flags were placed on the moon, at the tops of mountains, etc.