National Symbols

Web Quest

Introduction	The Task	The Process
Resources	Evaluation	Conclusion
	Teacher Notes

Introduction

Welcome News Team!

Have you ever wondered about things like why we say the Pledge of Allegiance or why the American flag is red, white, and blue? Many people do not know all the facts. This is your chance to find out about our national symbols and share what you learn with others.

The Task

Your teacher will assign you to a team of 2 - 4 people. You and the other members of your team will be investigating one of our national symbols. Your job is to write a news story for your class newspaper or make a presentation for a news show. If you choose to do a presentation, you may choose to do a video presentation or a multimedia presentation. Your story needs to tell the 5 Ws - Who, What, When, Where, and Why your symbol is important. You will need to include illustrations or pictures to go with your article or news story, and you may wish to include other visual aids. You will need to use a word processor to prepare your final copy and you will need to tell where you got your information (cite references).

The Process

* Choose a national symbol to investigate and then explore Internet sites to find out information about the symbol that you have chosen. You may want to use other resources as well.

* Fill out a worksheet with information from each site that you visit or each references that you use.

* Decide whether your team wants to write a newspaper article or do another kind of presentation and complete your presentation or article. Tell your teacher what kind of article or presentation your team wants to make and get any information that you will need.

* Evaluate how well you and your news team worked together to accomplish your tasks.

Other Resources

In addition to using the Internet links that are provided, you may want to use some of the following resources to get your information.

• a print or electronic encyclopedia, such as Encarta
• your Social Studies text, and books such as:
• "The Story of Old Glory" by Albert I. Mayer
• "The Flag of the United States" by Dennis B. Fradin
• "The Living White House" by Lonnelle Aikman
• "Flags of American History" by David O. Crouthers
• "Declaration of Independence" by Dennis B. Fradin
• "The National Anthem" by Patricia Ryan Quiri
• "The Story of the Liberty Bell" by Natalie Miller
• "The Story of the Statue of Liberty" by Natalie Miller
• "Eagles" by Christina Butterworth

Evaluation 

When your team has finished your story or presentation, evaluate your work by asking these questions. Remember that you will be graded as a team.

1. Have you answered all of the questions fully?

2. Have you included illustrations or visual aids?

3. Is your work spelled correctly?

4. Have you checked for punctuation and grammar?

5. Did you tell where you got your information?

6. Is your story or presentation interesting to read or watch?

Your grade will be based on how well you worked together and how well you completed your tasks. Click here to go to the Teamwork Rubric that you and your partners will need to fill out. Click here to see the rubric your teacher will use to determine your grade.

Conclusion

I hope that you have had fun learning about some of the many symbols of our country.

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