Grade Level: 5th
Content Area: Social Studies
TEKS:
(17) Citizenship. The student understands important symbols, customs, celebrations, and landmarks that represent American beliefs and principles and contribute to our national identity. The student is expected to:
(D) describe the origins and significance of national celebrations such as Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Constitution Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day.
http://www.timeforkids.com/news/happy-fourth-july/41766
Summary: This article, published on Times for Kids, is title “Happy Fourth of July: Get the story behind the star-spangled celebration.” The article covers the history behind the Fourth of July, also known as Independence Day. It also describes the very first Independence Day celebration and other traditions that have developed over time. The article concludes with a few fun extra facts about the Fourth of July. I really liked this text because it is from a prestigious source. Introducing students to Time for a Kids is a good way to start teaching and making them aware of news magazines, which can contain really valuable and rich text.
Instructional Strategy:
For this text, I would have have my students read this article individually. I could print off copies for them, or let them read the articles on a computer or iPad, to promote the use of technology. After reading, I would have students engage in a silent conversation. To do this, I would instruct them to write a letter with their response to the article. In their response I would request that students discuss their families traditions celebrations for the Fourth of July, if they celebrate at all. I would also ask them to reflect upon the significance of Independence Day and ask them to think about what our country would be like if we had never been made independent. Finally, I would ask them to ask one question that they still have from the reading. After students write their letter, they would pass it to another student, who would respond to the letter, and so on. I think this strategy would work well with this text because students would get to see and appreciate how other people celebrate and also share ideas about the significance of the holiday. I think in a country where there is so much diversity, it is great for students to share individual traditions and ideas about our country.
I love everything about this idea! I always liked to hear about other people’s traditions at Christmas and Thanksgiving, but nobody really ever talked about their 4th of July traditions. Also, I feel like Independence Day is never covered well in school, or at least for me it wasn’t. I always just thought of fireworks and cooking out when I was younger, I never really took the holiday for what it really was. So I think giving a good historical background of the holiday with the article is a great idea. Plus, I love Time for Kids; I think it’s a great magazine to get students interested in reading about factual and important information. Finally, your reading connection activity is a great way to have students practice writing skills in a nontraditional way with the letter form, while also being able to relate it to their own lives. I think students would have a lot of fun writing about their own traditions and reading other people’s, but they would also be answering questions related to the reading and the significance of the holiday. Also, I like how they would take their thinking even further by thinking about what this country would be like if we had never become independent. Overall, this is just a really great idea and I may have to borrow it if I ever teach 5th grade!
This activity seems like great way for the students to get to know each other better. I like that students will have the opportunity to explain their family tradition. As with any activity that deals with holidays, there should be a selection of questions that students who do not celebrate can choose from. This is why I love that you have the students contemplate what the United States would be like if it never gained its independence. I love What Ifs. This really would get their creative juices flowing and start up their critical thinking. Maybe after everyone is finished and different traditions have been explored, a class chart could be created to visually express the diversity in the classroom.