Entry #3 Francis Scott Key

This is a lesson for my second graders in which we study the history of the American flag and touch upon Francis Scott Key.  Francis Scott Key was a lawyer who had taken a ship to the British in order to see the release of a prisoner of war before the attack on Fort McHenry.  He went through with the mission but the British would not let him leave.  Key spent the night watching the bombing of the fort and discovered the next morning that the defenders had prevailed and the squadron was withdrawing.  The large American flag was being flown and Key was so moved that he wrote a poem which was later set to a tune.  Initially titled "The Defense of Fort McHenry", the song was renamed "The Star-Spangled Banner" and is now our national anthem. (Content)
Read the book The Star-Spangled Banner illustrated by Peter Spier and show the students how the pictures represent each line of the poem/song.  Have the students recall the sequence of events at Fort McHenry while looking at pictures. Discuss what the American flag means and why it has 50 stars and 13 stripes. (DOK 1)  (CC 1.2.2.B) Show the students a sample of the flag during this time period and compare/contrast how it has changed.  (DOK 3) Have the students discuss the cause/effect of Key seeing the American flag the next morning. (DOK 2) (CC 8.6.6.A) The students will draw conclusions as to how Key felt as he witnessed the battle and wrote the words to the poem.  (DOK 3) (CC 1.5.2.A)  Have students design a picture depicting one of Key's lines in The Star-Spangled Banner.  The student's picture must be a representation of what was occuring at Fort McHenry.  (DOK 4)  (Creative Idea)

Domains: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2c, 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d