Center Focus

The Stars and Stripes

  1. Have students answer similar questions to the following regarding the United States flag:
    • How many stars are there? What do they represent?
    • How many stripes are there? Why?
    • Why are the colors of the flag red, white, and blue?
    • Has the flag always looked as it does now?
  2. Have books, articles, and other information available about the flag where students can check to see if their answers were correct.
  3. Present this "problem" for your students to solve: The United States is going to add a new state. You are chosen to design the new flag. You need to create the flag and explain why you made it look the way you chose and what significance there is to the different areas of the flag.
  4. Provide materials for students to use to create their flags. If possible have actual flags available from different periods in American history for students to examine.