Living the Promise Classroom Activites
By Maria Brountas

To read the related article "Living the Promise" click here.

Abstract concepts, such as those found in the Pledge of Allegiance, are meaningless to children until those concepts are defined and illuminated by concrete experiences. Here are the books and activities first grade teacher Maria Brountas uses to make the Pledge relevant for her students.

Word: Pledge
Definition: promise, give your word
Books: Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie by Connie and Peter Roop (Carolrhoda Books, 1985) Buttons for General Washington by Connie and Peter Roop (Carolrhoda Books, 1986)
Follow-up Activities: Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie is the true story of a girl who promised her dad that she would keep the lighthouse lanterns burning and care for her ill mother and her sisters while he was away. She keeps her promise in spite of the many challenges. During a follow-up discussion, talk about the importance of keeping one's word, what might have happened if Abbie hadn't kept her word, and the children's related personal experiences.
Buttons for General Washington is based on a true story involving a family who spied for General Washington. It creates an exciting background for a creative writing activity in which the children assume the role of a young spy in the Revolutionary War. Through the writing process they'll learn about General Washington's
character, leadership skills and commitment.

Word: Allegiance
Definition: loyalty
Book: Barbara Frietchie by John Greenleaf Whittier (Greenwillow, 1992)
Follow-up Activity: Whittier's poem serves as a great example of loyalty, love and courage. Having each child illustrate a stanza from this poem is a great reading comprehension activity.

Word: Symbol
Definition: represents, stands for, reminds us of
Books: Famous Friends: Betsy Ross by Jeri A. Carroll and Candace B. Wells (Good Apple, 1986) The World and Its People by Alvis T. Harthern (Silver Burdett, 1984)
Follow-up Activities: Each child makes a star and colors it to look like the American flag. Discuss the story of Betsy Ross, particularly the designing and sewing of the flag. A history lesson can identify each of the thirteen original states that were given stars on the first flag.

Word: Flag
Definition: a symbol that represents our country
Book: The Story of the Star-Spangled Banner by Natalie Miller (Children's Press, 1965)
Follow-up Activities: Following the reading of The Story of the Star-Spangled Banner, children can reenact Widow Pickersgill's interaction with her tired daughter, Caroline, stating all the reasons why they must hurry to get the big flag ready for everyone to see at Fort McHenry. A reenactment of Francis Scott Key pacing the British ship, the Surprise, trying to see if the flag was still there in the dark of night can be very dramatic and make this piece of history very real to your students.

Word: Republic
Definition: a country in which the people vote for their leaders
Book: In 1776 by Jean Marzollo (Scholastic, 1994)
Follow-up Activities: I divided the book into mini-lessons and used a question-and-answer technique to highlight the steps followed in the making of our country.

Discussion questions:

1. Why were the colonists angry?


2. What did they do?


3. What did they do next?


4. What is the Declaration of Independence?


5. What does the Declaration of Independence say?


6. What is a Republic?


7. What is a democracy?


8. What do we do in a democracy?


9. Why is voting important?

See: Brountas, Maria. "When First Graders Go to the Polls" (Teaching K-8, November/December, 1996).

Role-playing was used to cement the concepts:
King George and the colonists
The Boston Tea Party
Paul Revere
The Minutemen

Word: Liberty
Definition: freedom
Books: In 1776 by Jean Marzollo (Scholastic, 1994) The 4th of July Story by Alice Dalgliesh (Aladdin, 1995)
Follow-up Activities: We act out historical scenes that are depicted in the books, and then discuss them.

Discussion questions:
How did the colonists feel to be free?
What was different now?
Who was Thomas Jefferson?
What did he write?
What is the Declaration of Independence?
Why did George Washington have tears in his eyes?
If you were there on the Fourth of July 1776, what would you do?
How would you feel?
Why was this day important for you?
Why is it important for all the new Americans?
Why was this important for the whole world?
Who was Andy Jackson?

Introduce other American symbols of freedom:
Liberty Bell
Statue of Liberty

Word: Nation
Definition: country
Materials: globe and map of U.S.A.
Follow-up Activity: Find America on the map and globe
Count the states and color in all the states
Trace the outline of the United States, being sure to include Alaska and Hawaii
Find the state in which you live
Find the District of Columbia

Word: Indivisible
Definition: cannot be divided, cannot be separated
Book: Abraham Lincoln by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulare (Doubleday, 1957)
Follow-up Activities: I've found that it's a good idea to start the discussion of "indivisible" by clearly defining and creating distinctions between "visible/invisible" and "divisible/indivisible."

Indivisible circle: The children form a circle and lock arms. I tell them to hold on tight and not let anyone break the circle. Then I use my hands to try to break their circle. It always turns out that I cannot, no matter how hard I try!

Abraham Lincoln's divided house speech: Draw a house. With a black crayon, divide the house in half starting at the top. What do you think Abraham Lincoln meant when he talked about "a house divided" in his speech? Was he really talking about a house? What does the house represent? Write about your thoughts.

Word: Freedom
Definition: being free
Books: Three Young Pilgrims by Cheryl Harness (Bradbury, 1992) Young Abe Lincoln by Cheryl Harness (National Geographic, 1996)

Word: Responsibility
Definition: trustworthiness, reliability, doing things without being told to do them
Book: George Washington by James Cross Giblin (Scholastic, 1992)
Follow-up Activity: Act out the story of George Washington chopping down the cherry tree, and admitting the act to his father.

The story of Peter Rabbit is a favorite with my students. The children use to giggle every time Peter misbehaved as a result of making poor choices. Now, they still giggle but someone will say, "He is not being responsible" or "He made a poor choice." I use the book to compare and contrast behaviors. The children write stories about Peter Rabbit, his friends and their behaviors. If they put themselves in the story, you can rest assured they are the bunnies who are the most responsible.

Word: Justice
Definition: fairness
Books: Abraham Lincoln by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulare (Doubleday, 1957)
Follow-up Activity: What did Abraham Lincoln mean when he said, "All men are created equal?"

Word: Citizen
Definition: person who is loyal to a country, person who is protected by a country
Book: Class book
Follow-up Activity: Students respond to the questions "What is an American citizen? What does an American citizen do?" Make a class book of their illustrated responses.

Word: Brave
Definition: not afraid, having courage, being a hero
Books: Squanto: Friend of the Pilgrims by Clyde Robert Bulla (Simon & Schuster, 1954), Clara Barton chapter in One-Minute Stories of Great Americans by Shari Lewis (Doubleday 1990), Robert E. Lee by Keith Brandt (Troll, 1985)
Follow-up Activities: Have a class discussion about how each of these historical figures exhibited bravery and courage.

Other Books that can be useful in your class' study of The Pledge of Allegiance
The Very First Americans by Cara Ashrose. Grosset & Dunlap, 1993
America: A Patriotic Primer by Robin Preiss Glasser. Simon & Schuster, 2002
The Children's Story by James Clavell. Coronet Books, 1983
A New True Book: The Flag of the United States by Dennis B. Fradin. Children's Press, 1988
Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Dial, 1983
Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Puffin, 1990
The Story of the Statue of Liberty by Natalie Miller, Children's Press 1992
Columbus by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulare, Doubleday 1955
Tales of Peter Rabbit and His Friends by Beatrix Potter, Chatham River Press, 1984
The Story of Fort McHenry and the Star-Spangled Banner by Frederic Ray, Frederic Roy, 1959
Cornerstones of Freedom: The Story of the Gettysburg Address by Kenneth Richards, Children's Press, 1992
I Can Read About July 4th 1776 by Ellen Schultz, Troll, 1979
The Flag We Love by Pam Munoz Ryan, Charlesbridge, 1996
Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus by Peter Sis, Knopf, 1991
The Star-Spangled Banner by Peter Spier, Doubleday
Cornerstones of Freedom: The Story of the Underground Railroad by Conrad R. Stein, Children's Press, 1981
I Pledge Allegiance by June Swanson, Carolrhoda Books, 1990

Questions for Discussion

1. Why do we Pledge Allegiance to the Flag?


2. Why are we a special nation?


3. Who was Rosa Parks?


4. What is the flag?


5. What does freedom mean?


6. What do good Americans do? List.


7. Are you American? Why?


8. Where do we put our right hand when we Pledge Allegiance to the flag? Why?


9. When do we celebrate our nation's birthday?


10. How can you help your country?

To read the related article "Living the Promise" click here.

Maria Brountas teaches first grade at Vine Street School in Bangor, ME.

August/September 2003, Vol.34, No.1