Patriotic
Holidays
The warm spring and summer months bring a
flourish of red, white, and blue. That’s the time of
year our three biggest patriotic holidays take place
— Memorial Day, Flag Day, and the Fourth of July.
On Memorial Day, we remember veterans from our
military’s armed forces who have died in wars. Flag
Day is a holiday that celebrates our country’s flag.
The Fourth of July is our nation’s birthday. On July
4, 1776, the leaders of the American colonies
declared their independence, or freedom from
British rule.
independence – freedom from outside control
We Love a Parade!
Have students work together to decorate shoe or
small cereal boxes with symbols of the United States.
If you have enough boxes, several classes could work
together to make one box for each state in the union.
Add additional red, white, and blue arts and crafts
decorations and small toy people or animals they
bring from home. Put the floats on display for all the
school to see.
veteran – a former member of the armed forces,
especially during wartime
Resource Connection
Essential Vocabulary
armed forces – members of the military; soldiers
patriotic – a feeling of pride and honor for your
country
flag – a piece of cloth with a special, meaningful
design that is a symbol for its country
symbol – a picture or object that makes us think of
something else. Our flag, the Statue of Liberty, and
the bald eagle are symbols of freedom.
Lesson Starters
Create a Memorial Wall
Have students write notes or poems of thanks to
those people who have helped ensure our nation’s
freedom. Post these on a memorial wall in your
school and invite others to post their messages as
well. After displaying for a short period of time,
deliver the messages to a local veterans’ hospital.
Pledge of Allegiance
Post the Pledge of Allegiance and recite it together.
Go through the Pledge together and circle any
vocabulary students do not know. Rewrite the
Pledge using synonyms and discuss the meaning
again.
Science Connection: Dish Soap Fireworks
Cover the bottom of a shallow pan with whole milk.
Drop several drops of red and blue food coloring
onto the surface of the milk. Add several drops of
dish soap into the pan and watch the “fireworks”
explode.
Resource Collection
Celebrating Patriotic Holidays
Help your students learn the history behind our
country’s patriotic observances by taking a multifaceted look at the meaning of patriotism. Includes
two lesson plans, one unit plan, and six
reproducibles.
Flag Day Cyberhunt
Share this Flag Day Cyberhunt with your class and
learn the meaning and history behind our Stars and
Stripes.
Printables
Memorial Day
Flag Day
Independence Day
Patriotic Stationary
United States Flag
Lesson Plan
The Star Spangled Banner
Salute to American Symbols
Blog Posts
Making Memorial Day Memories
Nonfiction Article
National Holidays Around the World
Book List
Books for Teaching About Patriotism