"The Star-Spangled Banner"

OBJECTIVES:

The students will:

1. interpret the figurative language of the first verse of "The Star-Spangled Banner" to create an illustration.

2. rewrite the first verse using their own words.

MATERIALS: "The Star-Spangled Banner" handout

ACTIVITIES:

1. Divide the students into cooperative groups and distribute the "The Star-Spangled Banner" handout. Ask the groups to read the first verse of the poem. Have the groups do a Think-Pair-Share activity to brainstorm ideas regarding what they think the words represent. Give the students an opportunity to present their illustrations to the entire class. They should also use the words of the first verse to explain the illustration.

2. Have the students use the first verse as the basis for a paragraph or short report on the attack on Fort McHenry. They can imagine that they are newspaper reporters who are interviewing Francis Scott Key, and the first verse is a description of what he saw happen during the attack on the fort. When the group reports to the entire class, the other groups should be checking to see that all the events described are mentioned in the group's report.

Lesson #10: "The Star-Spangled Banner"

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