American Flag Protocol Initiative: Educating Children & Their Communities

1. AMERICAN FLAG
PROTOCOL INITIATIVE:
EDUCATING CHILDREN &
THEIR COMMUNITIES
Military Officers Association of Sarasota
Sarasota County Schools
November 15, 2014

2. Welcome
• Why, Where, and How the Program
Started
• Four Components
• Flag Retreat Ceremony
• Flag Collection and Retirement Ceremony
• Outreach to Business and Civic
Organizations
• Academic Curriculum

3. The Lessons
• Development
– The Team
• Dr. Bernadette Bennett
• Dr. Tammi Purdin
• Dawn Vittorio
• Carol Lavallee

4. Curriculum
• 10 Lessons
– 9 in the classrooms (grades 4-5)
– Lesson 10: Presented by JROTC and
veterans’ organizations
• Focus on:
– Primary sources
– Disciplinary literacy
– Aligned to Florida Content Standards

5. The 9 Classroom Lessons
• Lessons 1 & 2: Understanding the Origins of the
American Flag
• Lesson 3: Symbols of the United States
• Lesson 4: Flag Etiquette
• Lessons 5 & 6: Patriotism, The Star Spangled
Banner
• Lesson 7: Respecting the United States Flag
• Lessons 8 & 9: Showing Respect for the United
States Flag (Part 1 and 2)

6. Sample: Lesson 2 Origin of
the U.S. Flag (Part 2)
• Document A: Third Congress of the
U.S. at the First Session, 1794
– "An act making an alteration in the Flag
of the United States" 01/13/1794 (ARC
ID 1501721); 3rd Congress, 1st
Session; General Records of the United
States Government; Record Group 11;
National Archives and Records
Administration
– http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/
todays-doc/?dod-date=113

7. National Archives website: “Approved by President George
Washington on January 13, 1794, this act called for the Flag
of the United States to have fifteen stripes and fifteen stars,
reflecting the admission of Vermont and Kentucky to the
Union. Faced with the admission of five more states in 1818,
the flag design would return to the original thirteen stripes.

8. Document B:
Fifteenth Congress Session 1,
1818

9. The Betsy Ross Flag
ca. 1783 – 1795
• National Archives: “We don't have proof that
Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag, but
this flag made by her (ca. 1783–1795) may be
the earliest known U.S. flag in existence.
(Courtesy of Claude and Inez Harkins)”

10. Activity: Using the Primary source documents: The First
Session, 1794; The Fifteenth Congress, Session 1,
1818; and The Oldest United States Flag in Existence
1783-1795 photo, compare and contract the information
in these documents and complete the triple Venn
diagram.

11. Lesson 10
• JROTC
– Online self-paced review of student lessons
– Hands-on with students
• Review of content
• Hands-on flag folding exercise
• Veterans Organizations
– Supporting Lesson 10
– Certificates for each of the elementary
students who participate

12. Reflections
• Student Reactions
• Questions and Answers