Every country in the world uses a flag to identify itself. Some also use national animals, trees, popular landmarks, seals, coats of arms and songs to represent the country, its history and its people. To kick off a lesson on symbols, you might display some superhero symbols, such as Spider-Man’s spider, to the class and ask students to identify the hero it represents. You can also use business logos they might recognize, such as McDonald’s, Fisher Price, Hot Wheels and Barbie. Once students understand how a symbol identifies someone or something, you can move on to explore U.S. national symbols, some of which may be right in your classroom.
The American flag is a symbol that most second-graders will recognize in the classroom. Discuss how the original flag’s stars represented the 13 original colonies and how the modern flag’s red and white stripes represent those colonies. Today, stars represent the 50 states of the United States of America. Another U.S. symbol is the bald eagle, chosen because it represents freedom, strength and courage. Some landmarks considered national symbols include the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell and the Capitol Building.
Just as the U.S. has an animal symbol -- the bald eagle -- many countries around the world have chosen animals to represent the character of their people. South Africa, for example, has chosen the springbok as its national animal, but also has a national bird, the blue crane. Thailand’s national animal is the elephant, Iceland’s is the falcon and Chile’s is the condor. In England, the lion represents bravery. You can allow students to name animals whose characteristics they feel represent themselves as individuals or the class.
In addition to the symbols, the colors in national flags have meaning. In the U.S., red represents hardiness and valor, white expresses purity and blue, vigilance. National flags may combine a color set and images. For example, the red and black colors of the Libyan flag along with the crescent and star symbol represent different aspects of its people’s struggle for independence, while the green stripe represents peace and hope for future generations. After reviewing additional examples of national flags, allow students to create their own. Colors should have meaning, as should any symbols they include in their designs.