The history of the U.S. flag is a perfect place to begin a lesson on Old Glory, by focusing on the five W's -- the who, what, when, where and why -- of the iconic flag. Students also can study Independence Day, or Flag Day, which was established by an act of Congress in 1949.
Betsy Ross is perhaps most associated with the American flag, yet USFlag.org says it's debatable whether this Philadelphia seamstress really created the first flag. According to legend, George Washington asked Ross to create a flag based on his design, but historians have failed to prove this account. High school students can do some of their own research and write reports on or debate Ross's place in U.S. history.
Literary representations of the American flag offer another starting point for language arts lessons. The Apples4theTeacher website's book recommendations for elementary students include Wendy Cheyette Lewison's "F is for Flag" and "The Flag We Love" by Pam Munoz Ryan. High schoolers could read and analyze Edward Everett Hale's short story, "The Man Without a Country," or poems such as "The Name of Old Glory" by James Whitcomb Riley and "The Star Spangled Banner" by Francis Scott Key.
Many artists have created aesthetic images of the U.S. flag, and you can easily introduce these artists and their works to language arts students. Artwork recommended by AskART.com that might be discussed and then emulated includes Jasper Johns' "Flag 1954," Norman Rockwell's "Salute the Flag," Harry Jackson's "The Flag Bearer" and Childe Hassam's "The Avenue in the Rain."