Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
The Story of Our Flag
Guided Reading Level --I
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Written by Pamela Chanko
Illustrated by Renee Graef
Designed by Maria Lilja
ISBN-13: 978-0-439-77421-5
ISBN-10: 0-439-77421-7
Copyright © 2007 by Scholastic Inc.
Published by Scholastic Inc.
All rights reserved.
Printed in China.
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Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
Betsy Ross lived
from 1752 to 1836.
She may have
sewn the first
American f lag.
Have you ever wondered how America
got its first flag? Some people believe
that a woman named Betsy Ross
made it. Read on to learn all about
this famous story.
Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
Betsy had 16 brothers and
sisters. There were lots of
chores to do. Betsy helped
with the sewing.
Betsy was born in Pennsylvania in
1752. Pennsylvania was one of the
13 colonies ruled by England at that
time. America had not yet become
a country.
Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
Betsy was talented
with a needle and
thread. Many people
say she won prizes
for her work.
Not all children went to school in
those days. But Betsy did. She learned
to read and write. She also learned
how to sew.
Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
Betsy learned to fix
curtains, rugs, and
even umbrellas. Today,
upholsterers mainly
make covers for sofas
and chairs.
Betsy went to work in an upholsterer’s
shop. There she met John Ross. John
and Betsy got married. Later, they
opened their own shop.
Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
The colonies
formed an army
to fight against
England. Betsy’s
husband joined.
But it was a difficult time. A war had
started because the colonies did not
like England’s rules. John joined the
army to fight for freedom.
Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
George Washington was not
yet president. At that time,
he was in charge of the
colonies’ army.
Betsy decided to run the shop by
herself. One day in 1776, General
George Washington and two other
men met with Betsy at her shop.
Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
George Washington wanted a flag
made. It would show that the colonies
were free from England. He asked
Betsy to sew it.
Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
This is how George Washington’s
sketch might have looked.
George Washington showed Betsy
his sketch for the flag. It was square.
It had 13 stripes and 13 stars. Each
star had six points.
Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
Betsy shared her ideas
for the f lag with
George Washington.
But Betsy had different ideas. She said
the flag should be a rectangle, not
a square. She thought a rectangular
shape would fly better in the wind.
Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
Betsy folded the cloth
in a special way. Using
her scissors, she made
a five-pointed star
with just one snip!
Betsy also thought the stars should
have five points instead of six.
She said a five-pointed star was
easier to make.
10
Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
The men made sure that Betsy
had money for supplies.
The men liked Betsy’s ideas. They
needed the flag as soon as possible.
They asked Betsy to get started on it
right away.
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Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
1776 Flag
The 13 stars and
13 stripes stood
for the 13 colonies.
Betsy worked hard to make the flag.
She sewed a rectangle with 13 stripes.
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Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
Today’s Flag
The 13 stripes stand
for the 13 colonies.
The 50 stars stand
for the 50 states.
The f lag has changed
over the years. This is
how it looks today.
In one corner, she placed a blue
square. In the square, she sewed
13 stars. The stars formed a circle.
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Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
No one outside Betsy’s
family knew her story
about the f lag.
On June 14, 1777, the design of the
first American flag was made official.
Years later, Betsy loved to tell her
grandchildren how she had made
the first flag.
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Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
You can visit Betsy Ross’s house
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In 1870, Betsy’s grandson gave a
speech. He said that Betsy had made
the first flag. No one knows for sure
that this is true. But people still like to
tell the story of Betsy Ross and her flag.
15
Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
Glossary
chore (noun) a job that needs to
be done regularly, such as washing
dishes
colony (noun) land controlled by
another country
official (adjective) approved by
a group or person in power
sketch (noun) a quick, rough drawing
supplies (noun) materials needed
in order to do something
upholsterer (noun) today, a person
who puts new fabric on furniture or
stuffs it with new materials
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Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
Betsy Ross
The Story of Our Flag
Guided Reading Level: I
Word Count: 649
Average Words Per Page: 41
Spotlight Nonfiction Feature:
Diagram
B
etsy Ross (1752–1836) is famous for the story of how the first American
flag came to be. General George Washington, leader of the Colonial army,
wanted a flag to signify the colonies’ independence from England. No one
knows for sure if Betsy Ross actually sewed the first flag, but the story is often
told. It begins one day in 1776 when Washington asked Ross to sew a flag
he had designed. But Ross had her own ideas—and so the famous design is
sometimes called the “Betsy Ross flag.”
Introducing the Book
Activate children’s prior knowledge by asking what
they know about our country’s flag. Ask questions
such as: What colors are on the flag? What does the
design look like? Where can you see our flag? What does
it make you think of?
Tell children that the American flag didn’t
always look the way it looks now. The first flag
was made long ago, when our country was
brand-new. Today they will hear a story of how
the “Stars and Stripes” were born. Emphasize
that we do not know if this story is actually true,
but it is often told.
Spotlight Nonfiction Feature: Diagram
Discuss with children the definition of a
diagram: a picture that helps readers understand
information in a visual way. Diagrams can show
what something looks like, what its parts look
like, or how it works. Usually, diagrams have
labels to help readers understand the picture.
Have children turn to pages 12–13 and ask
a volunteer to read the titles above each diagram.
Explain that the title tells what the diagram
shows. Then have children read the call-out
labels on each. Explain that these call-outs give
more information about parts of the picture.
40
To assess comprehension, ask: What information
about the pictures do the labels give you? (The labels
tell the number of stars and stripes and what they
stand for.)
How has the
flag changed
over the years?
(The flag now
has 50 stars.)
A
Using the Reproducible
Book Links
Distribute copies of page 41 along with red,
white, and blue crayons. Encourage children to
use the illustration on page 12 for reference as
they color their flags. Then have children read
the topic in each box. They can look through
the book to find the correct information.
For more information on Betsy Ross and our
nation’s flag, try these titles:
Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
◆
Betsy Ross by Alexandra Wallner
(Holiday House, 1994)
◆
Meet Our Flag, Old Glory by April Jones Prince
(Little, Brown, 2004)
◆
Red, White and Blue: The Story of the American Flag
by John Herman (Penguin, 1998)
Name ________________________________
Date _______________________
Betsy Ross’s Flag
Scholastic Teaching Resources, page 41
First, color the flag to look like the one Betsy Ross made. Then,
write information from the story in each box.
Why we needed a flag:
Betsy’s ideas for the flag:
What the 13 stars and
13 stripes stand for:
How the flag looks
different today:
Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
Date _______________________________
Important Events in ___________________________________’s Life
Write the person’s name on the line. Then write important events in the order in which
they happened.
Sequencing Timeline
Name ____________________________________________
Name ________________________________
Date _______________________
Vocabulary Chart
Record new words on the chart. First, write the vocabulary word.
Next, write what it means. Then, use the word in your own sentence.
Word
What It Means
Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
Sentence Using Word
Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
Date _______________________________
What the Person Was Like:
Important Events in the
Person’s Life:
Name:
How I Feel About the Person:
His or Her Accomplishments:
Write the person’s name in the center box. Then fill in the other boxes.
Character Map
Name ____________________________________________
Easy Reader Biographies: Betsy Ross
© Scholastic Teaching Resources
Date _______________________________
Name _____________________
Both
Name _____________________
Write one person’s name over each circle. Write facts about this person in that circle.
In the center, write what the two people had in common.
Venn Diagram
Name ____________________________________________