Fifth Grade Patriot Program
Testing Timeline
In order to satisfy the Patriot Program requirements for Fifth Grade, you must
complete each of the activities below. All students who successfully complete all of
the activities by the deadline date will be recognized in the spring at our Patriot
Assembly.
During Week Beginning:
October 5
October 19
November 9
November 30
December 21
January 4
January 25
February 15
March 7
March 28
Requirement to be Tested:
#1- Write the Pledge of Allegiance
correctly (using correct spelling
and punctuation). Match key
vocabulary words to their
definitions.
#2 -Answer questions orally on
flag etiquette.
#3 -Recite the first stanza of
"Paul Revere's Ride".
#4 -Know the key facts about the
Declaration of Independence,
Constitution and Bill of Rights. Using
a fact data bank be able to list each
fact under the correct document.
#5 -Recite the key phrase from
the Declaration of Independence.
#6 -Recite the key phrase from
the Preamble to the Constitution.
#7 -Paraphrase the first 10
amendments to the
Constitution, known as the Bill
of Rights.
#8 -Know what each symbol of the
Great Seal represents and know
the meanings of the Latin phrases.
#9 -Fill in the chart for the Branches
of Government, what it does, and
who is a part of that branch.
#10 -Label the 50 states on a map.
The final deadline to satisfy the requirements of the fifth grade Patriot
Program is April 15, 2016.
Note: The dates are only suggested target dates to help you pace yourself
through this program. We have used the first school day of the week for
each target date, but your child will be tested during that week on whatever
day his or her testing volunteer has scheduled testing. It is fine for students
to go in order, test for multiple requirements at once, or to jump ahead to a
different requirement. However, Patriot Program participants MAY NOT be
tested past the final deadline date. The information on the following pages
will help you study.
Activity 1
The original Pledge of Allegiance, written by Francis Bellamy first
appeared in a children's magazine on September 8, 1892. He wrote it
to honor the 400th anniversary of Columbus's voyage to America. The
following month, on October 12, 1892, 12 million children first recited the
pledge in public schools in celebration of Columbus Day.
The Pledge of
Allegiance
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
I pledge (promise) allegiance (loyalty to one's country or
government) to the flag of the United States of America and to the
Republic (nation in which the citizens elect representatives to manage the
government, which is usually headed by a president) for which it stands,
one Nation (people occupying the same county, united under the same
government, and usually speaking the same language) under God, (having
freedom of religion) indivisible, (cannot be divided) with liberty
(freedom) and justice (equality under the law) for all
.
Activity 2
Out of the pain, anguish, and suffering of our Nation's birth, in the
midst of a bitter war for independence, there emerged on June 14.1777, our
national emblem - the Flag of the United States.
It is a beautiful flag combining the blue of vigilance, perseverance
and justice, with the white of purity and the red of hardiness and valor. It
is a symbol of freedom that has lifted the hearts of Americans down through
the years.
It has been said that our stars and stripes is a "living" flag. It grows
as our nation grows, adding a star for each new state taken into our
union.
Flag Etiquette Rules
1. How do you show respect for the flag when it passes in a parade or
when reciting the Pledge of Allegiance?
1- Face the Flag
2 - Stand at attention
3 - Place your right hand over your heart
2. It is the universal custom to display the Flag only from sunrise to sunset;
however, the Flag may be displayed twenty-four hours a day if properly
illuminated at night.
Have a light shining on it.
3. If you are given the honor of raising and lowering the American flag,
what two procedures should be followed?
1- Never let the Flag touch the ground.
2 - The Flag should be hoisted (raised) briskly (quickly) and lowered
ceremoniously (with respect).
4. If several flags are flown at one time, what is the proper placement
of the Stars and Stripes?
The Flag should be given the top position on the flagpole
Activity 3
The Midnight Rid of Paul Revere
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year
He said to his friend, "If the British
march By land or sea from the town tonight, Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry
arch Of the North Church tower as a
signal light, One if by land, and two if by
sea; And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and
farm, for the country folk to be up and to
arm."
On April 18, 1775 a man, named Paul Revere, .was sent by Joseph Warren
to warn people in Lexington and Concord that British troops would be
coming to destroy supplies and arrest some leaders. They arranged for a
signal to be flashed from the steeple of the Old North Church. Two lanterns
would mean that the British were coming by water, and one, by land. Revere
left Boston at about 10 p.m., and arrived in Lexington at midnight. He left
about 1 a.m. for Concord. When the British arrived at Lexington on April 19,
they found minutemen waiting for them.
belfry – the part of a steeple in which a bell is hung
spread the alarm - giving notice of an emergency; rousing from sleep
to be up and to arm - to wake up and get their weapons; prepare to fight
Activity 4
1- Declaration of Independence
What: The 13 colonies declared independence from Great
Britain. It is the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty. Its
ideals of individual liberty were summarized in "self-evident
truths". It also set forth a list of grievances against the King in
order to justify to the world the breaking of ties between the
colonies and the mother country.
When: July 4, 1776 Congress adopted the Declaration.
Who: Thomas Jefferson headed the committee that wrote
The Declaration of Independence.
John Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration.
2- Constitution
· What: Supreme Law of the Land
It establishes the form of the United States government and
the rights and liberties of the American people.
It consists of a preamble, 7 articles and 24 amendments.
The Constitution establishes the federal system of separating
powers between the national government and the state
governments. It divides the powers of the national government
among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
When: September 17, 1787 the Constitution was signed in
Independence Hall by 39 of the 55 delegates and by William
Jackson, the secretary of the Convention.
Who: James Madison is known as the "Father of the
Constitution".
3 - Bill of Rights
What: Man is considered to have rights that are inborn, and no
government may deprive him of these rights. The Bill of
Rights is a document that describes the fundamental liberties ofthe
people. It also forbids the government to violate these rights.
It guarantees to everyone the freedoms of speech, of
religion, and of the press, and the right to assembly. It also
protects a person's right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness".
It consists of the first l0 amendments to the Constitution.
When: December 15, 1791, 10 of the 12 proposed
Amendments to the Constitution were approved by the states
to make them a permanent addition to the Constitution. Who: James Madison led the Congress in proposing the 12
amendments.
Activity 5
The Declaration of Inde.pendence
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one
people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with
another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and
equal station to which the laws of nature and nature's God entitle them, a
decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare
the causes which impel them to the · Separation.
*We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are
created equal, that their creator with certain unalienable rights
endows them, which among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness.
Activity 6
Preamble to the Constitution
*We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more
perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide
for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the
blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish
this Constitution for the United States of America.
* Recite what is in the bold print.
Activity 7
The Bill of Rights
(paraphrased)
I. People have the freedom of religion; speech, press, and assembly.
2. People have the right to keep and bear arms (guns).
3. People cannot be forced to keep soldiers in their homes.
4. No official can arrest or search a person or his home without a
permit from a judge.
5. Person’s accused of serious crimes must be accused by a jury.
They may not be forced to give evidence against themselves.
A person found not guilty of a crime cannot be tried again for
the same crime.
6. Persons accused of serious crimes have the right to a quick
trial. They have the right to a lawyer.
7. In most cases, there must be a right to a jury trial.
8. Punishment may not be cruel or unusual.
9. The people have other rights in addition to those rights listed
in the Constitution.
10. Powers not given to the federal government belong to the states.
Activity 8
The Great Seal is a round, two-sided piece of cast metal. It is pressed
onto very important papers such as treaties. The American public sees
both the obverse and less familiar reverse, which is never used as a
seal, every day when exchanging the $1 dollar bill. The back of every
dollar has a drawing of both the front and back of the Great Seal.
The Seal was designed to reflect the Founding Fathers' beliefs, values,
and sovereignty of the new Nation. On June 20, 1782 Charles Thompsons'
design was adopted by congress.
(Obverse)
The American bald eagle (representing freedom, strength and courage) is
· Prominently featured supporting a shield composed of 13.red and white
stripes (pales) representing the Thirteen Original States with a blue bar
(chief) uniting the shield and representing Congress. The motto of the
United States E Pluribus Unum (meaning out of many, one} refers to this
union. The olive branch and 13 arrows grasped by the eagle allude to
peace and war, powers solely vested in the Congress, and the
constellation of stars symbolizes the new Nation taking its place among the
sovereign powers.
1
(Reverse)
The pyramid signifies strength and duration. The eye over it and the motto,
Annuit Coeptis (meaning He has favored our undertakings), allude to the
many interventions of Providence in favor of the American cause. The
Roman numerals below are the date of the Declaration of Independence (July
4, 1776). The words under it, Novus Ordo Seclorum (meaning a new order of
the ages), signify the beginning of the new American era in1776.
Activity 9
Articles one through three of the U.S. Constitution make provisions for
three separate and independent branches of government: the executive,
the legislative, and the judicial. Each branch has its own set of powers
and responsibilities. The founders of the Constitution believed that this
separation of powers would protect individuals’ rights and liberties and
prevent the government from abusing its power.
Executive Branch - The President heads the Executive Branch. The
President's responsibilities include enforcing and carrying out laws
passed by the legislative branch, commander in chief of the armed
forces and head of the country.
Legislative Branch -The two houses of Congress, the Senate and
the House of Representatives, make up the Legislative Branch. Each
state is allotted two senators, and each state’s population
determines the number of representatives. Congress has the power to
make laws.
Judicial Branch • The Supreme Court heads the Judicial Branch,
which interprets the meaning of the Constitution and federal laws; it
upholds the laws or invalidates them. There are eight associate
justices and one chief justice.