OVERVIEW by Mary L.Vincent – Monroe Public Schools This lesson series is a compilation of 5 short videos lessons (each approximately 6 minutes long) that help students rehearse singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The videos integrate relevant locations and historical perspectives related to the national anthem. This lesson series also aims to make singing the Star-Spangled Banner…
Category: The Anthem
The Star Spangled Banner in Multicultural Societies
The Star Spangled Banner in Multicultural SocietiesSocial Studies, World Geography6–8, 9–12by Betsy Blount, Tom C. Clark High School A look at what the Star Spangled Banner means to different ethnic groups in America’s multicultural societyGoals and Objectives Students will evaluate the experiences and contributions of diverse groups to multicultural societies. Students will generate summaries, generalizations,…
SSB Celebration Week Resource Pack
RESOURCE PACKET for Star Spangled Banner Birthday Celebration Week by: Susan Ferguson Scroll through this pack to see suggested activities for each day of the week. Booklist FRANCIS SCOTT KEY’S STAR-SPANGLED BANNER, Monica Kulling THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER in TRANSLATION, Elizabeth Raum THE FLAG MAKER, Susan Campbell Bartoletti THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER, Peter Spier, (lesson plan)…
The Anthem at War
The Anthem at War Language Arts, Music, Theater, and Art (Optional) 5th Grade Paul Herrera, American Union Elementary This lesson is for the classroom teacher who wants to incorporate music into their curriculum. This four lesson unit (that can be expanded or shortened) features a game of Charades to learn the lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner,” an acting…
Spangled Mythconception #7: An Official Version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" Exists
MYTH #7: There is a sanctioned traditional or otherwise official version of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”CORRECTION: The 1931 act making Key’s song America’s anthem does not identify an official arrangement, in part because the song as sung in the 20th-c. had already departed from what Francis Scott Key had known. During World War I, attempts were…
Spangled Mythconception #6: Congress Made Key's Banner the U.S. National Anthem
MYTH #6: A 1931 act of Congress made “The Star-Spangled Banner” the official anthem of the United States CORRECTION: This is absolutely correct in terms of the anthem’s legal status, but the bill approved by the House and Senate and signed by President Herbert Hoover simply recognized what had been true in American cultural practice…
Spangled Mythconception #5: The Banner as Baseball Ritual Begins with Babe Ruth & the 1918 World Series
Myth #5: The “The Star-Spangled Banner” as baseball’s game day ritual begins with Babe Ruth and the 1918 World SeriesCorrection: The earliest documented performance of Key’s Banner in pro sports was on opening day at a baseball game in 1862, but the ritual of playing the song at every game developed gradually and was dependent…
Spangled Mythconception #4: Key's Banner is Based on a Bawdy Old English Drinking Song
MYTH #4: Key’s Banner is based on the melody of a bawdy old English drinking song CORRECTION: “The Anacreontic Song” was the constitutional anthem of an elite, London-based, amateur music society… but it gets complicated. Francis Scott Key would have most likely encountered the melody of “The Anacreontic Song” initially through its most popular American…
Spangled Mythconception #3: Key Wrote a "Poem" Later Set to Music by Someone Else
MYTH #3: Francis Scott Key wrote a “poem” later set to music by someone else CORRECTION: “The Star-Spangled Banner” was always conceived of by Key as a song and he wrote his “lyric” to fit a specific melody of his own choosing Usually referred to as a poet, Francis Scott Key is more accurately remembered—at…
Spangled Mythconception #2: Key Wrote the Anthem on the Back of an Envelope
Myth #2: Francis Scott Key drafted “The Star-Spangled Banner” on the back of an envelope (or letter) Correction: Most likely Key wrote his draft on a clean sheet of paper using pen and ink While the original working draft of Key’s lyric is lost, envelopes were not commonly used in 1814 and then only by…