One of the first things the entire school learned about in music class this year (after the "gotta-dos" - rules and procedures, the like) was the fact that today (September 14, 2014) is the 200 year anniversary of "The Star-Spangled Banner" being written!
The older students watched the video from the Fort McHenry visitor center to gain a greater understanding of the events that inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner."
They also learned about the exact flag it was written about. With 15 stars and 15 stripes, it looks quite different than the flag we're used to seeing today! The remains of the flag from Fort McHenry have lost a bit over the years...originally measuring 30 feet by 42 feet, it is currently only 34 feet long. Between the wind and giving snippets away as gifts over the years, Mary Pickersgill's masterpiece lost 8 feet from its original length.
DRUM CARD OPPORTUNITY: How wide were the stars in this particular flag? Email me the answer. (Hint: Answer can be found using the link in the paragraph above.)
All grades discussed proper National Anthem etiquette (remove hat, stand facing flag, right hand over heart), then practiced singing along to this video.
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