The Great American Road Trip

Hop on Board for THE GREAT AMERICAN ROAD TRIP!

2009-2010 will be a MONUMENTAL* year in second grade! We will be on a learning journey that will have us "visiting" some of our country's greatest national monuments and symbols - the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell, Mount Rushmore, and more! Come along, and learn about this year's theme - The Great American Road Trip!

*Monumental - \ˌmän-yə-ˈmen-təl - highly significant : outstanding

Graphics from Phillip Martin
Animated Text from TextAnim

About Our Theme

In our class we have a yearly theme. Themes help to build a sense of community and spirit in the classroom and give us a focus for the year. Our theme for the school year 2009-2010 will be The Great American Road Trip, chosen to highlight some of our country's national monuments and landmarks.

As stated in our Massachusetts History and Social Science frameworks, "Students in grade two study United States history, geography, economics and government by learning more about who Americans are and where they came from. They explore their own family history, listen to, and ready a variety of teacher and student selected stories about: distinctive individuals, peoples, achievements, customs, events, places and landmarks of America..."

Our first "stop" on our journey will be the Statue of Liberty in New York, then we'll be "on the road" to the Liberty Bell in Pennsylvania. Our next "destination" will be the hills of South Dakota to "visit" Mount Rushmore. Time permitting, we may even continue our journey! The following links will help you learn a bit more about the monuments we will "visit" this year:

BrainpopJr. Movie about US Symbols - excellent and a MUST SEE! Be sure to check out the related activities. Also, see Background Info and Activities for Parents and Teachers for some great home and classroom ideas.

AtoZ KidsStuff - Symbols of the USA - Coloring pages of our “stops” with quotes from famous Americans. Also, scroll down on the page for more links to our “destinations.”

National Monument Coloring Pages - more coloring pages

National Landmarks at Fact Monster - Learn about each of our “stops” on The Great American Road Trip.

Our yearly theme is also tied into a classroom incentive program in which children earn Peirce Prides (PPs). Read on to learn more...

Peirce Prides Our yearly theme is tied into a classroom incentive program in which children earn Peirce Prides (PPs) for demonstrating the following:

Perseverance
Effort
Integrity
Responsibility
Cooperation
Excellence

This year the children will reach "Monumental Milestones" for each 25 Peirce Prides they earn. At each Monumental Milestone they will receive "Souvenir Treasures" - prizes which represent that landmark.

	Each child will have her/his own charts on our "Great American Road Trip" board to keep track of his/her progress.
NOTE: It is important to remember that this is NOT a race. It's not about getting there "first", it's about getting there!

Here are just some ways you can earn Peirce Prides:

This year be sure to bring back your completed name wordsearch on the first day of school.
Bring a fruit or a vegetable for snack. (We will talk more about this).
When we read "mini books," bring them home, read to a parent, and have your parent sign it. (Parents, look for a memo coming home about this.)
Bring back notices, etc. by a given date.
Get a 100% on Spelling tests.
Get a 100% on Math4Today tests.

Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty is a huge sculpture that is located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. This monument was a gift to the USA from the people of France in recognition of the United States' 100th birthday, and to honor the friendship between the two countries.

LINKS TO LEARNING:

Statue of Liberty at EnchantedLearning.com - a good place to start
Paper Model of Statue of Liberty - Print out and put together this paper model of Lady Liberty.
Statue of Liberty Online Jigsaw Puzzle - Click on “Change Cut” for a more challenging puzzle or Coloring Page for a page to color.
Statue of Liberty Coloring Pages - Great printable pages about Miss Liberty - even a dot-to-dot!
Make a Statue of Liberty Crown
Lady Liberty Fireworks - This is simply just for fun - use your mouse to create spectacular fireworks above Lady Liberty.
Statue of Liberty Fun Facts
Statue of Liberty from National Park Service - These activities were written for students in grades 4-8, but are adaptable to other grades. Families may truly enjoy The Family Tree activities, and be sure to check out the Citizenship area - can YOU answer the questions?
Booklet for Kids about Statue of Liberty - Although this booklet is to be used when visiting the Statue, it does have lots of great information. Parents would need to work with children as it is challenging.

Statue of Liberty Quick Facts

The Statue of Liberty celebrates her birthday on October 28th in honor of the day she was officially accepted by the president of the United States in 1886.
Visitors must climb 354 stairs to reach the Statue of Liberty's crown (or take an elevator to a lower lookout point).
There are 25 windows in Lady Liberty's crown.
The seven spikes on the Statue of Liberty's crown represent either the seven oceans or the seven continents.
The statue is made of copper and is now green in color because of oxidation (a chemical reaction between metal and water) from evaporation of the seawater surrounding it.
The Staue of Liberty weighs 450,000 pounds (204, 100 kilograms).
The Statue of Liberty has size 879 sandals that are each 25 feet (7.6m) long.

The Liberty Bell

The Liberty Bell is a huge bronze bell that symbolizes freedom in the United States of America. This historic bell is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The bell was originally made in 1752 in London, England. It was commissioned as a bell for the Pennsylvania State House (now called Independence Hall).

LINKS TO LEARNING:

The Liberty Bell at EnchantedLearning.com - a good place to start
Photo Essay of Liberty Bell in 1915 - This is amazing - view photos of the Liberty Bell’s 1915 trip to California and back.
A Visit to the Liberty Bell - Interesting article about visiting the Liberty Bell on Liberty Bell Day (July 8th)
Liberty Bell Trivia - Very interesting facts about the Liberty Bell. Be sure to listen to the Normandy Bell which sounds just like the Liberty Bell.
Honor America - Liberty Bell Facts - Facts about the Liberty Bell, including what it has been called over the years. If you have ancestors who have been in this country for hundreds of years, it would be fun to find out what it was known by in the past.
Liberty Bell Timeline - Learn about the bell from its beginning until now.

Mount Rushmore

Mt. Rushmore National Memorial is a huge mountain sculpture of four US Presidents, located in Keystone, in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The Presidents on the mountain are: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. These four Presidents were chosen to represent the founding, growth and preservation of the United States. The work was designed by the sculptor John Gutzon Borglum.

LINKS TO LEARNING:

Mount Rushmore at EnchantedLearning.com - a good place to start
Paper Model of Mount Rushmore - Print out and put together this paper model of the monument.
How Big are the Faces? - Learn about the "greatness" of George Washington's face on the monument.

Just Plain Silly - But So Fun...The Presidents sing...

PARENT REMINDER: Always supervise your child's use of videos online.

Gutzon the Bear

Gutzon the Bear was a special gift from former student Kate Hurley. Brought back from her trip to Mt. Rushmore National Memorial, she named him after the monument's sculptor, John Gutzon Borglum. Our Gutzon will be "on the road" this year, traveling to each student's home where he will share learning about our country's symbols, landmarks, and monuments with students and their families.

More About Gutzon Coming Soon!

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