Welcome to TechKNOW Associates' As American As Apple Pie page. This project was developed through a partnership between TechKNOW Associates and JDL Technologies. To download a copy of the project, you will need a userid and password. Please go to the Terms of Use page for more information.

TechKNOW Associates Corporation can provide expert, onsite staff development to insure that teachers and children fully implement this and other projects at a reasonable cost. We will train teachers in the classroom with their students, model lessons, and help them integrate technology into their curriculum through a project-based approach.

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Recent events have caused many Americans to demonstrate their patriotic pride. Yet, a strong feeling of American patriotism is not a new concept. Did you know that the saying "as American as apple pie" was first used in America’s original thirteen colonies? Did you know that apple pie is a symbol of patriotism? Now your class will have the opportunity to share their patriotism as part of a unique learning experience.

As American As Apple Pie is an interdisciplinary project that incorporates document-based learning and technology to expand students’ learning experiences. In this series of real-world activities, your students will explore patriotism and citizenship from a new perspective! Your class will create a variety of multimedia presentations, books, and other products to demonstrate what they have learned about the history of the United States and what it means to be an American citizen.

As American As Apple Pie is designed to provide young students with opportunities to develop questioning, speaking, and listening skills. Designed for students in grades 2 through 5, this project is driven by the standards of several disciplines including social studies, language arts, and mathematics. Over the next few weeks, your class will investigate, learn about, and then teach others about America’s history, government, and ideals.

This project strives to motivate students by appealing to their natural creativity and curiosity, while providing them with a strong foundation in research and critical thinking skills. Students will use technology to employ a variety of intelligences. The project’s structure includes a comprehensive introduction that assesses and augments students’ background knowledge, two distinct but interrelated learning phases, and a culminating event in which students demonstrate their learning.

Introduction: You’re A Grand Old Flag – Students will learn how to research using primary and secondary resources, text, and the Internet. They will create a multimedia presentation about one of the fundamental symbols of the United States, the American flag!

Phase One: America’s Symbols – Students will explore a variety of symbols associated with the United States as well as develop an understanding of what these symbols represent. They will create brochures that identify America’s symbols, their history, and their meaning. Students will create a game based on the information they have learned.

Phase Two: America’s Heritage – Students will use a variety of primary and secondary source materials such as signs, posters, oral narratives, songs, movies, newspapers, and letters to gain an understanding of America’s past. Working in cooperative groups, students will produce a class newspaper focusing on one or more periods of American history.

The culminating activity will be a "Tribute to America." This day will be an opportunity to celebrate student achievement. Students will share their enthusiasm and patriotism by showcasing presentations, newspapers, books, and other products they created to invited guests.

To download a copy of this project, you will need a userid and password. Please go to the Terms of Use page for more information. If you have a userid and password, click here.

To see the online lesson plan for As American As Apple Pie, click here.