Enrichment Studies - Fine Arts for homeschool families

The U.S. National Anthem

 

The_Star-Spangled_Banner graphic

Did you know that September 13, 2014 marks the 200th years since The Star Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key?  Wow!  If your children do not know the history and story behind the beautiful U.S. national anthem, you will love having this resource put together for you.

 

On September 13, 1814 Francis Scott Key wrote the words to our national anthem.  Learn more about Francis and his work here.

Biography of Francis Scott Key, with video, synopsis, and many concise explanations of his life, the War of 1812, his political beliefs and more.  Short and well done.

Listen to NPR’s Morning Edition:  For ‘Star-Spangled Banner,’ A Long Road From Song to Anthem (under 8 minutes long, transcript available)

This is an interesting article about Francis Scott Key and his political beliefs.  Title:  Francis Scott Key, the Reluctant Patriot

One military wife shares about the tradition of their military base playing the national anthem daily.  Read about what happens here.

10 Things You May Not Know About the War of 1812

 

Fun Stuff

Francis Scott Key coloring page

American Flag coloring page (click around to find many other patriotic-themed coloring pages)

Many American flag printable coloring pages here

Here you can print/download sheet music for the Star Spangled Banner in several key choices, as well as print out just the lyrics.

 

Educational Stuff

Get a nice PDF set of worksheets about Francis Scott Key and the National Anthem here.  It includes a fill-in-the-blank, copywork pages, and more! Elementary age.

This is an interesting article about why is there a question mark in the first stanza of the Star Spangled Banner.  Great for discussion of literary use, poetry, and punctuation! (recommended for middle and high school)
A powerfully-told account of Fort McHenry and Francis Scott Key’s Star Spangled Banner. Gave me chills! So well done.

 

Beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner

 

The Battle of Fort McHenry, Through Francis Scott Key’s Eyes: From the Smithsonian Channel. Well done! 3 minutes.

 

 

 

 

Did you know that the tune for the Star-Spangled Banner was actually taken from a popular tavern song of the day? It was! Interesting video here with historical reenactors. **Parents, please take a moment to see how you feel about section (0:42-0:50) before sharing with your younger children.**

This episode of Crash Course US History teaches us about The War of 1812. While you may not agree with everything he says, this is a fast-moving, clever, entertaining, and informative 13-minute-long class. Very interesting!