WORDLY WISE 3OOO ONLINE

Level 2 • Passage
Lesson 7

Wave to Me, and I’ll Wave Back

The United States flag is more than two hundred years old.
What if it could talk? Imagine what it has seen. Think about where
it has been. Here are some of the things it might tell you.

I am very old. But that doesn’t stop me from getting around.

On the Fourth of July, you will see me in parades all over this
country. You probably see me every day at your school. In New
York City, at the United Nations Building, I fly with the flags of
countries from all over the world.
People call me by different names. One is the Stars and Stripes.
Another is the Star-Spangled Banner. Often you see me as a cloth
rectangle flying from the top of a flagpole. Sometimes I’m made
of metal and worn as a badge. In my top left corner, I have fifty
white stars arranged on a blue background. There is one for each
state. The rest of me is covered with thirteen stripes. Six are white.
Seven are red.
I have not always looked this way. Over the years, I have
had different designs. One that was very surprising was an early
one. I had only red and white stripes. There was a picture of a
rattlesnake, too. The words “Don’t Tread On Me” were written below
the snake. This was during the time the Americans were fighting
the British. I was a warning to leave America alone. Not long after,
I was given thirteen stars and thirteen stripes. That’s one for each
original state.
My thirteen stripes have stayed the same. But my stars have
changed over time. Each time a new state is added, I get a new
star. The last stars were for Alaska and Hawaii. They became states
in 1959.

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 Wordly Wise 3000®Online Level 2 • Passage • Lesson 7

I have traveled to many faraway places over the years. In 1840,

I was on a boat going to the South Pole with explorers. In 1963, I
traveled to the top of Mount Everest with climbers. In 1969, I flew to
the moon with astronauts. In these places, I now often fly next to
the flags of other countries.
All flags want to be treated well. When you salute me, you
should stand straight and be serious. If you see me dragging on
the ground, please lift me up. When it is night, take me down. Then
fold me carefully before you put me away. I hope you will display
me on special days of the year. I especially like June 14, Flag Day.
July 4, Independence Day, is a good one, too. Of course, you can
fly me every day of the year if you want to. I like to be out in the
open air.

Answer each of the questions with a sentence.

1. What is in the small rectangle on an American flag?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________
2. If a badge of the American flag has forty-eight stars, when
was it made?

______________________________________________________________________
badge
banner ______________________________________________________________________

corner 3. How should you look when you salute the flag of your country?

design ______________________________________________________________________
display
______________________________________________________________________
fold
4. When do Americans display the flag?
parade
rectangle ______________________________________________________________________
salute
______________________________________________________________________
tread

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 Wordly Wise 3000®Online Level 2 • Passage • Lesson 7

5. What flags would you expect to see waving at a Fourth of

July parade?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________
6. If a corner of the flag is on the ground, what should you do?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________
7. Why do you think the flag has to be folded before it is put away?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________
8. Where did the Star-Spangled Banner travel in 1969?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________
9. Why should you never tread on the American flag?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________
10. How has the design of the American flag changed over the years?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

• If a day turns out really great, you can say, “This was a banner
day!” That means something so good happened that you
almost want to hang out a banner to celebrate it.

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