A New National Anthem

Original manuscript of “The Star Spangled Banner”

Overview

Students analyze the lyrics of the Star Spangled Banner, then investigate how a 1991 musical rendition of the song by Whitney Houston and a poem by Ada Limón provide them with deeper insights and understanding of the U.S. National Anthem. After, students create a new version of the national anthem by either creating an erasure poem from the lyrics or writing a response to Limón’s poem or the original anthem.

Related Resources

Grade

High School, Middle School

Subjects

Civics, English Language Arts, Music

Length

80-100 minutes

Topics

Ada Limón, America, citizenship, identity, national anthem, poem, poetry, star spangled banner

Author

Academy of American Poets

More Lessons