Today we continued discussing the Liberty Bell as a symbol of freedom for our country. Danny colored a bell and drew on the crack. We assembled it onto the page for his American Symbols packet. He wrote "I see" on the lines before the words "the Liberty Bell". Danny also worked through a digital emergent reader on Pebble Go. We learned the copper bell is 3 feet tall and the first version was made in England in 1752. It cracked on its first use. The second bell, made by Pass and Stow rang when the Declaration of Independence was signed. It cracked twice and was no longer used after 1846. Next, we read Mount Rushmore by Karen Latchana Kenney. We learned the monument was initially developed as a way to get people to visit South Dakota. We learned that George Washington was chosen since he was the first president. Thomas Jefferson was chosen due to his writing of the Declaration of Independence. Abraham Lincoln was selected for ending slavery and keeping the United States together in the Civil War. Finally, Theodore Roosevelt was chosen as a result of the country’s growth in power and wealth during his presidency. We were surprised to learn that a time capsule is hidden in an unfinished room (The Hall of Records) cut into the mountain! We also looked at some color photos of the mountain in, Now that’s Big: Mount Rushmore by Kate Riggs. On a fun picture of Mount Rushmore, Danny added his face to the mountain! We discussed what "facts" and "opinions" are. We then read statements about Mount Rushmore. We color coded them as to which were facts and which were opinions. Danny did an excellent job with this task! Danny was wondering if Annie and Moby (Brain Pop Jr.) had any information about Mount Rushmore. He wanted to watch the U.S. Symbols video again to see. He was excited to see the Bald Eagle and Liberty Bell again, but they did not include Mount Rushmore.