Gather materials
Class time, including discussion, reading and creating the flag will take at least 1 hour

Handout - Olympic Flags and Rings
People, by Peter Spear
One of the books listed below (under Further Research) for reading aloud to the class
Art supplies to make a team flag: markers, paints, etc.
Paper or material for flag background and a dowel to hook it to

Read People to the class. Discuss how people are different. People are set apart from each other by their own look, traditions, beliefs, and cultures. Sometimes flags are used by people to set them apart and show what their most important beliefs and values are. Colors, designs, patterns and pictures all mean something on the flag just as they do in people's traditions, beliefs and cultures. What are some other things that make people different or that may set them apart from each other?

Show a picture of the Utah State Flag, the U.S. Flag, the Olympic Flag, and the flag from the country your school or class has chosen to learn about for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Discuss what the symbols on the flags mean.

Looking at the Utah Flag:

	Blue = Loyalty
	Beehive = Industrious and hardworking
	Sego Lily = Peace, state flower
	Industry = State motto
	Flag-bearing staff = Loyalty of country

What about the colors and stars in the U.S. flag? What do you think the symbols on the sister country's flag might mean?

Have student read the handout about the history of the Olympic Flag and Rings.

	The Olympic rings are the official symbol of the Olympic movement. There are five interlacing rings of the colors blue, yellow, black, green, and red. The rings are set upon a white background. Baron Pierre de Coubertin designed the Olympic emblem in 1913. In his words, "These five rings represent the five parts of the world won over to Olympism. . . This is a real international emblem." The Olympic rings represent the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes throughout the world at the Olympic Games. They also symbolize the unity and peace that is shared among the participating nations during the time the Olympic Games are played. However, contrary to a popular misconception, the colors themselves do not represent any single continent. The colors were chosen because at least one of these colors is found in the flag of every nation. The original Olympic flag was made at the "Bon Marché " store in Paris. The flag is three meters long and two meters wide. It first flew over an Olympic stadium at the 1920 Antwerp Games. The original flag also carried the Olympic motto, "Citius, Altius, Fortius," meaning "Faster, Higher, Stronger."

In teams of 3-5 students, design a school, class or team flag that represents the values, beliefs and diversity of it's members. Be able to explain what each symbol and color represents.

Students will:

Have students share some of their own family traditions that are done for the different holidays.

Bring in speakers that can show and talk about the diversity of places they have visited or lived.

Have the students search for where their ancestors originated from. On a large wall map put pins in the countries and stretch yarn from that country to Utah. This demonstrates how much variety and diversity is in Utah.