A day to remember the national anthem

BALTIMORE - On this day in 1814, Francis Scott Key penned the words to The Star Spangled Banner.

The words from Key came in the form of a poem written as he witnessed a British attack on Fort McHenry. Key was several miles away but close enough to watch the British attack the fort with what historical records report as near continuous cannon fire for about 25 hours.

Key looked at Fort McHenry, saw the flag was still flying, and he wrote the poem titled Defense of Fort McHenry. The poem was later set to music, and became known as The Star Spangled Banner.

Students at Charlesmont Elementary School in Baltimore put a 21 ^st century twist on the day on Friday. Fifth graders received interactive tools to learn all about the war of 1812 and the national anthem. Vince Vaise, chief of interpretation at Fort McHenry said the interactive learning process was one of several attempts to improve the knowledge of the War of 1812.

Do you know the words to the Star Spangled Banner ? Find out here.

"It (learning more about the War of 1812) really helps you appreciate Maryland as the star-spangled state," Vaise said. "This day... was when Francis Scott King received that burst of inspiration to write the national anthem."

Vaise said activities and events are planned throughout 2012, 2013 and 2014.

"It's just one of the milestones that we are hitting," he said.

To help celebrate the day, the Fort McHenry Guard also led students in a flag unfurling ceremony.

Click here to view some of the classroom resources used in the interactive learning process Friday.

* Historical background came from the National Park Service