Washington, DC
Tonia Christian
Katie Esken
Tasha Hackworth
Andrea Hemmert
Kristen Riddlebaugh
Lesson Info
• Washington, DC
• 1st Grade
• This lesson focuses on the landmarks of our nation’s
capital, including:
- The White House
- Arlington National Cemetery
- The Washington Monument
- The Lincoln Memorial
- The National Zoo
• Authors: Tonia Christian, Katie Esken, Tasha Hackworth,
Andrea Hemmert & Kristen Riddlebaugh
Table of Contents
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Title Slide
Lesson Info
History Activities
History Websites
People in Societies Activities
People in Societies Websites
Geography Activities
Geography Websites
Economics Activities
Economics Websites
Government Activities
Government Websites
Citizenship Activities
Citizenship Websites
SS Skills Activities
SS Websites
**Click on the bald eagle picture to return to the table of contents.
History
History Activities
1. Arlington National Cemetery: Tell if you feel the Unknown Solider was a hero. Do
you think others think he was? Why or why not?
2. The National Zoo: Discuss in small groups how animals were used back in earlier
days and how they are used now.
3. Washington Monument: Have students create a timeline of George Washington’s
life beginning with his birth and ending with the present day. Mark the date when
the Washington Monument was built.
4. The White House: Students will learn about President’s Day and then explore why
George Washington was called the Father of Our Country. Students will then draw
and write about a family hero of theirs.
5. The Lincoln Memorial: Students will place events of Abraham Lincoln’s life in the
correct order on a timeline. They will include the year that the Lincoln Memorial
was inaugurated.
History Websites
1.
2.
3.
Arlington National Cemetery: http://www.constitutional.net/140.html
The National Zoo: http://www.rightsforanimals.org/texts.php
Washington Monument:
www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson051.shtml
4.
The White House:
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/presidentsday/index.html#aboutpresidentsday
5. The Lincoln Memorial: http://www.historyplace.com/lincoln/index.html
People in Society
People in Societies Activities
1. Arlington National Cemetery: Write a biography describing what you think the
Unknown Soldier's life was like.
2. The National Zoo: Have children write down a sentence or two of how their house
pet affects their home life.
3. Washington Monument: Have students write about three of George Washington’s
achievements and qualities to determine if they had any effect on a monument
being built in his honor.
4. The White House: Students will learn about traditions at the White House, then
they will draw a picture and explain a tradition they have with their family to the
class.
5. The Lincoln Memorial: Students will look at different pictures of people from the
pioneer days. We will discuss how people look different now.
People in Societies Websites
1.
Arlington National Cemetery:
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/visitor_information/tomb_of_the_u
nknowns.html
2.
The National Zoo: http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/healthy/Pets.htm
3.
Washington Monument:
www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/62wash/62wash.htm
4. The White House:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/traditions/
5. The Lincoln Memorial:
http://pioneerlife.tripod.com/
Geography
Geography Activities
1. Arlington National Cemetery: Locate Arlington, Virginia on a map. Explain that
Arlington is near the Pentagon and the Potomac River.
2. The National Zoo: Have students pick one animal and explain where that animal
lives and what it needs in order to live in the specific place.
3. Washington Monument: Use a map to locate the Washington Monument in the
National Mall. Track the distance of our journey from Ohio to Washington, D.C.
4. The White House: Students will locate the White House symbol on a map of
Washington, D.C.
5. The Lincoln Memorial: Students will look at a map of the United States and
compare it to what the U.S. map looked like in 1861-1865, when Abraham Lincoln
was president. You can discuss how the map has changed over the years.
Geography Websites
1.
Arlington National Cemetery:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Pentagon_road_network_map_194
5.jpg
2.
The National Zoo: http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0768522.html
3.
Washington Monument:
www.cyberlearningworld.com/nhhs/compapps/workshop/dc/washmon.htm
4.
The White House:
http://www.carolmendelmaps.com/mapdc/dc6.html
5. The Lincoln Memorial:
http://www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/proj/lincoln/states.htm
Economics
Economics Activities
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Arlington National Cemetery: Discuss requirements for burial at Arlington
National Cemetery.
The National Zoo: Explain how animals help our economy.
Washington Monument: Discuss the cost of the monument’s original design by
Robert Mills with the cost of the materials to build a similar monument today.
The White House: Students will describe how the government/White House
affects them in their school.
The Lincoln Memorial: We will discuss how the economics have changed since
Abraham Lincoln was president. You can compare the different costs of things
as they are now to what they cost in the 1860’s. We will discuss why things are
more expensive now.
Economics Websites
1.
Arlington National Cemetery:
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/eligib.htm
2.
The National Zoo: http://www.magickeys.com/books/farm/index.html
3.
Washington Monument: www.tourofdc.org/monuments/washingtonmonument/
4.
The White House:
http://www.proteacher.com/cgibin/outsidesite.cgi?id=18199&external=http://www.pbs.org/democ
racy/kids/presforaday/index.html&original=http://www.proteacher.
com/090055.shtml&title=President%20for%20a%20Day
5. The Lincoln Memorial: http://measuringworth.com/calculators/ppowerus/
Government
http://harpervalley.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/_george-bush.jpg
Government Activities
1. Arlington National Cemetery: Discuss the ‘changing of the guard.’ List
purposes/roles and expected visitor behavior.
2. The National Zoo: Have a guest speaker come in and talk about what government
agency they work for and how they make sure animals are taken care of.
3. Washington Monument: Students take a vote to elect a “president for a day”. The
student president will make speeches, enforce rules, get along with their peers
and shake hands with those in the hall.
4. The White House: Students will complete a White House page in a symbols book
by matching the words with the correct symbol, then coloring.
5. The Lincoln Memorial: Discuss how the Lincoln Memorial is an important landmark
in the U.S. They will learn why the Lincoln Memorial is so important. Read the
book, The Lincoln Memorial: American Symbols, by Terri Degezelle.
Government Websites
1.
2.
3.
Arlington National Cemetery: http://www.tombguard.org/FAQ.html
The National Zoo: http://www.ppath.org/
Washington Monument:
http://www.lessons.ctaponline.org/~tbrunner/
4.
The White House:
http://www.abcteach.com/free/a/american_symbols_primary.pdf
5. The Lincoln Memorial:
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/lincoln.html
Citizenship
Citizenship Activities
1. Arlington National Cemetery: Were the soldiers buried at Arlington good citizens?
Why or why not?
2. The National Zoo: Discuss in small groups how to treat animals. Discuss that
people are allowed to have pets as long as they take care of them.
3. Washington Monument: Read about the good deeds of George Washington that
led to a monument being built for him. Have students practice the same
generosities and respect for others that George Washington had.
4. The White House: Students will learn about the accomplishments that some of our
former Presidents have achieved by the teacher reading, What Presidents Are
Made Of, then they will write and draw a picture of a personal accomplishment
they have.
5. The Lincoln Memorial: The students will now know that Abraham Lincoln ended
slavery. They would have also learned how Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech at
the Lincoln Memorial. Have students get with a partner and discuss what they
thing Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln would have said to one another.
Citizenship Websites
1.
2.
3.
Arlington National Cemetery:
http://www.christophers.org/nn436.html
The National Zoo:
http://www.avma.org/careforanimals/kidscorner/default.asp
Washington Monument:
www.brainpopjr.com/socialstudies/citizenship/ussymbols/grownups.weml
4.
The White House:
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr008.shtml#kindergarten
5. The Lincoln Memorial:
http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=11392
S.S. Skills & Methods
http://www.finetre.com/images/capitolarea.jpg
S.S. Skills & Methods Activities
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Arlington National Cemetery: Guest speaker from WPAFB. Students listen to
speaker and ask relevant questions.
The National Zoo: Trip to the local zoo, students ask questions about what they
have learned throughout the week.
Washington Monument: Discuss the importance of memorials such as the
Washington Monument and the people or events they honor. Have students
create a “memorial” of an event important in their life and write about it.
The White House: Students will first read a list of jobs that the President must
perform. Then they will need to write about what it would be like to do that
job and draw a picture.
The Lincoln Memorial: Have students read the book Meet Abraham Lincoln, by
Barbara Cary. They should then get with a partner and summarize what they
have learned.
S.S. Skills & Methods Websites
1.
2.
3.
Arlington National Cemetery: http://www.wpafb.af.mil/
The National Zoo: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/
Washington Monument:
http://www.content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3221
4. The White House:
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/class/pdfs/2005S/050128_bp5.pdf
5. The Lincoln Memorial:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/presidents/abrahamlincoln.html