Kelsey McLaughlin

Day 10
1.0 History of Washington, D.C., Day 10, Kelsey McLaughlin, Grade 4
Duration - 45 Minutes
Concepts Capital
Vocabulary capital, congress, George Washington, monument, memorial
Skills researching and applying gained knowledge
1.1 Integration of Learning Outcomes/Objectives
Students will research and apply their gained knowledge of the history of
Washington, D.C. by making a mock newspaper article for the day the new capital
was declared.
1.2 Standards PA Civics, History, Economics, Geography &
NCSS Themes I - X with subthemes
8.3.4.B: Locate historical documents, artifacts, and places critical to United States
history.
NCSS.1.2.b ...have learners apply key concepts from the study of history such as
time, chronology, causality, change, conflict, and complexity to explain, analyze,
and show connections among the patterns of historical change and continuity;
NCSS.1.2.e ...provide learners with opportunities to investigate, interpret, and
analyze multiple historical and contemporary viewpoints within and across
cultures related to important events, recurring dilemmas, and persistent issues,
while employing empathy, skepticism, and critical judgment;
NCSS.1.6.d ...ask learners to describe the way nations and organizations respond
to forces of unity and diversity affecting order and security;
NCSS.1.10.b ...guide learner efforts to identify, analyze, interpret, and evaluate
sources and examples of citizens rights and responsibilities;
1.3 Anticipatory Set
So, for the past few days weve been talking about the economics of the
southeastern region of the United States. Today, I want to shift to a new topic,
civics, and focus on the capital of the United States. Who knows what the capital
of the U.S. is? Right, Washington D.C. Although Washington D.C. does have a lot
to do with the economics of our region, today I want to focus on the history of
Washington, D.C. and how it became our nations capital. I want to read you a
small part of this book about Washington, D.C. just to get the wheels turning in
your heads and to get you thinking about the capital. Its called A Kids Guide to
Washington, D.C. by Alexander H. Harcourt. Im going to read the chapter on
history of the capital, since thats what were focusing on today. (Teacher reads
A Brief History chapter of book)
1.4 Procedures
1. Have students break up into pairs (pre-chosen) and give each pair a laptop.

2. Explain to students that they will be using the laptops to research the history of
Washington, D.C. then create a mock newspaper article announcing the declaration of
the new capital.
3. Teacher will pull up an example of a pre-approved website on the smart board and
demonstrate how to pull up the websites and judge whether or not a website is
credible or not.
4. Explain to students that they need to be aware that there is going to be a lot of
information about the topic and that they will need to be wise about what they choose
to put in their newspaper article (not too little, not too much).
5. Also explain that there may be some new words that they come across that they do
not know. Remind them to use their resources to figure out these words and if they
still have trouble they can ask the teacher.
6. Teacher will give students a list of pre-approved websites they can start with.
Explain to students that if they want to use another website it needs to be preapproved by the teacher. Only allow students to use credible resources (.gov, .edu,
etc). Use your best judgment.
7. Instruct students to begin working and keep them updated on the amount of time
they have left throughout the period.
8. Remind students that they should be creative with their mock newspaper article so
they need to self-monitor the time they have.
9. The teacher should point out a spot in the room where all materials are kept and
remind students to treat the materials with respect.
10. While students are working, teacher should be walking around to assist students
who need help and to formally assess. (See formal assessment in 1.7.)
1.5 Differentiation
Students who are below reading level will be paired with a student who is on or
above grade level, so the student who is below reading level will not struggle with
reading the information on the websites.
Students who are above level and need to be challenged will be required to write
in their journals when they are done the activity. The journal prompt should
include a short reflection on the activity and a few sentences talking about some
new things they learned during this activity.
1.6 Closure
I hope everyone enjoyed this lesson and learning about the history of our nations
capital! On your way out the door, make sure you and your partner hand me your
newspaper article. Tomorrow, sticking with the civics theme, we will continue to talk
about Washington, D.C. but we will move away from the history portion. Instead, we will
talk about the present day capital. We will focus on the monuments that stand there today.
Get excited, its going to be really fun!
1.7 Formative/Summative Assessment of Students (P-12)
Formative assessment: While students are working, teacher should walk around
and check that students are using correct and valid websites to research the topic.

Also, keep track to make sure students newspaper is coming along at a

reasonable pace.
Summative assessment: Teacher will collect students mock newspapers and
check for correct content information and understanding. Use attached rubric for
grading.
1.8 Materials/Equipment
A. STUDENT MATERIALS/ READING RESOURCES:
Paper/Poster board
Markers
Pencils
Scissors
Glue
Laptops
List of pre-approved websites (attached)
B. TEACHER MATERIALS/RESOURCES FOR LESSON DESIGN:
Book A Kids Guide to Washington, D.C.(cited in website chart)
Smart board
1.9 Technology
Laptops
Smart board
2.1 Reflection on Planning
This lesson plan was pretty difficult for me in the beginning. I have never written
a lesson with this many sections to it (content notes, website chart, etc.). So, it was a bit
overwhelming and stressful at first. My topic is civics - history of Washington, D.C. One
thing that was difficult for me was choosing what kind of activity to do; it took me almost
one whole class period to choose! It was so hard to focus in on one part of D.C.s history
since there is so much. Once I finally came up with an activity, the lesson started to come
along a lot better.
I think the students would really like the activity because they get to use
technology, which kids love, and they get to make something of their own. Most students
usually like working with someone else in their class as well. This lesson should make
learning the history of Washington, D.C. fun for students and I think it does. One concern
I have about implementation is the difficulty. I am not worried about the students
researching on their own, because I provide them with websites to start with. I am
concerned about them picking out the important information to include in the article. This
can be a hard concept for students sometimes.

Content Notes:
Vocabulary:
Congress: the national legislative body of the U.S., consisting of the Senate, the
upper house, and the House of Representatives, or lower house
Capital: the city or town that is the official seat of government in a country, state,
etc.
George Washington: the first president of the United States
Monument: something built in memory of a person, event, etc., as a building,
pillar, or statue
Memorial: something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, etc., as
a monument or a holiday
I. Choosing the Capital
A. On July 16, 1790, Congress declared the city of Washington in the District of
Columbia, the permanent capital of the United States.
B. George Washington, the first president and namesake of the city, chose the site and
appointed three commissioners to help prepare for the arrival of the new government
in 1800.
C. The choice of Washingtons site along the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers resulted
from a compromise between Alexander Hamilton and northern states who wanted the
new federal government to assume Revolutionary War debts, and Thomas Jefferson
and southern states who wanted the capital placed in a location friendly to slaveholding agricultural interests.
II. Constructing the Capital
A. President George Washington commissioned French engineer Pierre-Charles
L'Enfant to create a plan for the city.
B. L'Enfant designed wide avenues and open spaces so that the capital would not
become a city of crowded buildings.
C. The streets of the capital were oriented in a north, south, east, and west grid
pattern.
D. When you stand on the steps of the U.S. Capitol today you can look down the mall
and see all the way to the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.
E. Benjamin Banneker provided the astronomical calculations for surveying and
laying out the city.
F. The full development of Washington as a monumental city did not come until a
hundred years later when the McMillan Commission updated its plan to establish the
National Mall and monuments that most visitors to Washington now know.
III. After the Capital Was Built
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A. During the War of 1812, most of the city was burned to the ground.
B. British forces invaded the city and burned public and government buildings,
including the White House, in response to American forces invading York, and
burning most of it to the ground.
C. The British left the residential areas untouched and also spared the home of the
Commandant of the Marines, located on Marine Barracks, as a sign of respect. It is
now the oldest government building in continuous use in the nation's capital.
D. The Patent Office and the Post Office were also spared because of Dr. William
Thornton, Superintendent of Patents, pleading with British officers that the
knowledge lost therein would be a disservice to mankind.
IV. Other Useful Facts
A. George Washington oversaw construction of the White House, but never lived in
it. John and Abigail Adams became the first occupants of the presidential mansion on
November 1, 1800, although only for the last four months of his presidency.
B. While still under construction, the United States Capitol held its first session of
Congress on November 17, 1800.
C. On March 4, 1801, Thomas Jefferson became the first president to be inaugurated
in Washington within the Senate chamber of the Capitol.
D. First Lady Dolley Madison, who had refused to leave the White House until only a
few hours before the British arrived, secured the full length portrait of George
Washington and a copy of the Declaration of independence on her way out.
E. It took 83 years to complete construction on Washington National Cathedral.
1. The cathedrals creation did not commence until September 29, 1907, when a
stone from a field in Bethlehem was set into a larger slab of American granite and
laid in ceremony as the foundation stone.
2. In 1990, the National Cathedral was finally completed.
References Used:
http://www.history.com/topics/us-states/washington-dc
http://washington.org/DC-information/washington-dc-history
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/nation/jb_nation_capital_1.html