Lesson #1: Mapping the Nation s Capitol Name: Sarah Faszewski Cooperating Teacher: Dormire School: Magruder Elementary Audience: Primary (1st Grade) Standards: History and Social Science Standards of Learning in Virginia 1.4 The student will develop map skills by d) locating Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and Richmond, the capital of Virginia, on a United States map. Materials/Time/Space: pencils; flex camera; markers, picture of Washington DC (Brennemann, R. (2011). Map of Washington DC. Retrieved from http://www.welt-atlas.de/map_of_washington_dc_7-610); Map of the United States ((2011). United States. Retrieved fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/file:united_states_direct_successor_states_from_original_thirteen_colo nies.png); projector and screen (for online resources and Google Earth Washington DC Tour); Handout 1; Handout 2; Teacher Aid 1; exit card; one full hour; typical classroom space; average elementary class size (20 students) Lesson Description: Introduction: Anticipatory Set (10 minutes): Ask the students if any of them has ever traveled and where to. Using the projector and Google Earth, visit the places students said they have been. Ask the students if any of them have been to Washington D.C. and ask them what places they remember visiting. Using a premade tour of Washington D.C. on Google Earth, take the students on a tour beginning with the North American continent, to the United States, to Washington D.C., and finally to the National Mall (with an emphasis on the Capitol Building, the Washington Monument, and the White House). Define monument as something built in memory of a person, event, or special deed ((2011) WordSmyth: The Premiere Educational Dictionary. Retrieved from www.wordsmyth.net). While on the tour discuss the significance of how Washington D.C. and the Washington Monument got their names (see background information). Tell the students that they are using material from yesterday s lesson on the cardinal directions to take a tour of the National Mall. Content Focus: Objective and Its Purpose (0 minutes): 1) Given knowledge of Washington D.C., students will identify its location on a map the United States. 2) Given instruction on the Washington Monument, the students will identify its location on a map of the National Mall. Input/Modeling (10 minutes): Using Teacher Aid 1 and the flex camera, project the map of the National Mall onto the screen. Tell the students that this activity is a look at Washington D.C. from a place they may have visited, the National Mall. Ask the students to label the compass rose at the top of the page. Tell the students to imagine we are taking a class trip to Washington D.C. and we need to see the Capitol Building, the White House, and the Washington Monument. Starting at the red number 1 on the map, moving to the red number 2, and then to the red number three, have the students direct to each location using the cardinal directions. Once this activity is finished, using the flex camera show the students a picture of the entire Washington D.C. area, with the National Mall highlighted, so that they can see the familiar place (the Mall) in terms of the city that surrounds it, using the projector. Remind the students of Washington D.C. s location, as stated in the Anticipatory Set. Check for Understanding (7 minutes): Using a projected map of the United States, the teacher will point to different locations on the map, and ask the students to give a thumbs up or down as to whether or not that location is Washington D.C. Then call on students to come up and point to Washington D.C. so that they are able to locate it on their own. Guided Practice (15 minutes): Ask the students if they were given a map of the entire United States, how would they locate Washington D.C.. Call on students to answer this question, and write their answers up on
the board. Explain strategies they could use to locate D.C., including some of the ones students came up with. Strategies could be, guess and check, using their own previous knowledge, and using what we just covered during the check for understanding. Show the students a map of the United States with the thirteen original states highlighted on the projector screen. Explain why Washington D.C. is located between Virginia and Maryland (see background information). Give students Handout 1, with the map of the United states and tell them to circle and label where they believe Washington D.C. to be. The teacher will walk around the classroom observing the students, and occasionally asking them what strategies they are using, and why they have chosen that specific strategy. Also, if any students are having problems, the teacher will offer strategies for the student to use in order to locate Independent Practice (8 minutes): Give the students Handout 2. This handout consists of maps of the National Mall and the United States. There are also directions for the students to follow. Read the directions aloud and check for understanding. Ask the students to complete Handout 2 individually. Closure (10 minutes): After the students complete Handout 2, collect the worksheet. Review the correct answers using the flex camera, a blank copy of the handout, and asking the students to participate. Ask the students if they have any questions about how to find Washington D.C. on a map, or anything that we have covered in class this week. As a final activity, hand the students an exit card containing a multiple-choice question to be answered and returned. Evaluation: Formative: The teacher will walk around the classroom and informally observe and assess the students work, discussion, and answers during guided practice. Summative: The teacher will evaluate Handouts 2 and 3 as well as the multiple choice question, which should all be completed independently by the students. Differentiation: Inclusion Students: During guided practice, the teacher will go to these students specifically to ask them about their strategies in locating Washington D.C. This way if they are still struggling, they will receive extra help. Gifted Students: During guided and independent practice, the teacher will have the students write down their strategies for locating Washington D.C. rather than just stating them. These students will also be called on specifically to give their strategies for finding D.C. before guided practice begins. Background Information/Content: Washington D.C. was established by the Constitution to serve as the nation s capital, and was founded in 1791. The city was named after George Washington, the first president, who chose its location along the Potomac River. It s location was selected due to a compromise between northern states and southern states who both wanted the capital to be close to them. The Washington Monument was completed on December 6, 1884, and was built as a tribute to George Washington s military leadership from 1775-1783 during the American Revolution. Made of blocks of marble and granite, the structure stands 555 feet in the air, and at the time, was the tallest structure in the world. A city law passed in 1910 restricted the height of new buildings to ensure that the monument will remain the tallest structure in Washington D.C., which is a fitting tribute to the Father of Our Country.
Teacher Aid 1
Handout 1 Name Date Locating Washington D.C. Circle and Label Where You Can Find Washington D.C.
Handout 2 Name Date Washington D.C. Draw a on Washington D.C. The United States
Handout 2 Name Date The National Mall Circle the Washington Monument
Exit Card Name Date Which one of these maps shows the correct location of Washington D.C.? Circle the correct answer. A. B.
Works Cited A&E Television Networks, LLC. (1996). Washington Monument Completed. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/washington-monument-completed Smithsonian.com. (2007). Washington D.C.- History and Heritage. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/destination-hunter/north-america/unitedstates/east/washington-dc/washingtondc-history-heritage.html