Unit of Study title:  Washington, D.C.

Topic Area:  Social Studies, Language Arts, Math

Grade Level: Third Grade

Time Frame: 2-3 weeks

Key Words:  Washington, D.C.

 

Unit Designer:  Andrea Hart

Unit Designer E-mail: andrea.hart@k12.sd.us

 

         UNIT GOALS

          ·       The students will learn that Washington, D.C. is the center of                           government of our country.  The nation’s president, lawmakers,
                       and the justices of the Supreme Court work in the nation’s capital.

·       The students will identify the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution as landmark documents upon which our country was founded.

·       The students will identify Washington, D.C. as the capital of our country.

·       The students will identify the White House as the building in Washington, D.C., where the President lives and works.

·       The students will use a grid system on a map and locate key sites on a map of Washington, D.C.

·       The students will recognize that Washington, D.C. has many monuments where Americans can go to learn about their country’s history.

·       The students will write and share a brief report about Washington, D.C.

·       The students will compose a letter to send to the President of the United States.

           TASKS

Day 1:

  Teacher will introduce the unit with the following question, “What do you know about Washington, D.C.?  Together the teacher and students will create a KWL chart to assess student’s prior knowledge.

 

Day 2:

  The class will read Lesson 1: A New Country

Students will recognize that the American Revolution brought independence to our country, and explain why the Declaration of Independence was written.

 

Day 3:

  The students will access the web site: http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-780.html to see the text of the Declaration of Independence including a brief description of the document and a list of the signatures.

 

Day 4:

  The class will read Lesson 2: Governing Our Country

Students will identify the Constitution as a landmark document upon which our country was founded, identify the three branches of government, and describe the work of each branch of government.

 

Day 5:

  The students will access the web site: http://www.pittsford.monroe.edu/jefferson/calfieri/government/govframe.html Students can read about the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches.  When they have finished they can take a quick quiz for understanding.

 

Day 6:

  The class will read Lesson 3: A Capital for a New Country

Students will explain why our country’s capital is named for George Washington, explain how Benjamin Banneker contributed to the planning of the capital, and recognize that Washington, D.C., has changed since it became the nation’s capital.

Day 6: (Math)

  In small cooperative learning groups students will research what states our presidents have come from using the web site http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents Groups will then take their findings and make a class graph showing this information.

 

 

Day 7:

  The class will read Lesson 4: A Tour of Washington, D.C.

Students will identify the White House as the building in Washington, D.C., where the President lives and works, identify the capitol as the place where Congress meets, explain why Washington, D.C., has monuments to the Presidents, and recognize the American flag as a symbol of our country.

 

Days 8-10

  Students will be working together in cooperative learning groups to construct a grid map of Washington, D.C.  They will include the following areas on their grid map:  Washington, D.C.’s Mall, Potomac River, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Smithsonian, National Museum of American History, Air and Space Museum, Capitol, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, Union Station, Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, and the National Gallery of Arts.

 

Days 8,9 (Writer’s Workshop)

  Students will compose a letter to the President of the United States.  They will be using the writing process to improve their written work. (Ex: prewriting, drafting, revision, editing, and publishing)

 

Days 11,12

  Working with partner students will access the Internet sites provided by the teacher to obtain information about a president, monument, or the White House.  Students will use this information to present a PowerPoint to the rest of the class.

Expand:  The teacher will work with small groups at a time to help them with their Power Point presentation.  Teacher will also take a Digital picture of the students to have on their power point presentation.

 

Days 13,14

  Students will present their power point presentations to the class.  Teacher will use a rubric to assess the presentations.

  Students will assess their projects using a rubric.

 

Day 14

  Students will complete the KWL chart as an evaluation tool.

 

Interactions:

  The teacher will be the facilitator of this unit.  The students will work independently, in pairs, and in cooperative learning groups to complete this unit.  They will also receive direct instruction form the teacher.

 

Assessment:

  The teacher will evaluate the student on their discussions, participation, and projects.  To assess projects, the teacher and students will construct a rubric.  The students will also complete a KWL chart.

 

Tools

  A.  Bibliography

v     Communities Near and Far – Macmillan/McGraw-Hill

  B.  Equipment

v     Digital Camera

v     Computer

§         Internet Access

§         PowerPoint software

§         Excel

  C.  Websites

http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-780.html

www.whitehouse.gov/history/president

http://www.pittsford.monroe.edu/jefferson/calfieri/government/govframe.html

 

D.  Charts

 

                                        STANDARDS

 

THIRD GRADE GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS

STUDENTS WILL:

  1. Integrate the study of communities through map work by identifying, locating, and using map title, map key, compass rose, lines and borders, roads and routes, and objects and symbols.

      2.   Use grid systems to locate communities.

      3.   Construct a map using map key and symbols, map scale, title, compass rose including    

            intermediate directions, and boundaries.

THIRD GRADE CIVICS STANDARDS

STUDENTS WILL:

      2.   Analyze human relationships and roles between and among individuals and groups,    

            cultural groups and a community, and communities and state.

      3.   Explain the fundamental ideas and principles that form the foundation of our government  

            and various communities of the past and present with emphasis on life, liberty, pursuit of 

            happiness, and equality under the law.

      4.   Explain why communities have rules or laws and how they protect the rights and 

            freedoms of individuals.

      5.   Explain the process of making rules and laws, enforcing laws, voting, becoming a citizen. 

      6.   Recognize that there are various government bodies such as councils, boards, and 

            legislatures.

THIRD GRADE READING STANDARDS

THE STUDENT WILL:

     10.   Compare the lives of various people as described in biographies and auto-biographies.

     16.   Use reference tools to locate information. (example: dictionaries, maps and globes, 

            encyclopedias, periodicals, Internet)

     18.   Compare information on the same topic found in several expository selections.

THIRD GRADE WRITING STANDARDS

THE STUDENT WILL:

     10.   Write to explain what is known about selected topics in various content areas.

     12.   Use the writing process to improve written work. (example: prewriting, drafting, revision,   

            editing, publishing)

     15.  Generate personal and formal letters using proper form. (example: thank you notes, and  

            invitations)

     19.  Edit final copies for capitalization and punctuation.

THIRD GRADE LISTENING AND VIEWING STANDARDS

THE STUDENT WILL:

      1.   Listen and respond thoughtfully and respectfully to others.      

      2.   Listen attentively by making eye contact and facing the speaker.

     

THIRD GRADE SPEAKING STANDARDS

THE STUDENT WILL:

     1.   Deliver brief descriptive presentations that use concrete details to describe people, places,    

           things, or experiences.

     3.   Present brief oral reports/stories that have a beginning, middle, and ending and include 

           concrete details that provide a central focus/impression.

     4.   Organize and present ideas so that others can understand the message.

     6.   Express knowledge, ideas, and requests clearly using

           appropriate vocabulary and sentence structure.

    11.  Create visual aids to use in oral presentations. (ex: pictures,  maps, charts, graphs, props)

    12.  Use technology to enhance spoken messages.