How can I get my students even more engaged during our trip to Washington DC?
Let’s face it, your entire curriculum is relevant on a trip to Washington DC! History, math, science, writing, government, music, and geography are all experienced first-hand.
But to get students even more engaged, focus on one or two key learning areas before departure. Collaborate with other teachers to teach a particular topic across all classes for a day (or longer, if possible).
Many of the sites that you will visit in Washington DC have developed lesson plans aligning with national standards. Provide a deeper understanding of a particular content area by using one of the free lesson plans provided below.
Lesson Plans
U.S. Capitol Lesson Plans (includes primary resources) – Topics include:
- The Capitol Building
- The Apotheosis of Washington by Constantino Brumidi
- The Frieze of American History
- Statues from National Statuary Hall
- Congressional Biography
- Limiting Child Labor: Providing for the General Welfare
- National Interstate and Defense Highways Act
- The Clean Water Act
- The U.S. House of Representatives and the Gag Rule
- Secession and the Senate
- The District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act of 1862
- Philip Reid and Freedom
- Congressional Legislature and the Civil War: Telling the Story with Primary Resources
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Lesson Plans – Topics include:
- Redefining How We Teach Propaganda
- Deconstructing the Familiar: Photo Activity
- Photo Narrative Activity
- Timeline Activity
- Who is Responsible When Genocide Occurs?
- Learning from the Early Stages of the Holocaust
- Organizing the History
- Why Did Germans Vote for the Nazi Party?
- Pre-World War II European Jewish Life Photo Project
- Individual Responsibility and Resistance During the Holocaust
- Rethinking Perpetrators, Bystanders, and Rescuers
- Bringing the Holocaust Unit to Closure: Implications for the Future
Library of Congress (includes primary resources) Topics include:
- African American History
- American History
- American Indian History
- American Revolution
- Arts & Culture
- City & Regional History
- Civil War
- Culture & Folklife
- Discovery and Exploration
- Government, Law & Politics
- Immigration & Ethnic Heritage
- Maps & Geography
- News, Journalism & Advertising
- Oral Histories
- Photographs, Prints, and Posters
- Poetry and Literature
- Science, Technology & Business
- Sports, Recreation & Leisure
- Women’s History
- World History & Cultures
- World War I
- World War II
National Archives Lesson Plans – Topics Include:
- Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1820s)
- Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)
- Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877)
- The Development of the Industrial United States (1870-1900)
- The Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)
- The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945)
- Postwar United States (1945 to early 1970s)
- Contemporary United States (1968 to the present)
- Across Multiple Eras
Newseum Video Lessons – Topics Include:
- 45 Words
- The Berlin Wall and the Press
- Recognizing Bias
- The Digital Revolution
- Getting It Right
- Edward R. Murrow
- The Press and the Civil Rights Movement
- New Apps
- Running Towards Danger
- Sources
- Watergate
- What’s News
- Fundamentals of News
- Fake News
- The 14th Amendment
- Belva Lockwood
- How to Conduct an Interview
Smithsonian’s History Explorer Lesson Plans – Topics Include:
- American Presidency Lesson Plans (Grades 4-6)
- American Presidency Lesson Plans (Grades 7-9)
- Americans at War (Grades 4-12)
- Brown vs. Board of Education: A Landmark in American Justice Lesson (Grades 4-12)
- Comparing Confederate and Union Soldiers in the Civil War (Grades 5-12)
- Exploring the Gettysburg Address(Grades 5-12)
- Design Your Own Monument (Grades 1-6)
- Montgomery Bus Boycott Comic Artifact Exploration (Grades 6-12)
- Poetry and Our National Anthem (Grades 6-8)
- POWs (Grades 7-12)
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Lesson Plans – Topics Include:
- Ocean Portal
- Measuring Biodiversity across North America
- Anthropology Lesson Plans
- Ecosystem Lesson Plans
- Lewis & Clark as Naturalist Lesson Plans
- Sant Ocean Hall Educators’ Guide
- Behring Family Hall of Mammals Educators’ Guide
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian Lesson Plans – Topics Include:
- Manhatta to Manhattan
- The Haudenosaunee Guide for Educators
- We Have a Story to Tell: Native Peoples of the Chesapeake
- Ways of Living, Ways of Giving
- Lone Dog’s Winter Count
- Native People and the Land: The A:shiwi (Zuni) People
Smithsonian National Building Museum Lesson Plans – Topics Include:
- Fuller’s Fantastic Geodesic Dome (Grades 5-9)
- Be a Green Builder (Grades 5-9)
- City by Design (Grades K-9)
- Bridge Basics (Grades 4-8
- Green by Design (Grades 4-9)
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