Language Arts, Reading, Social Studies, United States History

Grade 1- 3

Objective

Students learn about a national monument.

Directions

Give students some background information about the Washington Monument:
The Washington Monument is located at the end of the National Mall, near the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. It was built to honor George Washington, who was the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. It took nearly a century for the idea of this monument to become a reality. The United States government was slow in finding money for the monument, so a group of private citizens in the 1830s raised the money to bring their dream to life.
The cornerstone of the monument was laid in 1848 with the same shovel Washington had used in 1793 to lay the cornerstone of the Capitol Building. Construction on the Washington Monument took a long time. Political tensions, lack of money, and the Civil War were responsible for several holds on the building process. The monument was finally completed in 1884.
The Washington Monument is made of stone. A pyramid made of aluminum sits on top of it. The monument was modeled after a classic Egyptian obelisk. At 555 feet (169 m) tall it is one of the tallest masonry structures in the world. The inner walls of the monument are made of marble. There are 896 steps leading to an observation room at the top. Here, visitors can look out windows and see the Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol Building, the White House, and the Jefferson Memorial.
Distribute the activity page and art materials, and allow students to create their own Washington Monuments.

Resources

• Make a Washington Monument activity page
• scissors
• tape or glue
• drawing materials
• drawing paper
• 3598