Designing a Tour of 

Washington D.C.
Teacher Page

A WebQuest

Designed by

Curt Nielsen, Instructor

Malcolm Price Laboratory School

 Introduction | Learners | Standards | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits |

l Student Page l Guest Information

Introduction

This lesson was developed to technologically introduce my fourth grade students to our nation's capitol, Washington D.C. Additionally, several students will be visiting the D.C. area in the summer of 2001 on a school sponsored trip. It is intended to provide them with an opportunity to investigate the D.C. sites prior to their visit.

This project is designed to introduce students to Washington D.C. in an organized way. By including the web sites on the page and limiting the students to those sites, wholesale web browsing is avoided. The objective is to get an overview of 10 historic or significant places in Washington D.C. not to learn how to browse the web.

Learners

This project was written for fourth graders. Modification of the project length or written component could make this project adapt to many different grade levels. The project is anchored in the social studies components of history and geography but also includes the writing process and technology skills.

Prior to this project the students will need to know that Washington D.C. is our nation's capital and it's location in the United States. The writing process (prewrite, rough draft, revise, editing g and publishing) is essential for students to be familiar with prior to beginning. Getting bogged down in these processes can take the life out of the project. It is also helpful for students to have had experience with the web and how to access it.

Curriculum Standards

As a result of this project the students will learn about several sites in Washington D.C. They will also implicitly learn the geography and layout of the city.

Standards Addressed

• Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process
• Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions in written compositions
• Gathers and uses information for research purposes
• Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts

In this project students will also use organizational thinking to complete the task. They will need to infer the types of places their guest would be interested in visiting and then construct the tour in a logical manner. One day they may want to only visit historical museums or another day only government buildings. Clear organization is the key. Questioning techniques by the teacher can guide the students in this type of thinking. Cooperative work is encouraged. Many students will choose to go to the same site ie.

The United States Capitol

http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc76.htm

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/medtour/capitol.html

http://www.dcpages.com/Hwdc/capitol.html

Encouraging students to work together and communicate about their findings from these sites will only enhance their projects. Even though they will be doing their own project, learning from their classmates will broaden each students knowledge of Washington D.C.

Process

To accomplish this task you will want to follow the process listed here.

1. READ THROUGH ALL OF THIS SECTION BEFORE PROCEEDING
2. Get your assigned guest from Mr. Nielsen.

The Guest List is located on the WebQuest. Have a format for the students to choose their guest. Draw names out of a cup, use a birth date format (closest to July 4th) or some other way. The key is for the students to hone in on a specific guest interest or hobby that would be supported by a certain site. For instance a person who has an interest in the Constitution of The United States would want to visit the archives found at, http://www.nara.gov/exhall/exhibits.html

1. Read through your guest information. What are your guest's interests? What are your guest's hobbies?

One way to do this portion of the process would be to do this together. Maybe read your guest's bio to the class like you would introduce someone to a large audience or at a game show. Build this up to get the students thinking about their guest's biographical information.

1. From the list of web sites look for places in Washington D.C. that would interest your guest. REMEMBER: You will have a "clue" for a site that you should make sure to visit based on your guest's interests.

You may want to model some of the ways the students could get to web sites from the student page.

1. Look through the list of web sites given and make a written list of those sites that you think might be possible for you to visit.

This could be the first step in the writing process. It will be important for students to know the writing process prior to beginning this project.

Investigate those sites. Make a rough list of possible choices. REMEMBER you will only use ten sites. Choose wisely!

Prewrite to get thoughts down, Rough Draft to get ideas on paper ( I have my students write on every other line for this. It gives them room for corrections or modifications.), Peer Conference, to check spelling, punctuation, and capitalization, Revising/Editing, to make final changes and Final Copy :-).

As you have probably guessed by now this will take some time to complete. I plan on between 3 and 4 weeks to complete during one period per day.

Variations

1. This lesson does not have to be done by students alone. You could choose to have groups, triads or partners complete this project.
2. You don't have to use a map from the Washington D.C. Chamber of Commerce. Any Washington D.C. map could be adapted.
3. You could require that the students go to more than six sites on their tour.

Resources Needed

What's needed to implement this lesson?

• Class sets of computers or computer lab. One computer for each group or individual.
• Internet access to http://infosys.pls.uni.edu/nielsen/nielsen/wdcintro.html
• Any books you may have access to about Washington D.C.
• Paper and pencils to write the paragraphs.
• Computer access so that students could word process their paragraphs if required.

The Web Sites

•The National Zoo

http://natzoo.si.edu/index.htm

http://www.si.edu/activity/planvis/museums/i-nzp.htm

•The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

This museum honors the memory of those who were murdered during the Jewish Holocaust of World War II

http://www.ushmm.org/

•Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

This museum is dedicated to air and space travel.

http://www.nasm.edu/

•Arlington National Cemetery

Established during the Civil War this cemetery contains the former home of Robert E. Lee, commander of The Army of Northern Virginia, the tomb of the unknown soldier and the grave site of President John F. Kennedy.

http://www.mdw.army.mil/cemetery.htm

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/medtour/arlington.html

•The Lincoln Memorial

The Lincoln Memorial honors President Abraham Lincoln the 16th President of the United States.

http://www.nps.gov/linc/

http://www.nps.gov/linc/home.htm

•The White House

The home of the President of the United States.

http://www.nps.gov/whho/

http://www2.whitehouse.gov/index.html http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/justices/fullcourt.html

•Ford's Theater

The theater where President Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth

http://www.nps.gov/foth/

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/medtour/ford.html

http://www.nps.gov/foth/index2.htm

•John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

The Kennedy Center is a nationally known center for the Performing Arts. Several theaters are included in this center.

http://www.kennedy-center.org/

•The United States Capitol Building

The United States Capitol Building houses the Legislative Branch of the U.S. government. The House of Representative and Senate meet here.

http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc76.htm

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/medtour/capitol.html

http://www.dcpages.com/Hwdc/capitol.html

•The United States Supreme Court Building

The Supreme Court Building is the home of the Judicial Branch of the U.S. government. The Supreme Court hears cases and rules based on the Constitution of the United States. There are nine Supreme Court Justices that rule on the cases brought before them.

http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc78.htm

http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/justices/fullcourt.html

•The Old Post Office Tower

The Old Post Office Tower is a great place to see the Washington D.C . sites. This is considered a "hidden treasure" by many guests to the city.

http://www.nps.gov/opot/

•The Washington Monument

The Washington Monument is the most recognizable of the monuments in Washington D.C.

http://www.nps.gov/wamo/

http://www.nps.gov/wamo/home.htm

http://sc94.ameslab.gov/tour/washmon.html

•The Federal Bureau of Investigation - FBI

The FBI is a government agency dedicated to upholding the laws of the United States.

http://www.fbi.gov/

•The Vietnam Memorial Wall

The Vietnam Memorial Wall list all of the American soldiers that were either killed or who are considered missing in action from the Vietnam War.

http://www.vietvet.org/thewall.htm

•Anacostia Museum

The Anacostia Museum and Cultural Center examines contemporary urban issues, including housing transportation, and health care, and their impact upon the African American community.

http://www.si.edu/activity/planvis/museums/i-an.htm

•Arts and Industries Building

The Arts and Industries Building has held many special exhibits. From the First Lady's gowns to the Spirit of St. Louis.

http://www.si.edu/activity/planvis/museums/aboutai.htm

•The National Museum of African Art

The National Museum of African Art is the only museum in the United States devoted to the study, collection and exhibition of African art.

http://www.si.edu/activity/planvis/museums/i-nmafa.htm

•The District of Columbia Visitor Center

Includes information about facts and figures of the greater D.C. area.

http://www.dc.gov/visitor/facts.htm

•The Thomas Jefferson Memorial

The Jefferson Memorial is dedicated to the memory of the author of the Declaration of Independence.

http://www.nps.gov/thje/memorial/memorial.htm

•The Korean War Veterans Memorial

The Korean War Veterans Memorial honors those that fought in the Korean War.

http://www.nps.gov/kwvm/memorial/memorial.htm

•The National Archives

The National Archives contains important United States documents. The Magna Carta and the Declaration of Independence are on exhibit there.

http://www.nara.gov/exhall/exhibits.html

•Union Station

http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc80.htm

It is helpful to have more than one teacher present to help students navigate the web. If other adults at the school are not available then possibly some parents or older students that are experienced could assist.

Guest Information

The guest information for this WebQuest is designed to get you to look at specific areas of Washington D.C. that the guest might be interested in visiting. The guest names and information are fictitious in nature and do not represent any person. There may need to be some discussion as to how the guest information is handled. One way may be to have the students introduce their guest similar to the way a person is introduced on a game show.

Name: Caroline Maxillary

Occupation: Teacher

Street Address: 96 Talk-a-lot Parkway

City: Yada-Yada-Yada, WA

Family: Married and has children

Interests: Traveling, history, reading about Abraham Lincoln

Hobbies: Watching Nick at Night, trains, old cars, reading.

Education: Doctorate degree

Name: Jay Bilateral

Occupation: Sheriff

Street Address: Handcuff Way

City: Safe City, ID

Family: Married and has children

Interests: Cars, motorcycles, gourmet cooking

Hobbies: Hunting, animals, jogging

Education: BA degree

Name: Henry Window

Occupation: Police Officer

Street Address: 5674 Arrest Lane

City: Warrentville, NH

Family: Married and has children

Interests: Playing golf, running, scuba diving, flying an airplane

Hobbies: Building replicas of old airplanes

Education: Associate degree

Name: Alice Vegitales

Occupation: College President

Street Address: 9000 University Drive

City: State University, AZ

Family: Married and no children

Interests: Reading, writing, vacationing, working with retired veterans

Hobbies: Researching the wars America has been involved in.

Education: Doctorate

Name: Marsha Machine

Occupation: Book Store Manager

Street Address: 4625 Reading Drive

City: Reading, PA

Family: Married and has children

Interests: Reading, reading, reading, Dewey decimal system.

Hobbies: Golfing, reading, vacationing, and learning.

Education: Masters degree

Name: Brandon Washer

Occupation: College History Professor

Street Address: 908 Test and Quiz Street

City: Textbook, NY

Family: Married and no children

Interests: Collecting Old English Furniture, restoring old homes.

Hobbies: Learning about the Holocaust, reading old U.S. Government Documents

Education: Doctorate

Name: Christina Flower

Occupation: Sanitary Engineer

Street Address: 4723 Sunny Lane

City: Brainville, NH

Family: Not Married

Interests: Gardening, being outdoors, reading, walking

Hobbies: 10K road walks, World War II history, attending concerts

Education: High School diploma

Name: Debbie Molars

Occupation: Used Car Dealer

Street Address: Wheeler Dealer Lane

City: Lemon City, UT

Family: Not married

Interests: Investments, Historical documents, reading.

Hobbies: Memorizing trivial facts, collecting stamps, eating out.

Education: High School Diploma

Name: Cary Mandibular

Occupation: Doctor

Street Address: 9456 Jaw Road

City: Upper West Clench, NY

Family: Married and has children

Interests: Railroads, cars, antique medical equipment

Hobbies: Collecting cars, building model railroads, reading about U.S. History

Education: Doctorate

Name: Charles Blinkers

Occupation: City Mayor

Street Address: 9087 Clean Street

City: Best City, IL

Family: Married and has children

Interests: U.S. history, the workings of the U.S. government

Hobbies: Reading the opinions of the U.S. Supream Court, reading government documents.

Education: BA City adminstration

Name: Alice Sweet -n- sour

Occupation: Airplane Steward

Street Address: 900 South Attitude Ave.

City: Downland, VT

Family: Not married

Interests: Reading, railroads, movies, cross country skiing

Hobbies: Baking cookies, photographing exotic animals

Education: BA degree

Name: Brittany Computer

Occupation: Financial Consultant

Street Address: 12345 Bean Counter Lane

City: Formsville, MO

Family: Married and has children

Interests: Numbers, math, stock market, money

Hobbies: Reading about U.S. Commerace and other U.S. history

Education: Masters Degree

Name: David Bicuspids

Occupation: Doctor

Street Address: 98 Novecaine Road

City: Ouch City, IL

Family: Married with no children

Interests: Fast cars, cool ties, dancing, golfing on Thursday afternoons.

Hobbies: Collecting Civil War maps and antique government documents.

Education: Doctorate

Name: Alexis Nails

Occupation: Builder

Street Address: 210 Cement Road

City: Frost Footings, AK

Family: Not Married

Interests: U.S. history of the West, animals, World War II history

Hobbies: Pet grooming, furniture building, skiing

Education: High School Diploma

Name: Tery Table

Occupation: Physical Therapist

Street Address: 54 Proper Posture Circle

City: Exercise, IA

Family: Married with no children

Interests: Cross Country Skiing, Running, playing Nintendo, going to the beach.

Hobbies: Traveling, collecting running shoes and American flags

Education: Masters Degree

Name: George Binoculars

Occupation: Financial Consultant

Street Address: 12345 Mula Road

City: Dollar City, MT

Family: Married and has children

Interests: Interest rates, Rocky Mountains, vacations at the cabin, reading history.

Hobbies: Collecting cars, old Wall Street Journals and Buffalo Head nickles.

Education: BA

Name: Simon Hammer

Occupation: Builder

Street Address: 1 Two by Four Ave.

City: Builtmore, NM

Family: Married and has children

Interests: Picnics, watching the sun set, traveling, cacti.

Hobbies: Designing and building miniture doll houses for his girls.

Education: Two year Associate's Degree

Name: Juan Stethoscope

Occupation: Doctor

Street Address: 120 Ninty Over Seventy Lane

City: Colestorol, WI

Family: Married and has children

Interests: Ice cream, cheese, crackers, large things, cow paintings.

Hobbies: Collecting cheese cutters, and antique surgical tools.

Education: Doctorate

Name: Christina Caravan

Occupation: Librarian

Street Address: 123 Sunny Lane

City: Prissyville, AL

Family: Married with no children

Interests: Reading, walking, public speaking, trivia and history.

Hobbies: Collecting historical fiction novels

Education: BA Library Science

Name: Henry Billboard

Occupation: Book Store Manager

Street Address: 47 Sign Lane

City: Las Vegas, NV

Family: Not married

Interests: Legal gambling, golfing, watching sports, how the government works.

Hobbies: Stamp and coin collecting.

Education: High School Diploma

Evaluation

	Nomad Guide 1	Apprentice Guide 2	Expert Guide 3	Master Guide 4	Score
The tour is designed to meet the guests interests, hobbies or occupation	There is no connection to guests interests, hobbies or occupation.	There is one connection to guests interests, hobbies or occupation.	There are two or three connections to guests interests, hobbies or occupation.	There are more than three connections to guests interests, hobbies or occupation.
Tour has a logical sequence	The tour crosses Washington D.C. in a random fashion	There is some sequence evident in the tour	There are many connections to a logical sequence	The tour has a clear sequence and is well thought out and planned.
Written summaries reflect what is seen on the websites.	Incomplete paragraphs or sentences are evident. Many spelling errors. Not done with word processor.	Some incomplete sentences and paragraphs. Word processed some spelling errors.	Complete summaries with complete sentences and paragraphs. No spelling errors. Word processed.	Excellent summaries written in own words. No spelling errors.
Map presentation	Map is not well taken care of.	Tour on map is written with pencil.	Tour stops are highlighted and numbered.	Map is well taken care of. Tour stops are highlighted and color coded to the written paragraphs.
Total Score

The above rubric was developed for this project. It is intended for fourth grade students.

 
Conclusion

This project is intended to give students the opportunity to investigate the Washington D.C. sites.

Credits & References

Thanks to Aaron Spurr of Malcolm Price Laboratory School for his technical assistance on this project. Thanks also to the Washington D.C. Chamber of Commerce on their donation of maps for this project.

The graphics of this page are taken from the Claris Home Page 3.0 library.

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