Washington, DC (Grades K-5)
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Explore Washington, D.C. – A Journey Through Our Nation’s Capital! 🇺🇸🏛️
What makes Washington, D.C. one of the most important cities in the United States? How does the White House, the Capitol, and the Supreme Court work together to run the country? Why are monuments, museums, and memorialsscattered throughout the city? Now, your elementary students can take an exciting virtual field trip through the heart of American history and democracy!
📽️ “Washington, D.C.: Our Nation’s Capital” is a visually engaging, curriculum-aligned educational video that transports students to the most famous landmarks in the U.S. From the towering Washington Monument to the solemn Lincoln Memorial, students will explore the places that honor presidents, military heroes, and the values of freedom and democracy.
💡 What Your Students Will Learn:
✅ How Washington, D.C. was designed and why it’s the capital of the U.S.
✅ The three branches of government and where they work
✅ Why we honor past presidents with monuments like the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials
✅ The importance of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
✅ What’s inside the Smithsonian Museums, the National Archives, and the Air and Space Museum
✅ How the National Mall brings together history, culture, and national celebrations
🌟 Why Teachers Love This Video:
🕒 No-Prep, Standards-Aligned Content – A complete lesson, ready to play!
🎥 Visually Captivating & Age-Appropriate – Keeps students engaged and excited.
🎯 Brings History & Government to Life – Helps kids connect with the symbols and stories of the U.S.
📚 Perfect for Social Studies & Civics Lessons – Encourages critical thinking and discussion.
💡 Take Your Students on an Unforgettable Tour of Washington, D.C.!
Give your students a front-row seat to the history, leadership, and national treasures of the U.S.—without ever leaving the classroom! Subscribe today and bring America’s capital to life! 🚀
Video length: 24:30 minutes.
Learning Resources with this Video*
Quiz – PDF
Quiz – Online
If I Went to Washington, DC
Interview A Veteran
Video Breakdown for Discussion
Visiting the Smithsonian
Draw A Scene – Washington: K-5
Universal Resources
National Standards
*Links are active on Full Video page.
Classroom Ideas
Washington, D.C.
National Treasures
Choose a national treasure to research and have students share what they found out about it.
If I Went to Washington, DC...
Students create a list/powerpoint of their top five notable sites that they would like to visit and explain why.
Mapping
Have students print out a map of Washington, DC and identify where the sites in the video are located.
The Smithsonian
Students will research one significant object on display at the Smithsonian, writing a report on its history and significance.
Honor Those Who Serve
Discuss ways on how we as citizens can honor those that served or currently serving
Cloze Practice
A cloze piece has full sentences used in the virtual field trip with blanks where students can write in the information that is missing. This task requires close listening to the trip in order to complete it.
Landmark Sites
Have each student choose an interesting site and make a replica of it as well as a paragraph written to explain why that site was chosen.
Diorama
Create a diorama of Washington, DC’s landmarks. Students could also just focus on the famous buildings in the video.
Veterans
Have students interview a veteran and ask them about his/her experiences while
American Wars
Students will learn about the different war memorials in Washington, D.C. Ask them to choose one war to research and write a report on.
Art and Social Studies
Draw a scene from the video you just watched.
Play Travel Agent!
Ask students to write a travel itinerary for visitors to Washington, D.C. Depending on the amount of time you want to devote to this project and the age and interests of the students, you could make this quite an involved project, involving lots of research and finding images. Work could be presented in a variety of different ways, including possibly a PowerPoint presentation.
Washington D.C. Crossword Puzzle Race
Assign students a crossword puzzle on Washington, D.C. that tests the knowledge they have gained from the video. Make this a race, giving a prize related to Washington to the student who correctly completes the crossword puzzle first.
Create Quizzes
Students create a quiz based on the information presented for their peers. This can be used as a review for a test, or jigsaw class activity where students are responsible for teaching other students assigned topics.
Choose A President
Students can choose a president to do a research presentation to discuss president’s background history, what he was known for, interesting facts, etc.
Running the Government
Visit your local city hall and/or state capital to find out more information about how
Build A Landmark
Use various craft materials to build a model of one of Washington, DC’s landmarks. Discuss how a model is a smaller version of a large structure.
Discussion Topics
Have students talk about the five areas: honoring past presidents, honoring those that have served in the military, Washington as the nation’s government, Washington’s national treasures, and interesting sites. Ask them which was most interesting to them and have them tell you why.
Natural vs. Manmade
Explore the concepts of natural wonders vs. manmade structures. Research how various Washington, DC landmarks were created.
Classroom Ideas for ALL Videos
Here are dozens and dozens of ideas that you can use in your classroom along with our videos!
Topics Covered In This Video
Washington – location & formation
Washington Monument
Lincoln Memorial
Jefferson Memorial
Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial
Arlington National Cemetery
Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers
U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial
Korean War Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
World War II Memorial
White House
Supreme Court building
Capitol Building
Pentagon
National Archives & Historical Documents
James Smithson & The Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History
National Air and Space Museum
National Museum of American History
National Mall
FBI Building
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Videos in this Series
Washington, DC (Grades 6-9)
Related Videos
Grade 3 - How Government Helps Our Communities
Grade 2 - Our Government At Work
