Introduction

    Your social studies teacher has just come back from the United States capital, and told you that it was an awesome place to visit. He would not tell you why he thought it was so great, but instead tells you that it was something that you needed to see for yourself. 

Your social studies teacher says that you can't leave school at the present time to visit the city, but he has arranged an opportunity through the web for you to see Washington D.C. for yourself.

He grants you the opportunity for a full access to many of the exciting things located in Washington D.C. You will have special access to many of the museums, memorials, and historical buildings that make Washington D.C. an amazing place to see.

United States Capital Building

As part of a class project you can explore Washington D.C. individually or with a group. Your goal is to learn about Washington D.C.. You are to act as a tourist as you explore the historical buildings, museums, and memorials within the nation's capital. As you make your way through many of the fascinating places, keep in mind the geogrophy, the cultural, and historical aspects of the city. Ask yourself questions about what interests within the city you have. Keep a journal to reflect on your experiences.

Objectives:

1. Use geography vocabulary and skills when using maps, measuring distance, direction, scale, and region.

2. Be able to use map elements to answer geographic questions and pin point geographic locations.

3. Be able to describe and distinguish different physical characteristics of places, and of a region.

4. Keep a record of how the physical environment affects human activity throughout the urban and surrounding environment.

5. Create a journal of your findings:

• Figure out where Washington D.C. is (county, state, region, county)
• Use your map skills to locate Washington D.C
• Why is Washington D.C. a significant city?
• Why is Washington D.C our nation's capital?
• What is worth checking out in the city?
• Monuments
• Historical Buildings
• Museums
• Figure out where things are located
• What is the distance between the places you visit (how much time would it take to travel between places?)
• What physical land marks or traits surround the city?
• How would you compare the physical characteristics of Washington D.C. to where you are.
• How do people move around within the city?
• How are humans affected by the physical environment of the region and city.

Step 1: Work individually or with a group to explore Washington D.C. Figure out where you are going. Start by answering these questions: Keep record of your findings in a journal.

Washinton D.C. Characteristic questions:

• What state is Washington D.C in?
• When was Washington D.C. founded as a city?
• What year did Washington D.C. become the United States Capital?
• Who decided where the capital city was going to be located?
• What river does Washington D.C. border?
  

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/us/A0861877.html

Step 2: The next step is to figure out how to get around. Start by finding a map that leads you to the many places around and within Washington D.C..

Many people take the metro to get around. What is the Metro?
http://www.wmata.com/metrorail/systemmap.cfm
http://www.wmata.com/riding/riding_metro.cfm

Washington D.C. Maps:
http://map.mapnetwork.com/flash/?id=15329
http://www.aaccessmaps.com/show/map/dc_subwest (where you want to go?)

* Now that you have a map, it is time to explore. As you explore you job is to keep a journal record of the places you visit, the geographic characteristics of the city and places you see, and other interesting information you find significant.

http://www.ace-clipart.com/
Step Step 3: Now that you have your map ready and you know how to get around, it is time to explore.

Pick six museums to explore and create a journal entry for each.
Choose five of the monument and memorials and have a journal entry for each.
Pick four historical buildings and have a journal entry for each.

USE THIS JOURNAL FORMAT DURING YOU EXPLORATION WITHIN THE CITY: Figure out where Washington D.C. is (county, state, region, county) Use your map skills to locate Washington D.C Why is Washington D.C. a significant city? Why is Washington D.C our nation's capital? What is worth checking out in the city? Monuments Historical Buildings Museums Figure out where things are located What is the distance between the places you visit (how much time would it take to travel between places?) What physical land marks or traits surround the city? How would you compare the physical characteristics of Washington D.C. to where you are. How do people move around within the city? How are humans affected by the physical environment of the region and city.

Museums:

Spy Museum: http://www.spymuseum.org/ United States Holocaust Museum: http://www.ushmm.org/ Smithsonian: http://www.si.edu/ African Art Museum http://www.nmafa.si.edu/index2.html American Air and Space Museum http://www.nasm.si.edu/ American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery http://americanart.si.edu/index3.cfm American History Museum http://americanhistory.si.edu/ American Indian Museum http://www.nmai.si.edu/ Arts and Industries Building http://www.si.edu/ai/ National Zoo http://nationalzoo.si.edu/default.cfm Natural History Museum http://www.mnh.si.edu/ Postal Museum http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/ Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum http://ndm.si.edu/ Monuments and Memorials Washington Monument http://www.nps.gov/archive/wamo/home.htm http://sc94.ameslab.gov/tour/washmon.html Memorials Korean War Memorial http://www.nab.usace.army.mil/projects/WashingtonDC/korean.html Lincoln Memorial http://www.nps.gov/linc/ http://www.nps.gov/archive/linc/home.htm http://www.tourofdc.org/monuments/lincoln-memorial/ Martin Luther King, Jr. Nation Memorial http://www.mlkmemorial.org/ The National Vietnam Veterans Memorial http://thewall-usa.com/ http://www.tourofdc.org/monuments/VVM/ Jefferson Memorial http://www.nps.gov/archive/thje/memorial/memorial.htm

• National WWII Memorial
• http://www.wwiimemorial.com/
• Arlington National Cemetery
  
• http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/medtour/arlington.html
• http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/

• United States Capital
• http://www.aoc.gov/cc/capitol/index.cfm
• http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc76.htm
• http://www.dcpages.com/Hwdc/capitol.html
  
• White House

• http://www.whitehouse.gov/
• US Department of The Treasury

• http://www.ustreas.gov/
  
• Pentagon
• http://pentagon.afis.osd.mil/index.cfm
• US Mint
• http://www.usmint.gov/index.cfm?flash=yes 
• National Archives

• http://www.archives.gov/
• Union Station
• http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc80.htm
• United States Department of Agriculture
• http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome

Evaluation


Picture Source:

Now that you have seen Washington D.C. You will be evaluated on your journal record.

Your Journal Should Contain:

• A map of Washington D.C. with each place you visited marked on it.
• The order you visited places.
• The distance between places you visited.
• The name of the places you visited.
• Each location should have an address included.

You descriptions should include:

• What you liked.
• What was the place (physical description).
• Something unique about the place.
• A explanation for why you decided to explore the site.
• Why the place exists (its significance).
• Your five descriptions about the location.

*** If you are doing group work, each student must have their own journal completed, 
use their own words to describe where they visited.

http://www.ace-clipart.com/	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Score
Journal with Characteristics of Washington D.C.	Only two of the six questions answers recorded in journal.	Three to five Washington D.C questions recored in journal.	All six answers recorded in journal in an organized manor. Students demonstrate their understanding of what they learned from each site visited by creating a well organized journal of experiences.	_/3
Journal Format and Questions answered.	A brief description of the location visited and some of the questions answered.	Most of the questions answered from the journal format, with a clear understanding of the place visited.	Good use of the journal format, and all questions clearly answered and organized.	_/3
Journal Demonstrates Ability to Use a Map. Journal Demonstrates How to Find a Location. Geography Vocabulary Use in Journal Descriptions. Journal Demonstraes an Understanding of The Physical Environment of The Region and City	Shows a basic understanding of map use, uses some vocabulary in descriptions,  and a little understanding of the physical environment of the city/region.	Demonstrates a clear use of a map and how to find locations, better use of vocabulary, and a simplified undestanding of the physical environment.	Student demonstrates significan/proper use of geography vocabulary, maps skills, ability to locate cites, and an concrete understanding of the physical environment of the region/city.	_/3
Charted Distance Between Locations	A journal recording the route of only a few locations and their distance.	A journal recording a route of five to 14 locations and the distance between them.	A journal with 15 or more locations visited, the route taken to visit, and the distance traveld between each location.	_/3
Map with Locations  Visited Marked	A Washington D.C. map with three to five locations marked.	A Washington D.C map with five to 14 locatations marked.	A Washington D.C map with 15 or more locations marked.	_/3

    After exploring Washington D.C. through this webquest, you should have a developed understaning of why Washington D.C. is the United States capital. You can apply your geography mapping skills,  environment analysis, and geography vocabulary from this webquest experience to future explorations of unknown cities you visit and study. You journal creation provides you an authentic representation of your ability to explore, ask questions, and reflect on what you thought was significant about the United States Capital. Your experience may motivate you to want go explore Washington D.C. for yourself, or explore other places around the world in similar ways. 

• Spy Museum: http://www.spymuseum.org/

Smithsonians: http://www.si.edu/

• African Art Museum
• http://www.nmafa.si.edu/index2.html
• American Air and Space Museum
• http://www.nasm.si.edu/
• American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery
• http://americanart.si.edu/index3.cfm
  
• American History Museum
• http://americanhistory.si.edu/
  
• American Indian Museum
• http://www.nmai.si.edu/
  
• Arts and Industries Building
• http://www.si.edu/ai/
  
• National Zoo
• http://nationalzoo.si.edu/default.cfm
• Natural History Museum
• http://www.mnh.si.edu/
  
• Postal Museum
• http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/
  
• Cooper-Hewitt, Natioanl Design Museum
• http://ndm.si.edu/Monuments and Memorial
• Washington Monument
• http://www.nps.gov/archive/wamo/home.htm
• http://sc94.ameslab.gov/tour/washmon.html

• Korean War Memorial
• http://www.nab.usace.army.mil/projects/WashingtonDC/korean.html 
• Lincoln Memorial
• http://www.nps.gov/linc/
• http://www.nps.gov/archive/linc/home.htm
• http://www.tourofdc.org/monuments/lincoln-memorialhttp://www.mlkmemorial.org/

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Nation Memorial
• http://www.mlkmemorial.org/
• The National Vietnam Veterans Memorial
• http://thewall-usa.com/
• http://www.tourofdc.org/monuments/VVM/

• Jefferson Memorial
• http://www.nps.gov/archive/thje/memorial/memorial.htm

• United States Capital
• http://www.aoc.gov/cc/capitol/index.cfm
• http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc76.htm
• http://www.dcpages.com/Hwdc/capitol.html
  
• White House
• http://www.whitehouse.gov/
• US Department of The Treasury
• http://www.ustreas.gov/
  
• Pentagon
• http://pentagon.afis.osd.mil/index.cfm
• US Mint
• http://www.usmint.gov/index.cfm?flash=yes 
• Natioanl Archives
• http://www.archives.gov/
• Union Station
• http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc80.htm
• United States Department of Agriculture
• http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome

Thanks To: 

Mark Bailey for providing the infromation for how to complete this webquest.
http://webquest.sdsu.edu/designpatterns/COL/t-webquest.htm