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Lesson Plans & Resources
Lesson Plans: Elementary School
The following lessons were developed and tested by Mount Vernon's Education Department and contributing teachers in the field, including graduates of our summer George Washington Teachers' Institutes. Recently revised and expanded, these guides are aligned to national curriculum standards, and benefit from research, historical thinking, and primary sources. These lesson plans may be adapted for use across elementary grades.
Centerpiece of a Nation
Students will use primary images as a model for creating their own "display" of states and choosing a "centerpiece" that defines our nation today. This lesson can accompany the distance learning broadcast, Primarily George.
A Day at Mount Vernon
Students will listen to a story about daily life at Mount Vernon, and recognize the connections between George Washington and his slaves.
George Washington BINGO
Students will learn historical facts about the life of George Washington using the entertaining game format, BINGO.
George Washington's Trunk
Students will learn about the many roles that Washington engaged in throughout his life and create their own “George Washington’s trunk” of objects that reflect these activities.
Origin of the Purple Heart
Students will learn that during the American Revolution, Washington established the Purple Heart military decoration, known at the time as the Badge of Military Merit, and explore the historical and modern significance of this award.
Going by the Rules
Students will be introduced to George Washington’s Rules of Civility and consider their value in making decisions that lead to success.
Trip to Mount Vernon
Students will compare and contrast travel in the 18th century with travel in current times by planning and simulating a trip to Mount Vernon from a chosen location in the colonies.
Washington's Newburgh Address
Students will learn about the Newburgh Crisis and Washington’s Newburgh Address through primary and secondary sources, then write a persuasive essay that compares Washington’s character to a leader of their choosing who has overcome a difficult obstacle.
What's Hidden in the Midden?
Students use the archaeological site George Washington's Midden (a fancy word for trash) to study objects, archaeology, math and science. The artifacts excavated from the midden provide an insight into daily life, diet and furnishings during George and Martha Washington's life.
Lesson Plans: Middle School
The following lesson plans were developed and tested by Mount Vernon's Education Department and contributing teachers, including graduates of the Estate’s summer George Washington Teachers' Institutes. They are aligned to national curriculum standards, incorporate research, historical thinking, and the use of primary sources, and may be adapted for use across middle grades.
Establishing the Presidency
Students analyze primary documents in order to discuss the challenges that George Washington faced as the first president of a new country.
Manners & Mores of Washington's America
Students examine the Rules of Civility that George Washington hand-copied as a teenager. They then classify and categorize the concerns addressed, discuss what it would be like to live in a world imbued with such guidelines, analyze what expectations govern their own behavior, and generate a list of modern Rules covering the same categories they identified in Washington’s list.
Washington & Slavery: The 1799 Slave Census
Students examine George Washington’s 1799 Slave Census to discover Washington as a meticulous businessman and slave owner and to gain information about the institution of slavery in the 18th century.
George Washington & Civic Virtue
Students focus on George Washington’s character and civic virtues and examine the connection between those virtues and a democratic and free society in the United States.
Claiming Common Ground
Students explore why George Washington’s home was able to transcend the sectional differences that split the nation during the Civil War.
George Washington – A Graphic Novel
Students research, examine and understand four major events in George Washington’s life and present them in a graphic novel format.
George Washington's Revolutionary Journeys
Students use cooperative learning, problem solving, and project-based activities to discover journeys George Washington made during the Revolutionary War, create 18th century maps, and compare them to modern state boundaries, towns, and roads.
George Washington Crossing the Delaware
Students explore and describe Emmanuel Leutze's painting, "George Washington Crossing the Delaware," and research the artist, the Revolutionary war at the time depicted, and the work itself. They then write and perform a one-act play dramatizing the events and action leading up to the crossing.
George Washington in Song
Students investigate and analyze the historical significance of the Revolutionary War song, “Yankee Doodle” and create their own “Yankee Doodle”-style verses about the War.
In Remembrance of George Washington
Students write a eulogy describing the important contributions George Washington made to our country.
My Very Own Washington Exhibition
Students use multiple research sources to choose objects and curate their own exhibition on a specific theme of George Washington’s life.
Surveying Our First President
Students examine George Washington's journals and surveys and use a GPS device to survey and map a site at their school.
American Colonists Protest Song
Students take on the role of a member of the Sons or Daughters of Liberty and write a song, in the genre of their choice, to protest one or more of the British Acts or actions between 1763 and 1774 that eventually led to the American Revolution.
Lesson Plans: High School
The following lesson plans were developed and tested by Mount Vernon's Education Department and contributing teachers, including graduates of our summer George Washington Teachers' Institutes.. The lessons are standards-aligned, incorporate research, historical thinking, and the use of primary sources, and may be adapted for use across grade level.
Who Are Our Greatest Presidents?
Students will use a systematic analytical method to compare past presidents and current or potential future presidents and determine their own research-based ranking system.
From George to Martha: Writing a Sonnet Using Primary Sources
Only two letters from George Washington to Martha Washington are known to exist, as Martha destroyed personal correspondence after his death. From these two surviving documents, historians have long tried to analyze the relationship between the two. In this assignment, students will perform their own analyses by reading the letters and writing an original English sonnet – a poetic form often used to convey themes of love, romance, and relationships – from George Washington to his wife, Martha.
Using Political Cartoons to Understand Historical Events
Mount Vernon invited several well-known political cartoonists from newspapers across the country to draw cartoons focusing on major issues of George Washington’s presidency. Students will analyze uncaptioned versions of these cartoons and background information about the historical issues depicted, create their own captions and exhibit labels, and then compare their writing with the originals.
Exploring George Washington's Leadership
This lesson plan uses primary documents, such as Washington's Circular to the Governors, to explore the relationship between the many roles in George Washington's life and his leadership characteristics.
George Washington and the Classics
The intent of this lesson is to familiarize students with the similarities and differences in the views of classical philosophers and George Washington.
George Washington's Foreign Policy
This lesson will connect Washington’s Farewell Address to later presidential foreign policy messages and determine the influence of George Washington’s message had on the nation’s posterity.
The Man Who Made the Presidency
Students will analyze George Washington’s role in defining the presidency and learn how his legacy continues to impact the office today.
Apotheosis of George Washington
Students will examine 19th century art and primary documents to identify the symbolism used to communicate George Washington’s apotheosis.
Meet the Press: American Presidents
Using the weekly news show “Meet the Press” as a model, students will portray George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Barack Obama in a television interview. Students will develop answers to the host’s questions by researching primary documents and current news articles.
What Makes a General?
This lesson explores George Washington’s leadership and character as commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary War by bringing to life the relationships between him and his generals as they fought for our nation’s freedom.
The Right Choice
Students will discuss the selection of George Washington as commander of the Continental Army, evaluate his qualifications, and decide if he was, indeed, the right choice.
George Washington Stood Here – On the Issue of Slavery
Students will examine George Washington's role as a man who fought for and led our country in the belief that "all men are created equal" while also owning slaves.
