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Learning Activity: Washington's Birthday
CNN STUDENT NEWS(CNN Student News) -- The third Monday in February is the federal holiday "Washington's Birthday." Use these activities to encourage your students to learn about and appreciate the famed general, farmer, Founding Father and first president of the United States. 1. Washington and Slavery Pose the following question for students to investigate: How could George Washington, a man who fought for freedom, liberty and justice, have owned slaves? Refer students to the related resources, and have them explore George Washington's opinions of slavery and how those opinions changed during his lifetime. Have students imagine that they are going to conduct a modern-day interview with George Washington. Ask: What questions would you ask him about the issue of slavery? How do you think that he might respond? Challenge students to document their mock interviews with George Washington and share them with the class. 2. The Purple Heart Inform students that during the American Revolution, George Washington established the Purple Heart military decoration, known at the time as the Badge of Military Merit. It was unique because in European armies, only officers were eligible for decoration. Washington made the Badge of Military Merit available to lower-ranking soldiers. Challenge students to find out more about the Purple Heart and Washington's role in its creation. After students share their findings with the class, ask: What does the creation of the Purple Heart tell us about Gen. George Washington? Then, have students arrange to visit a local veterans hospital to share their own works of art, poetry, music or kind words of thanks with some of the hospitalized veterans. 3. Washington's Farewell Address Inform students that in 1796, George Washington issued his final statement to the American public in what has become known as "George Washington's Farewell Address." Since 1896, every year on Washington's Birthday, the U.S. Senate has chosen one of its members to read the 7,641-word statement in a legislative session. Next, distribute copies of Washington's Farewell Address, and select one or more students to read it to the class. Then, pose the following questions to guide a class discussion about the relevance of this document: 4. How Should We Celebrate Washington's Birthday? Inform students that while Congress has the authority to create federal holidays, states and the private sector are not required to celebrate them. States can determine their own legal holidays, and states have not uniformly adopted the federal holiday name "Washington's Birthday." Direct students to visit their state government's Web site to investigate how their state celebrates the Washington's Birthday federal holiday. Have students determine how and to what extent their state honors Washington's Birthday. Then, challenge students to brainstorm ways in which their school or their local community could commemorate the Washington's Birthday federal holiday. Correlated StandardsSocial Studies Standard I. Culture: Students will learn about culture and cultural diversity. Standard X. Civic Ideals and Practices: Students will examine the ideals, principles and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic. The Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/) are published by the National Council for Social Studies (http://ncss.org/). KeywordsGeorge Washington, Washington's Birthday, Purple Heart, Farewell Address, Presidents Day, federal, state
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