The Washington Monument

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

The Washington Monument is located in Washington, D.C.

The monument is five-hundred-and-fifty-five feet tall. There is a law in place saying that none of the other buildings in Washington, D.C., are allowed to stand taller than this monument!

An architect names Pierre Charles L'Enfant designed the Washington Monument. In the year 1848, the construction of the monument began. Unfortunately, they did not have enough money to complete the monument, so construction stopped.

The project came to a halt in the year 1854. Years later, in 1876, the construction of the monument began again.

If you look at the monument today, you can tell where the construction stopped and started again because the marble is a different color. Finally, in the year 1884, the monument was complete. Take a look at the Washington Monument pictured below.

• Can you see where the marble changes color?

The monument was built in honor of the first president of the United States, George Washington. It was made to honor the president's military leadership during the American Revolution. The American Revolution was a war that was fought to free the thirteen American colonies from the British.

Below, you can see a painting of George Washington. If you want a closer look at George Washington, take out a dollar bill or a quarter, and you can see his face on the front of the dollar bill and on the front of the quarter.

Every year, more than eight-hundred-thousand people visit the Washington Monument. There is an elevator inside the monument that takes visitors up the monument. The elevator stops at five hundred feet above ground. It stops where the pyramid at the top begins.

There are windows at the top where visitors can see all the buildings that surround the Washington Monument from above.

Say out loud two interesting facts you learned about the Washington Monument.

After stating your facts, move on to the Got It? section to learn about President George Washington.