George Washington Discussion

You have all been given a handout that gives a brief biography of George Washington. On this post, you will be having a discussion about his life. At the bottom of each page are discussion questions. The following posts will allow you to post answers to the questions. You may also comment on other students' answers. Be sure to follow the posting rules, and if you make a comment, be respectful and recognize the person or persons you are commenting toward. This can be a lot of fun.

GW page one

Discussion topics:

1. Do you study the same things that Washington did as a boy? What do you study now that Washington did not? Why do you think what children study has changed? Do teachers and parents still have rules for good behavior?
2. What do you think Washington's surveying trip was like? Would it be similar to a trip to the Shenandoah Valley today? How would it be different? How do you think Washington crossed rivers? Would there have been roads and hotels?

GW page two

Discussion questions:

1. Why do you think being honest and fair helped Washington as a surveyor? Would people buy land if they thought it was surveyed incorrectly? Is being honest and fair important to surveyors today? is it important in other jobs? Why?
2. Why do you think Washington grew many food crops at Mount Vernon? Could he buy food at a grocery store? How was food cooked then? How do you think people kept food from spoiling?

GW page three

Discussion questions:

1. Why do you think Wshington's men wanted to seize power? Would they become rich and powerful? What would have happened to other people and to the country? Why do you think Washington stopped his men? What do you think he wanted for the country?
2. Why do you think the states did not work well together? At that time they all had different money and different laws. How would you buy something in another place if your money was not good there? What would be a better solution?

GW page four

Discussion questions:

1. Why do you think the first years of the new government, when Washington was President, were so important? What would have happened to the country if the government Washington set up had failed? Would that have made a differnce to us today? Do you think he was a successful president?
2. Why were people sad when Washington died? How can someone be "first in war" and "first in peace" at the same time? What do these words mean? If you were to write a Eulogy for yourself, what would it be?

September 17th is Constitution Day!

Hey Class! You know that Independence Day is July 4th, but did you know that the birth of our government was when we signed the US Constitution? That was September 17th, 1787! Without this important document, our country would not have the freedoms and opportunities given to each one of us today!

You may go to the following websites for information and activities about the US Constitution:

http://www.usconstitution.net/

You may also visit:

http://www.archives.gov/

We will be celebrating Constitution Day this week!