Rescue from British Attack
Practice: Get ready for some activities.
Activities are designed to be parent- or teacher-supervised.
Step 1
Break students into small groups of 3-4 students. Students will put themselves in the shoes of American citizens during the War of 1812 when the British attacked Washington DC, burning the White House and the U.S. Capitol building.
Step 2
Each group will be assigned one of the two buildings by their teacher that they plan to rescue from British attack: the White House or the Capitol building.
Step 3
Through research on iPads or computers, discussion with their group members, and answering questions provided, students will be able to explain:
- What does “valuable” mean?
- What items would be found within their building that are considered valuable?
- What does their building symbolize to the American people?
- What is a “symbol”?
Upon completion of research, discussion, and answering questions, small groups will share their answers with the class.
Step 4
Questions for the student groups to guide their research and answer upon completion of work (either posted on the board or printed for each group’s use):
- Which building are you rescuing?
- What items are within your building that are valuable
- Why would these items be of value to the American people
- What does your building symbolize/represent to the American people?
- Why would this building be meaningful to Americans?