National Archives Reflect on your time at the National Archives.

I learned that the Declaration of Independence was inspired by the Magna Carta. I liked seeing the murals on the wall and figuring out who they were. I also liked seeing the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I was surprised they were so faded. US Capitol What is the significance of the Capitol building? What goes on here and why is it important? The Capitol building is significant because it is where the senators and representatives meet. They discuss important issues and make laws. It is important that they make laws so that our country works well. Reagan Building Other than the food experience, reflect on your time spent at the Reagan Building. I didnt have time to see anything besides the food court. It took a long time to get our food. But it was fun to go to the Reagan Building because Ronald Reagan was a good president. Lincoln Memorial Reflect on your experience at the Lincoln Memorial. I learned that the memorial has 36 columns that represent the number of states when Lincoln was president. The memorial has the Gettysburg Address on the left and the Second Inaugural Address on the right. There is an error in the inscription of the Second Inaugural Address. Martin Luther King Jr. gave the I Have a Dream speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial. World War II Memorial Reflect on your experience at the World War II Memorial. I learned that the two arches represent the fighting in the Atlantic and the Pacific. In the Atlantic we fought the Germans and in the Pacific we fought the Japanese. There are also pillars for all the states and I liked finding the North Carolina pillar. Day 1 Favorite Thing I liked seeing all the statues from the different states at the Capitol. My favorite statue was Helen Keller. Her statue came from Alabama.

White House Today you had the opportunity to view the White House. Reflect on your time at the White House. I learned that the first president to live in the White House was John Adams. I liked seeing the backyard. I can imagine the Presidents dog running around in the yard. My house and the White House are the same color and both houses have a backyard. My house is different because I have woods behind my house. The White House is different from my house because it is way bigger and has government offices in it. Would you ever like to be the president of the United States? Why or why not? It would be fun to be president if they had a pool and a trampoline in the White House. But I wouldnt really like to be the president because I would have to work very hard. I think it is a very stressful job. Fords Theater and the Peterson House Describe the significance of these two locations. Why are they important? The Fords Theater is important because Abraham Lincoln was shot there. The Peterson House is important because Abraham Lincoln was taken there after he was shot and he died there. Smithsonian Museum What museums did you visit today? Air and Space Museum Museum of Natural History Museum of American History Which museum was your favorite? Why? The Air and Space Museum was my favorite because I love science. It was so cool because they had a lot of hands on things that were like science experiments. Which museum was your least favorite? Why? The Museum of American History was my least favorite. I was disappointed that Oscar the Grouch and Darth Vader werent there anymore. Also, half of the museum was closed for renovations. Reflect on your experience at the Smithsonian Museums: There were a lot of cool and interesting things to see in the museums. I would have liked to see more things if my foot didnt hurt so bad. It was hard to walk so much on it. I really liked the bug exhibit in the Museum of Natural History because there were a lot of different kinds of bugs

and they were alive. Pentagon City Mall Other than the food, reflect on your experience of the Pentagon City Mall. It was nice that the mall didnt have security at the doors. After dinner we had a hard time finding a bathroom. At the bathrooms we met a man who works at the Reagan Building. He was from Detroit, Michigan. Pentagon 9/11 memorial What is the significance of this memorial? This memorial is to remember the people who died there on September 11, 2001. Some of the people who died worked in the Pentagon and some of the people were on the airplane. Reflect on your experience at the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial. It was interesting that we couldnt take pictures of the Pentagon. It was also interesting that the youngest person who died was only 3 years old. Iwo Jima Memorial Reflect on your experience at the Iwo Jima memorial. The Iwo Jima Memorial is for the Marines. Iwo Jima is an island near Japan. The memorial show six men raising the American flag. The sculpture was made from a picture so the faces on the sculpture are real people. Day 2 My Favorite Thing My favorite thing was seeing the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial. It is interesting that there is a memorial for something that happened the year I was born. It was very sad that so many people died, especially for a 3 year old to die that way.

Arlington National Cemetery How did you feel about being at Arlington? I felt sad for all the people who died, especially the ones who died in war. You had the opportunity to witness a changing of the guard ceremony. Whoat did you think of that experience? I thought it was really cool, but I couldnt see most of it. Its amazing that they guard the tomb all the time even in bad weather. What is the significance of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier? So we can honor the soldiers that we dont know, the soldiers that cant be identified and the soldiers who had to be buried in foreign countries. Reflect on your experience. It was cool to see President Kennedys grave and the eternal flame. I wanted to learn more about the eternal flame and I found out that it has gone out before. One time a Catholic school group poured holy water on the eternal flame and it went out.

MLK Memorial Reflect on your experience at the MLK Memorial. I liked the MLK Memorial because he made a big difference in our country in the civil rights movement. I read some of the quotes on the wall around the memorial and they were really good. FDR Memorial Reflect on your experience at the FDR Memorial. FDR was president during the Great Depression and World War II. He was the only president elected four times. I learned that he was in a wheel chair because he had polio, but he kept his wheel chair a secret. Thomas Jefferson Memorial Reflect on your experience at the Thomas Jefferson memorial. I learned that FDR had the Thomas Jefferson Memorial built because he liked Thomas Jefferson so much. I learned that the sculpture hid some of Thomas Jeffersons favorite things behind his coat. There were books and tobacco and some other stuff. Old Post Office Pavilion Other than your food experience, reflect on your time at the Old Post Office Pavilion It was very crowded and we didnt have much time. I didnt see anything besides the food court.

Korean War Memorial Reflect on your experience at the Korean War Memorial I learned that the Korean War was between North and South Korea. The memorial has 19 statues of soldiers walking through a field. There is also a wall with pictures of actual soldiers engraved on it. Vietnam War Memorial Reflect on your experience at the Viet name War Memorial There were a lot of names on the wall which was very sad. People left things like teddy bears, pictures and flowers for the people they knew on the wall. The wall is in the shape of a V. The names are listed in the order of when they died. The girl who designed the memorial was only 19 years old. Select TWO of the memorials and compare and contrast them. The Lincoln Memorial and the MLK Memorial are similar because both of them fought to help African Americans have better rights. Both their memorials are white stone had have them carved really big. Both memorials also have quotes by them. They are different because Lincolns memorial is like a building and MLKs memorial is out in the open. Reflect on your favorite experience for day 3. My favorite thing about day 3 was the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. It was fun to find the hidden things behind his coat. It was cool that FDR could see Thomas Jefferson in the memorial from the White House. Describe the importance of your Washington, DC experience. It was important to learn about the history of our country and see all the things first hand. I think everything was interesting and I liked all of it. The only thing I disliked was not being able to see our representative. I would have liked to spend more time at the Museum of Natural History and the Air and Space Museum. I learned that there are a lot of good people who helped to make our country great and it is important to remember them and honor them.