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Moffat's Travels

On this day...Dolley Madison comes to the rescue!

8/23/2015

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Moffat was fortunate enough to view the painting of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC.
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In 1814, James Madison was the president of the United States and the US was once again at war with the British during the War of 1812. President Madison left the White House to visit troops, advising his wife, Dolley, to be ready to leave the White House at a moments notice. On August 23, when she received word for evacuation, she ordered the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington to be saved.  The frame was broken (it was bolted to the wall) and the canvas was rolled and evacuated before the British troops occupied and burned the White House. Due to the damage, the Madisons were never able to reoccupy the White House again.
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To learn more about the portrait and the story of Dolley, take the time to explore the links below or read the book that can be found on Amazon.

Smithsonian interactive portrait
Dolley madison book on amazon
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Visiting Our Founding Father's Home: Looking at George Washington's Mount Vernon Through Shapes

6/21/2015

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In honor of Father's Day, I thought I would share with you some of the research and work of my students while we studied George Washington and Mount Vernon.  

I either tie my studies to our geographic studies of the states or to our timeline studies when I am planning.  This extended study on George took place while we were studying VA (the week was                                              packed as there is SO much to look                                            at).

Moffat's friend, Zerah, gave him some royal treatment earlier in the winter and my kids truly enjoyed the photographs.  Mount Vernon continues to expand the visual choices for the virtual tour.  As it is impossible to actually take my students there, this offered a rather amazing substitute. They enjoyed having the ability to investigate rooms, rotate to see various angles and have more information available about the artifacts in the room.

Since I use an interdisciplinary approach in my classroom, drawing Mount Vernon using shapes seemed like such a natural crossover into math (we had been studying decomposing shapes in our math unit).  I am always amazed at what students can do if you have them follow you step by step.  All of the Mount Vernons had their own distinct look, but one could definitely tell which historic landmark had been drawn.  

I really enjoyed combining our books and research with Mount Vernon's online resources with our classroom art.  The students were completely engaged and my only regret was that I wanted more time!

If you have not seen the amazing Mount Vernon virtual tour, click the link below to see more!

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Mount Vernon Virtual Tour
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Moffat's friend Jill (and her history boyfriend George)...

6/17/2015

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One of Moffat's biggest fans and traveling hosts is Jill.  Jill lives in Florida and takes advantage of EVERY history program that she can when she is not teaching.  She originally met Moffat while at the NEH Benjamin Franklin class in Philadelphia.  She LOVES George Washington as you can see and is a teacher at the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute.  Moffat is very fortunate to have such an amazing host!
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Moffat's Friends...Zerah 

5/10/2015

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Special thanks to Zerah and the rest of the educational staff for hosting Moffat for some fabulous inspiration and learning at Mount Vernon.  The kids have had a grand time looking at the pictures of his adventures and we have enjoyed some cross curricular learning activities.  Stay tuned to see more of our fun!
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Happy Mother's Day with Martha Washington

5/10/2015

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Moffat was fortunate enough to visit Mount Vernon recently with Manager of Educational Resources and Outreach, Zerah Jakub.  On his tour, Moffat enjoyed some VIP treatment.  His photographs were an inspiration for my students to take a closer look at the architecture, gardens and fashion of the time.  Keep an eye out for upcoming posts inspired by his visit.  Please click on the link below to learn more about Martha from Mount Vernon.
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This video clip from Kids.gov, Martha speaks of her grandchildren, Nelly and  "Wash", the newest fashions of the time and the new treat called ice cream.  Click on the link below to learn more from Colonial Williamsburg about how to make ice cream.

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This past week, our fifth grade students were fortunate enough to spend the afternoon with Mike and Sharon Guli of Guli Productions.  Mike and Sharon are experts on period clothing and are captivating in the classroom with students presenting period dress and etiquette.  
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    Christy Howard
    Author

    Passionate about photography, travel and teaching social studies to young learners.

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  • About
  • Honors and Continued Work
  • Moffat's Blog
  • My Support People
  • Geography in the Classroom
  • History In The Classroom
  • #Blog365