Grade 7 Soaks Up History in Washington, D.C.

Another entry from Andy Johnson to Grade 7 parents!

“Day Four, 5 June 2012 was a day that we went a little slower than we had in the previous two days. We visited the Georgetown University bookstore for souvenirs and then headed downtown to visit the Newseum. The Newseum is not part of the Smithsonian, but is a private, not-for-profit museum sponsored, in part, by major news organizations. Its purpose is to highlight the importance of our First Amendment rights. We began our visit by participating in a pre-arranged lesson on the press and the Civil Rights Movement. One of the teachers from the museum’s education staff led the lesson. It was a fantastic introduction to the Civil Rights movement and the rights enshrined in the First Amendment.

Another exhibit of note was: eight sections of the Berlin Wall AND an entire East German guard tower from East Berlin! It was an incredible exhibit. Having been a young soldier in West Germany in the mid 80s it was cool for me to remember that time. Many of our kids were as interested as I was. Another exhibit that was especially interesting for the kids was the exhibit on the FBI’s use of media exploitation to fight the “Global War on Terror.” The museum was incredibly worthwhile.

Today we are visiting the White House, the Capitol and the National Archives. Mr. O, Robyn and I are planning a “National Treasure” style scavenger hunt for an evening activity to complement our viewing of the Declaration and the Constitution.”

Andy, Aaron, and Robyn