2.3.1 George Washington Memorial Parkway - View of U.S. Capitol
Visitors to Washington, DC, walk along the pathway to the US Capitol Building.
The Capitol Building, located in Washington, DC, is the home of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Voters in each state elect members to serve in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Together, these two groups make up the Congress, which is the part of government that passes laws. Visitors to the Capitol can see elected officials engaging in the law-making process.
The Capitol Building, located in Washington, DC, is the home of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Voters in each state elect members to serve in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Together, these two bodies make up the Congress, which is the part of government that passes laws. Visitors to the Capitol can see elected officials engaging in the law-making process. The following questions may allow students to make connections between the building and the people who work there: What do you notice about the size of the building? What do you notice about the space outside of the building? Who are the people walking around on the grounds outside of the building? Why do you think they would visit the building?
Some of the vocabulary in these sentences may be entirely unfamiliar to students. Take time to connect the physical structure of the Capitol Building to the groups of people who pass laws for the nation. The Readers’ Theater literacy activity can help these concepts become more familiar to second-grade students.
Photograph of the US Capitol Building with a view of the mall in the foreground.
