Lesson Plans

Use these pages alongside the Mount Vernon Virtual Tour to learn about George Washington, Mount Vernon, and 18th Century life.

These sheets are created by LifeGuard Teacher Fellows Mari L. Harris, Jennifer Schmidt, and Jamie Brown.

These scaffolded Activity Suggestion Sheets give quick, grab-and-go activities for you to implement into lesson plans. The sheets cover the facts, logistics, and stories of the Revolutionary War, as well as George Washington's leadership in battle.

These sheets were created by 2023 LifeGuard Teacher Fellows Trevor Bliss and Shawnel Padilla.

A lesson plan to help students gain an understanding of the lives of the enslaved people on Mount Vernon.  The students will use a primary source document, entitled the French’s Slave Census 1799, to research an enslaved individual in order to answer questions and write an introduction about the person. This lesson was created by 2017-2018 Life Guard Teacher Fellow Donella Smither.

These scaffolded Activity Suggestion Sheets give quick, grab-and-go activities for you to implement into lesson plans. The sheets cover the different roles, responsibilities, and impacts of women in the 18th century, and are perfect for incorporating women's history throughout your curriculum. 

These sheets were created by 2023 LifeGuard Teacher Fellows Pam Stafford and Kate Van Haren.

A graphic organizer to help guide upper elementary students in analyzing and evaluating secondary source material as historic resources. This worksheet was created to accompany Mount Vernon's animated presentation Yorktown: Now or Never.

Did you know George Washington loved hoecakes for breakfast? Work together to cook a historic recipe in your kitchen. Here are other recipes you can try at home.

Did you know there were spies in the Revolutionary War? Download these activities to become one of Washington's agents, decoding and sending messages. Make the messages extra secretive by writing them with invisible ink.

George Washington wrote out the Rules of Civility to practice his penmanship and learn how to be a proper gentleman. Hornbooks were used to help children memorize important things, such as the alphabet or sayings that they needed to remember! You can make your own hornbook.

Artists painted George Washington’s portrait many times during his lifetime and after. Some portraits show scenes from Washington’s life. Explore your creativity by downloading these templates to create your own portrait, along with your own dollar bill, Mount Vernon postcard, horse puppet, quilt block, and fan. 

Explore Mount Vernon’s website and virtual tour to complete bingo! Play in a group or by yourself.

There are many shapes and colors on the Mansion. Use the virtual tour to find more shapes you can find!

Students will examine excerpts from different primary source documents to understand the importance that Washington placed on being proactive about personal health. After the examination, students will create their own health diaries, like Washington.

An inquiry-based module that provides primary and secondary sources to help students answer the question: Why was ice cream an exclusive treat at Mount Vernon long ago? Using a familiar sweet treat as an entry point, students research and analyze the lives of enslaved individuals, as well as the specialized skills and objects that went into serving a single dish of ice cream. Source materials include farm reports, material culture objects, rooms, maps, and biographies. This project was developed in partnership with McGraw Hill Education. 

This infographic tells the stories of people who fought in the American Revolution through visuals, graphics, and primary sources. It reads at an upper-elementary level, perfect for struggling readers, emerging English speakers, visual learners, or the average student. 

Created by LifeGuard Teacher Fellows Shawnel Padilla and Trevor Bliss.

This lesson compares the lives of Frank Lee and Doll, two individuals who were enslaved at Mount Vernon. It provides simplified biographies and guiding questions.

This infographic covers enslavement at Mount Vernon through visuals, graphics, and primary sources. It reads at an upper-elementary level, perfect for struggling readers, emerging English speakers, visual learners, or the average student.

Created by 2024 LifeGuard Teacher Fellows Kristin Pankey and Andrea Thompson

We learn about history from a lot of different sources. These can include written documents and artifacts. However, we also understand history from oral histories, which is the passing down of history through verbal accounts. 

For millennia, humans have used recipes as a way to pass on culture and history. Pepper Pot Stew started as a stew commonly made in Africa. However, it followed the Transatlantic slave Trade from Africa to the West Indies and North America. Recipes like this one are some of the many ways African culture influenced American culture. 

Find a book about horses, pigs, sheep, or cows - all animals at Mount Vernon! - and use this book report to record your findings.

When archaeologists do fieldwork, they often find broken objects. Sometimes they are able to piece together these broken objects through a process called mending, which is like putting together pieces of a puzzle. When an object is mended, we can see what the complete object looks like. This activity allows participants to decorate their own plate, cut it up, and try to put it back together. 

Have you ever looked at the top of the Mansion and noticed a bird? That's a replica of the weathervane that George Washington had made for his house! Using this activity, you can make a replica of your own. 

George Washington was very interested in his family tree and kept notes on it in their family Bible. His records for his plantation also help us trace the families of some of the enslaved people who lived at Mount Vernon. Using this activity, create a family tree for yourself, a friend, or a historical figure. 

The Battle of Lexington and Concord took place on the morning of April 19, 1775. At the time, no one knew this marked the beginning of an eight-year war for independence. However, in the immediate aftermath and the centuries that followed, artists created songs, poems, paintings, and more about this famous event. In this activity, you can explore Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Concord Hymn" and practice writing your own poems. 

Learn about the people who lived and labored at Mount Vernon with this helpful notetaking guide geared towards all learners.

This infographic covers the basics of the formation of the U.S. Government through visuals, graphics, and primary sources. It reads at an upper-elementary level, perfect for struggling readers, emerging English speakers, visual learners, or the average student.

Created by 2024 LifeGuard Teacher Fellows Emily Finch and Tamera Johnson.

Spies in the American Revolution used tools like cipher wheels to secretly pass messages that were crucial to the war effort. One of the most important spies for the Continental Army was James Lafayette, an enslaved man from Virginia that served as a spy for the Marquis de Lafayette.

Use this activity to learn about James Lafayette, cipher wheels, and spies in the American Revolution! 

Did you know that horses are measured using hands? This measurement has been used for centuries! George Washington was an avid horseman and owned many horses during his life. One of Washington's horses, Nelson, was 16 hands high! 

This activity explores primary sources to deepen participants' understanding of the eighteenth century. It also encourages them to practice their measuring skills. 

Coats of arms have been used for centuries, especially by monarchs and prominent families in Europe. An important coat of arms present during the American Revolution was that of Louis XVI and his ancestors. As the King of France, his decision to aid the Continental Army was crucial to American victory. 

George Washington ran Mount Vernon in the same manner he managed the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War: through careful time management, a close attention to detail, and a taskmaster 's sense of duty. Thus it is no little surprise that Washington set his sundial at the heart of his plantation. Sundials were the most accurate tool in eighteenth century America for telling time. In this activity, you can make your own! 

George Washington's fireplace mantle in the New Room is decorated with carvings of farming scenes and livestock. He filled the New Room with these symbols to show his interest in agriculture to his visitors.  If you were to design your own fireplace mantle, what images would you use? What would it say about you? This activity gives you a chance to find out.