Great Cities of the World: London

Great Cities of the World: London
Louisa Adams: First Ladies' Lives

Skill: Elementary School
Time Required: Two to three class periods

Required Documents

Introduction:

Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, wife of the sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams, is the only First Lady to be born outside of the U.S. She was the daughter of Joshua Johnson, a diplomat and businessman who spent a large period of his life in England. Her mother, Catherine Nuth Johnson, was born in London. Louisa’s father moved to England from Maryland in 1771. London, the capital of England, is a very old city with a lot of history and some very famous landmarks and attractions.

Objectives:

1. Students will be able to identify important landmarks and attractions in London, England.

2. Students will use the Internet to locate facts about famous London landmarks.

Materials Required:

Computer with Internet; projector and white board to show “youtube” video; KWL London Chart; Landmarks of London worksheet

Procedures:

1. The teacher will introduce the lesson by asking students what they know about London. The class will fill out a KWL chart about London. They will only fill out the “Know”, and “Want to Know” Sections of the chart. The “Learned: section will be filled out after the investigation.

2. The teacher will then project the video, :London: Tour of the City” located below, to serve as a basic introduction to the lesson

3. The teacher will split the class into partners. Any method used to do this is acceptable but the teacher may want to create mixed ability partnerships. Each group of partners will be assigned a London landmark. There is a list of attractions on the linkable website below called London Pass.com.

4. The students will go to the London Pass site and research their landmark. They will record their answers on the “Landmarks of London” worksheet. When this is complete each pair of students will present their findings to the class. During the presentations the rest of the class can add new learning to the “learned” section of their KWL chart.

Extending the Lesson:

Having the students investigate other major cities using the same process could extend this lesson. Major cities all have tourism sites that will aid in these investigations.

Sources & Resources:

Books:

Perry, Joshua and Kerr, Emily. London Unlocked: A Guide Book for Kids. Factfinder Guides, 2011.

Sasek, Miroslav. This Is London. Universe, 2004.

Websites:

London: Tour of the City

London Pass

Credits:

This lesson was developed by Robert McClelland, Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

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