The White
House is in Washington D.C., the capital of the U.S.A.
While Congress
debated where to build the president's house, George Washington
the first president of the U.S.A., lived in three houses.
The first
two were in New York City. The third was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Finally
Washington decided to compromise. He picked a patch of land on
the Potomac river. Both Maryland and Virginia gave land to this
new capital.
It was George
Washington who named the land, the District of Columbia, in
honor of Christopher Columbus.
James Hoban,
a young Irish American architect, designed the house. The first
stone was laid on October 13, 1792, and it took eight year for
the house to be finished.
During the War
of 1812, the British troops set fire to this residence. When
the war was over, the house was rebuilt and repainted white to
cover the smoke marks. People began to call it The White
House.
Some other
facts about the White House:
There are
132 rooms in all; 11 bedrooms and 39 bathrooms.
The State
Dining Room can accommodate 140 guests.
The East
Room is the biggest room in the White House and is where the
president and the first lady give parties.
The
President's office is called the Oval Office because of its
shape.
Using this
article the students can make up appropriate questions:
Who was
the first president of the U.S.A.?
Who
designed the White House?
They can also
work in groups and do some research in Internet, looking for
"curious" information regarding the presidents who lived
there.
Here are some:
Franklin
D. Roosevelt got permission to build a pool and add a movie
theater.
Dwight D.
Eisenhower was the first president to use a helicopter that took
off and landed on the White House lawn.
All of the
students' research can be photocopied and given to each
student.
It's wise not
to underestimate the value of class projects. Apart from
stimulating motivation, it broadens the students' general
knowledge on various interesting subjects. It's also an
excellent way to have all the students participate.
A Nice Thought
"Loyalty
to the country always. Loyalty to the government when it
deserves it."
Mark Twain