11th February 2012.
The session at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine) was dedicated to the President’s Day holiday in the USA. We decided to start the discussion with a slide show about the city of Washington – the capital of the USA. The club members who have been to Washington city (Valentina and Svitlana) felt rather nostalgic and missed the positive emotions of their trips to the USA.
The next activity was reading and translation of an article about the Presidential foods. We have learned a lot of fun facts about the likes and dislikes of famous Presidents and learned many idiomatic phrases. Our American friend Mr. Battilega was kind enough to explain a lot of difficult expressions and terms during the session.
To memorize the names of the USA presidents we offered a search word puzzle to the club members. They have formed teams and tried to complete the puzzle in 10 minutes. The best score was 17 out of 43 names.
Yana’s team managed to complete a more complicated puzzle in 10 minutes – a “Celebrate USA” Sudoku.
The numerous books presented to the club members aroused a lot of interest. The WOA collection features books on many aspects of American presidency – from the speeches of the US presidents to the first ladies’ backgrounds, from the statistics on elections to the interiors of the White House.
2. • is the common name for the The President’s Day
federal holiday officially
designated as Washington's
Birthday.
• As the first federal holiday to
honor an American citizen, it was
celebrated on Washington's birth
day-February 22.
• It honors both Washington
and Lincoln, as well as all the
other men who have served as
president.
3. The First President
• In 1789, on the 6th of April,
Americans elected the first
President of the USA.
• George Washington served two
terms (1789-1797).
• The newly-built capital of the
country was named Washington.
4. Martha Dandridge Custis Washington
• was the wife of G. Washington
• M. Washington is considered to
be the first “First Lady of the
United States”.
• During her lifetime, she was
known as "Lady Washington".
Unidentified artist, Martha
Washington, n.d., oil on canvas, 29 15/16 x 25 3/16
inches, National Portrait Gallery
5. Washington, D.C.
Washington,
D.C.(formally the
District of Columbia)
is the capital of the
United States.
• It was founded on
July,16, 1790.
6.
7. Washington, D.C
The District has a total
area of 68.3 square miles (177
km2), of which 61.4 square
miles (159 km2) is land and
6.9 square miles (18 km2)
(10.16%) is water.
8. Area
• The area is surrounded by the states of Maryland and
Virginia .
• The District has three major natural flowing streams:
• the Potomac River
• and its tributaries (приток) the Anacostia River and Rock
Creek.
• Tiber Creek, a watercourse that once passed through the
National Mall, was fully enclosed underground during the 1870s
11. Symbol
Official Flower-
American beauty rose - a
symbol of love, beauty,
war, and politics.
The first President,
George Washington, bred
roses, and a variety named
after his mother is still
grown today.
12. Architecture
The design for the City of Washington was largely the work of
Pierre (Peter) Charles L’Enfant, a French-born
architect, engineer, and city planner.
The architecture of Washington varies greatly. Six of the top 10
buildings are located here:
- the White House;
- the Washington National Cathedral;
- the Thomas Jefferson Memorial;
- the United States Capitol;
- the Lincoln Memorial;
- the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
13. Architecture
• Washington is dominated by
- The neoclassical,
- Georgian,
- gothic,
- modern architectural styles.
• Notable exception - the French
Second Empire style : the Old
Executive Office Building
14. United States Capitol
• Capitol has been the
home of the House of
Congress of USA Representatives and the
Senate since 1800.
• The height of the Capitol
from the baseline on the
east front to the top of the
statue is 287.5 ft
(87.6 m)
16. The White House – the symbol of freedom
• Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
in Washington, DC, it is one of the
most popular tourist attractions
• . The White House has been the
official residence of all the presidents
of the United States with the
exception of George Washington.
17. White House Interior
• Visitors on the tour are able to see
the most beautiful and historic
rooms in the house:
• the East Room,
• the Green Room,
• the Blue Room,
• the Red Room,
• and the State Dining Room.
• These rooms are used by the
President and First Lady to
entertain guests and to receive
leaders of other countries.
20. The Supreme Court Building • Located near the Capitol,
this building has housed the
Supreme Court since 1935.
• Sixteen marble columns at
the main entrance of the
Court.
• Above the entrance appears
engraved motto "Equal
Justice Under Law“ designed
by Cass Gilbert.
21. Georgetown University
• is a private Jesuit
university
• Its main campus is
in Washing-
ton, D.C.
• The oldest Catholic
university in the
United States
22. Library of Congress, • Established 1800
Contains rare books:
• incunabula (books
printed before 1500),
• monographs and
serials,
• music,
• bound newspapers,
• pamphlets,
• technical reports,
• other printed material
and items in the non
classified (special)
collections
23. National Mall
•is the monumental green space at the
heart of Washington, D.C., the heart of
the national psyche, and the heart of
civic America.
•This national treasure stretches for two
miles
•The park is home to the Smithsonian, a
huge collection of the nation's best (and
free) museums
25. The Washington Monument
•is the most prominent
structure in Washington,
D.C.
• It was built in honor of
George Washington.
• The Monument is shaped
like an Egyptian obelisk,
stands 555’ 5 1/8” tall, and
offers views in excess of
thirty miles.
• It was finished on
December 6, 1884.
27. Thomas Jefferson Memorial
The Thomas Jefferson
Memorial stands as a
symbol of liberty and
endures as a site for
reflection and
inspiration for all
citizens of the United
States and the world.
28. Lincoln Memorial
• “In this temple, as in the hearts of the
people for whom he saved the Union,
the memory of Abraham Lincoln is
enshrined forever.”
• Beneath these words, the 16th
President of the United sits
immortalized in marble.
32. QUIZ
• Where was the first national capital under the Constitution?
• What is Octagon House?
• What is sometimes called Uncle Sam's Company Town?
• What President got lost trying to find the White House?
• What branch of the federal government met over a market, in the
Capitol basement, and in a tavern in the early days of the Republic?
• What election was the first in which Washingtonians were able to vote
for President?
33. QUIZ
• What is the name of the statue on top of the Capitol dome?
• Why was the Virginia portion of the national capital returned to that state
in the mid-1800's?
• Why does the Washington Monument show a distinct break in color in
the stone used to build it?
THANK YOU!