Major themes or topics: local history, US history, Martin Luther King Jr., landmarks, public figures, monuments, memorials, activism, Civil Rights Movement, justice, equality, nonviolence, symbols

Key content: Students will investigate monuments and memorials to understand how they can tell the story of important moments in our country’s history.

Focus questions: What is a memorial? How is a memorial different from a monument? What symbols are used in the MLK Jr Memorial? How does perspective impact how we view and interpret monuments and memorials?

DCPS alignment: Grade 3 Social Studies, Unit 4 - Living Local: DC Geography & Grade 3 ELA, Unit 5 - Washington, D.C.