Who were George and Martha Washington?
Display for students the following portraits of George and Martha Washington from the National Portrait Gallery: Display portrait 9 and portrait 12: Ask students to look at the portraits carefully to see what they reveal about the people portrayed. The following questions may help guide this analysis: • What are the people wearing? • How is their hair styled? • What is in the background of the picture? • What can you tell about the people from how they are posed and the expressions on their faces? (If students have watched the popular PBS show “Antiques Roadshow,” they may already be familiar with this method of analyzing portraits for clues.) Ask each student to contribute a descriptive word to characterize the person in each portrait. Write their words on the chalkboard. If students havent already guessed the people in the portraits, tell them who they are. Also let students know that George Washington, our first President, is known as the “Father of Our Country” and that he and his
