Virginia SOL 2.4.a

Social Studies2nd Grade

The Standard

locating the Virginia and United States capitals and Capitol buildings

Virginia Standards of Learning for History and Social Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students find Richmond on a Virginia map and Washington, D.C., on a United States map. They match each city with its government building and explain that a capital is a city while a capitol is a building.
What Mastery Looks Like: Given blank maps, students correctly mark and name Richmond and Washington, D.C. They identify pictures of the Virginia State Capitol and the United States Capitol and match each building to its city.
Common Misconceptions: Students may confuse Richmond with Washington, D.C., or think Washington state is the national capital. They may also use capital and capitol as if both words name a city.
How to Assess It: On an exit ticket, students label Richmond and Washington, D.C., on outline maps, then match each city to the correct capitol building photo.

Lesson moves

Give pairs two maps, city labels, and building photos to place and match.
Ask students to write: How is a capital different from a capitol, and which example belongs to Virginia?
Play a four-card matching game with Richmond, Washington, D.C., the Virginia State Capitol, and the United States Capitol.
Use a map app to compare routes from your school to Richmond and Washington, D.C.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 2.4.a, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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