Virginia SOL VS.12

Social Studies4th GradeVirginia: 1900 to Present

The Standard

The student will use history and social science skills to recognize why Virginia is known as the “Mother of Presidents”.

Virginia Standards of Learning for History and Social Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify the eight U.S. presidents born in Virginia. They explain that Virginia earned its nickname because more presidents were born there than in any other state.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students can name several Virginia-born presidents, including Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. They use the number of Virginia-born presidents as evidence when explaining the nickname.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think the nickname means presidents' mothers came from Virginia. They may also confuse being born in Virginia with living there or owning land there.
How to Assess It: Give an exit ticket: “Explain Virginia’s presidential nickname in one sentence. Then name at least four presidents born in Virginia.”

Lesson moves

Give pairs president cards, birthplace cards, and a Virginia map, then have them match each president and mark his birthplace.
Ask, “Does birthplace alone explain the nickname?” Students discuss the eight presidents and Virginia’s influence on early national leadership.
Play a card sort relay where teams separate Virginia-born presidents from other presidents, then check their choices with an answer key.
Use photos of Virginia presidential homes to plan a labeled map route linking three historic sites with the presidents connected to them.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to VS.12, 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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