The Worlds Capital Cities

A reading comprehension lesson about capital cities and why they exist. Includes printable teaching lesson worksheet.

Objectives:

• Students will understand why states and countries have capital cities.

• Students will be able to explain that capital cities are cities in which governments conduct business.

• Students will be able to identify the capitals of several countries.

• Students will recognize that the leader of a state or country lives in the state or countrys capital city.

• Students will be able to describe how states and countries are celebrated and honored in capital cities.

Suggested Grades:

4th Grade - 5th Grade - 6th Grade

Lesson Procedure:

Print the reading comprehension passage and questions (see below).

Students should read the passage silently, then answer the questions. Teachers may also use the text as part of a classroom lesson plan.

Lesson Excerpt:

You've probably looked at a map of a state or country and seen a star next to the names of certain cities. These cities are the capital cities of the state or country. For example, if you look at a map of the United States, you'll see a star on the east coast in the mid-Atlantic region. That star shows the location of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States.

A capital is the home of the country or state's government. All countries have a capital. For example, Mexico City, Mexico; London, England; Tokyo, Japan; Warsaw, Poland and Canberra, Australia are all capitals. Regions and states also have capitals. Each state in the U.S. has a capital; some examples are Sacramento, California; Albany, New York; Columbus, Ohio; and Austin, Texas.

Capital cities are usually large cities with memorials that honor part of the state or country's history. There are many monuments in Washington, D.C., including the Jefferson Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial, which honor two of the country's most famous presidents. In Tokyo, Japan, temples that are hundreds of years old stand as monuments to the past. In Mexico City, a monument called the Independence Monument honors the people who fought for Mexico's freedom from Spain in the early 1800's.

Continued...