Column One: Curriculum

The National Building Museum in Washington is offering a teaching guide to secondary school educators leading students on expeditions to the nation's capital.

"Washington: Symbol and City'' was originally created to complement the museum's ongoing exhibition of the same name. But museum officials recognized its uses are much broader and have begun promoting it as a resource to encourage students to think about Washington's architecture before they even arrive there.

Students are asked, for example, to identify six government buildings they will see on their trip, to list the ideals the buildings are meant to convey, and to compare their preconceptions of the buildings against the views they...