As you look at what you want to cover in each state, take some of the following into consideration and remember to mix it up and keep it fresh and interesting!
We hang a piece of white paper on the wall and I list the next state - then if anyone has questions they can put it up there and I will try to include all I can in our study.
When you are ready to get started take the opportunity to get their minds warmed up and make a huge list (that we also have posted on the wall) of places where information can be found about a state. Back in the day lol - I remember we had to write! I know actually put pen to paper - address and envelope - and all that jazz - with a handwritten letter to the State office of the state we were assigned to complete a report for in our class! And then came the World Wide Web!
Some of the places we listed - Local Visitors Center, Internet, Libraries, Field trips
This year I bought composition books (on sale for $.50) and plan to use a format page that can be pasted into the book to introduce the state. Then as we gather other information we will add that behind the intro page. Such as drawing a map. Famous people. I will divide the states up using these composition books. Original 13 colonies is the first "book" we will be completing.
Some things to include in your individual state information -
- State Capital, Nickname, When did it become a state, State Bird, State Song, State flower, State Tree, State Motto, Major product/industry, What is the state known for, Historical facts, Famous sites, Population and where it places when compared to other states, What is the average weather like?
- Native Americans in that state, What kind of government is it a state or is it a Commonwealth and what is the difference? Famous people from your state. Sports teams from that state
- If you are also working on Government - you could include - Governor, Senators, US Representative, Electoral Votes
Hands On
Hands on activities bring so much fun and enjoyment to the "hard" work of learning. Here are some ideas you could incorporate.
- Diorama of your state using a shoe box
- String Art of your state
- Draw a map outline of your state and include capital, rivers, mountains, major historical or landmark sites
- Dough Map of your states - shaping the dough to indicate hills, rivers, mountains
- Collage of state symbols and historical sites
- Draw a poster of the state flag, bird, flower, ect
- Sing a song or play a game native to that state
- Listen to music specific to that state or an area in that state
- Make a time capsule for your own state and open it when you graduate
- Make foods that are famous to that state or foods that are specific to the peoples heritage of that state
Ideas for Cross Curriculum
- Using a map - figure out the mileage from point a to point b on the map - from one historical site to another or from border to border.
- Figure out the "volume, area and perimeter" of the state using the maps measurements
- Calculate how long it will take you to travel from your home to a point in that state
- Read Folk Tales from that state and then write your own
- Create a Tourism Ad to bring visitors to the state
- Research a famous person from the state and write a biography
- Create a mileage chart from city to city
- Do a research report on an animal from the state
- If you get to visit other states - start a collection of rocks, leaf rubbing, pressed flowers, etc from each place. Make sure to label and catalog each item.
- Create a Cookbook of that states food or a Country Wide Cookbook with recipes from each state
- Make a game - word search - Puzzle using photos from the state -
No comments:
Post a Comment