INVENTOR'S WALL OF FAME

This is a cute way to showcase the inventive ideas of your class.  Make sure the students use lots of detail and color with colored pencil for more color choice.  My students always had a lot of fun with this.  Of course it takes prep and thought on the students' part.  Taken from Copycat Press 1987.  It is out-of-print.  http://stores.ebay.com/Copycat-Store

STATE-LANDFORM WEBQUEST

Sorry, I cannot figure out how to get the web quest on this site for you to use.  Here are the pages of the web quest.  I would make a web quest and power point by starting with one I found on-line.  I would find the one most appropriate for my grade level and then adapt it for the concepts I was required to teach.  

PETE'S POWER POINT STATION - great site full of power points

Sheet A and writing paper for a USA Landform Essay:  http://okscribbler.blogspot.com/2011/11/state-exploring-landforms-around-usa.html

Sheet B, Information about Volcanoes and Earthquakes along with quizzes that I used for Extra Credit Points: http://okscribbler.blogspot.com/2011/11/landform-compare-contrast-volcano-and.html

Sheet C and formatted 5 sentence paragraph to help students with their project requirements.  http://okscribbler.blogspot.com/2011/11/state-5-sentence-landform-paragraph.html

LANDFORM - COMPARE CONTRAST VOLCANO and EARTHQUAKE

VOLCANOES
EARTHQUAKES

STATE-EXPLORING LANDFORMS AROUND THE USA

SEASONAL CAPSULE

Taken from Copycat Press 1992.  It is out-of-print - http://www.wix.com/allenheathers/copycat-magazine-fan-page#!about  If I was doing this at home, I would change the boxes to say bedroom instead of classroom.

JOHNNY APPLESEED GRAPHING

WHAT WILL THE FUTURE BRING

I do this at the beginning of the year for 3rd-5th graders.
It is nice to post at Open House.

UNITED STATES WEBQUEST

America the Beautiful

Introduction

Have you ever thought about where you live on this great planet of ours?  On which continent?  In what country?  In what state? In what city?

Do you know that in our country there is a huge bread basket?  A belt made of corn?  A mountain full of faces?  A very grand canyon?  Let's take a trip across this great country of ours to learn some interesting things about where we live! You will be fascinated by some of the sights and information you will discover about our 50 nifty 

United States.

Overview

Before beginning your tasks, read through the whole unit. Pay special attention to the evaluation section so you will know how you will be graded.

You will become familiar with the names and locations of the states by playing games on the Internet with a classmate.

You will become a member of the Annunciation Third Grade Department of Tourism for the United States. In order to promote tourism for our great country, you will learn about various states and choose three that you would like to sell.

Resources

Test Your Geography Knowledge-U.S.A.

On this site you'll practice identifying all fifty states. 

Explore the States

On this site you'll find lots of great information on all fifty states.  Click on More Stories for additional information.

U.S. States

This site is full of information about each state.

US States

Enchanted Learning

Fact Monster

Facts on the United States of America, state and city statistics, US history, US government

National Parks in America

Stately Knowledge

Facts and information about all 50 states. There is also information about the size and population of each state, the date each state entered the union, and the state's capital, largest city, bird and flower. 
Products by State                                                                                                                                                                                

The Process
1. Get a State Folder from your teacher so you can keep your work safe and sound.

2. To begin learning the names and locations of the states, you and a partner will play Test Your Geography Knowledge. You might be amazed at how much you already know!
3. To record your progress, use the log in your state folder.  Each time you play this game you will see how much you've improved!  Play the game three times before you begin the unit.  Then, at the end of this unit you will return to this game to see how much you have learned.  Be sure to keep your log in your folder.  You will earn EXTRA CREDIT for all the states you can locate at the end of this project.  You may practice at home if you wish.
4.  Now you need to begin looking at the states in the regions shown below.  Look at the different regions.  Find the states in the region are interested in.  Find out as much as you can about the states that interest you. 
The regions and the states are as follows:

Great Plains Colorado (CO) Kansas (KS) Montana (MT) Nebraska (NE) New Mexico (NM) North Dakota (ND) Oklahoma (OK) South Dakota (SD) Texas (TX) Wyoming (WY)	Western Pacific Alaska (AK) Arizona (AZ) California (CA) Hawaii (HI) Idaho (ID) Nevada (NV) Oregon (OR) Utah (UT) Washington (WA)
New England/Mid Atlantic Connecticut (CT) Delaware (DE) Maine (ME) Maryland (MD) Massachusetts (MA) New Hampshire (NH) New Jersey (NJ) New York (NY) Pennsylvania (PA) Rhode Island (RI) Vermont (VT)	Southeast Alabama (AL) Arkansas (AR) Florida (FL) Georgia (GA) Louisiana (LA) Mississippi (MS) North Carolina (NC) South Carolina (SC) Tennessee (TN) Virginia (VA) West Virginia (WV)

Great Lakes/North Central Illinois (IL) Indiana (IN) Iowa (IA) Kentucky (KY) Michigan (MI) Minnesota (MN) Missouri (MO) Ohio (OH) Wisconsin (WI)

5.  You are a member of the Third Grade Department of Tourism.  In order to promote tourism, you are to choose three states you would be interested in learning more about.  You will explore various Web sites to gather information about each state that interests you.
You may take notes or write down sites that you like.  You may visit these sites at home and show your parents what states you are interested in.                                                                                                      

You may wish to use the links listed above for research.  You may also use any reference materials in the classroom or school library to research the following information for each of your states.  Some of the information you should be gathering is listed below.  Pay particular attention to red notes by topic.  If there is any other topic about your state that you are interested in, you may also research that.  

6.  Once you have looked at our United States, choose three states you would like to promote this year.  Circle your FIRST CHOICE.  Hand it in to your teacher.  Your teacher will let you know which state you will be in charge of promoting this school year.

outline map of the state showing the location of the capital city-compass rose/boundaries of state physical features-landforms area year of statehood state bird-what eats state flower state flag state animal-vertebrate or invertebrate state tree-conifer or deciduous state motto/song/nickname

nickname chief agricultural products chief manufacturing products important activities natural resources national parks historical landmarks interesting places to visit notable people fun facts or other interesting information

7.  Play Test Your Geography Knowledge again with a partner. Keep recording your scores to see how much you have improved. Keep playing until you feel you know all of the states (or until your teacher tells you to stop).
When you are ready to test your stately knowledge, get a map  from your teacher, take it to your seat, put your name and number on it, and label each state. Remember to keep this in your folder, too.
Before turning in your state folder to your teacher, check to be sure you have included your log sheet, your labeled map, and any information you would like to keep for your project.

Evaluation 1 - Excellent 2 - Very Good 3 - Satisfactory 4 - Needs Improvement 5 - Unacceptable     Individual Participation in the Group ·         Stayed on task ·         Followed directions ·         Used time and materials wisely ·         Knew where to go for help ·         Behaved appropriately and respectfully toward others ·         Resolved problems fairly and quickly ·         Applied technology appropriately ·         Folder information is neat, organized, and complete ·         Completed designated portion of task on time

      Knowledge of Names/Locations of the States - EC points

5 - name and locate 46 to 50 states

4 - name and locate 41 to 45

3 - name and locate 36 to 40

2 - name and locate 31 to 35

1 - name and locate 30 or less  

   Conclusion

Now that you've taken a trip across this great country of ours wouldn't you agree that these are truly 50 Nifty United States?

CONCEPTS WE WORKED ON:
SS 1.2 Recognize major events that shaped the United States
SS 1.8 Use resources for historical information
SS 1.10 Gather, organize, and interpret information using a variety of media and technology
SS 2.3 Locate the 50 states
SS 2.4 Identify political maps: boundaries of state and country
SS 2.5 Recognize landforms on a map: rivers, lakes, and mountains
SS 2.14 Describe how patterns of culture vary geographically


WEBSITES USED:

www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/usaquiz.html

www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/es

www.infoplease.com/states.html

www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states

www.factmonster.com/states/html

www.nps.gov/archive/parks.html

www.ipl.org/youth/stateknow/skhome.html

http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/brooklyn/america/projects.htm

OUTDOOR QUOTIENT OF YOUR COMMUNITY

 By answering a few simple questions you can decide what kind of quality outdoor resources your community has.  Great for EARTH DAY. Makes a fun Class Book to put in the Book Corner.  At the end of the year remember to put the child's test in the Journal/Memory Book.

MAJOR ADDRESS

This is a cute way to show your class how we fit into the Universe.  You might do it while you study The Solar System.  I posted it above the doorway so everyone could see it on the way out of the room.

FURBIT - Parts of Many Animals

Create an imaginary creature for your classroom to capture your students' attention.
Cut out parts of different animals and glue them to a sheet of paper to form your creature.  Introduce the newly created animal to your class and ask them what they think he is.  Name the various animals the new creature was made from.  Write a class story telling where Furbit lives, what he eats, what activities he likes, what habits... OR have students write  individual stories.  Post stories in the hallway with your creative writing.  If you have enough pictures to cut up, each child could do their own imaginary animal.

CITIZENSHIP BOOKLET

This could be used as a culmination of your Citizenship Study.  Students discuss the aspects of Citizenship in the three areas of their life: At Home, In the Community, In the Country.  They draw a detailed picture showing how they can be a good citizen in each of these areas.  After being checked by the teacher for good detail, the students can color.  After all three papers are completed, the students are ready to complete the written portion of the booklet.  Make sure all writing is proofed and encourage neatness at all times.

COMING TO AMERICA - OUR ANCESTORS

When November rolls around and you are talking about Pilgrims, pull this worksheet out for the students to fill out at home.  Have them draw a detailed picture of their ancestors coming to America and color it neatly.  While students are working, you can read the following book:

Coming To America: The Story Of Immigration by Betsy Maestro and Susannah Ryan

This makes a great Class Book for your Reading Corner.  Remember to put it in the Journal/Memory Book at the end of the year.  You might also post these on your website for parents to enjoy.

FOUR GENERATIONS - GRANDPARENT TREES

This makes a cute booklet for the children to look at through the year.  

Before doing this project read one of the following:

Who's Who in My Family by Loreen Leedy

Me and My Family Tree by Joan Sweeney

Climbing Your Family Tree by Ira Wolfman

http://www.wikitree.com/printable/family-tree-diagram.html#alternate-diagrams  is a site that is full of different types of grandparent trees or you can use one you have on hand.

I would send the Family Tree Chart home so parents can help.  Younger students might need a parent to fill it out for them since space is usually very small.

BEAR BAG PUPPET

Drawing the Line in Mississippi by Clifford Berryman: This cartoon is believed to have triggered the teddy bear craze in the U.S.

Is your classroom theme BEARS?  This is a cute cutting and pasting activity for young students.  You can use this also to celebrate the TEDDY BEAR.  Tell your students about President Teddy Roosevelt refusing to shoot a bear cub during a hunting trip.  A newspaper told the story using a cartoon drawing.  Morris Michtom, founder of Ideal Toy Company, saw the cartoon and created a stuffed bear, calling it 'Teddy's Bear'.  The rest is history.

In America, the teddy bear, according to tradition, got its start with a cartoon. The cartoon, drawn by Clifford Berryman and titled "Drawing the Line in Mississippi," showed President Theodore Roosevelt refusing to shoot a baby bear. According to this often told tale, Roosevelt had traveled to Mississippi to help settle a border dispute between that state and Louisiana, and his hosts, wanting to please this avid hunter, took him bear hunting. The hunting was so poor that someone finally captured a bear and invited Roosevelt to shoot. Roosevelt's refusal to fire at such a helpless target inspired Berryman to draw his cartoon with its play on the two ways Roosevelt was drawing a line—settling a border dispute and refusing to shoot a captive animal.

The cartoon appeared in a panel of cartoons drawn by Cliffored Berryman in The Washington Post on November 16, 1902. It caused an immediate sensation and was reprinted widely. Apparently this cartoon even inspired Morris and Rose Michtom of Brooklyn, New York, to make a bear in honor of the president's actions. The Michtoms named their bear "Teddy's Bear" and placed it in the window of their candy and stationery store. Instead of looking fierce and standing on all four paws like previous toy bears, the Michtoms' bear looked sweet, innocent, and upright, like the bear in Berryman's cartoon. Perhaps that's why "Teddy's Bear" made a hit with the buying public. In fact, the demand was so strong that the Michtoms, with the help of a wholesale firm called Butler Brothers, founded the first teddy bear manufacturer in the United States, the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company.

UNITED STATES SKILL SHEETS

These skill sheets will work well with The Great Mail Race and Pen Pal Across America.

PENPALS ACROSS AMERICA

*Works well with GREAT MAIL RACE*
Also can do a variety of "State Activities"
to introduce the students to the
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

As students get penpal letters, put them
in class books and later transfer to
Journal/Memory Books at the end of the
year.

I would have the class write a letter
each month.  Do it as a class, so it is
easier for you and for them.