Learning about state geography widens perspective on interdependent human relationships.
In fourth and fifth grade geography, students generally learn about their state's physical features as well as memorize the capitals and locations of all 50 states. Elementary school geography also includes learning what states makeup the various regions of the United States and the characteristics of those regions. State map activities can take the drudgery out of paper-and-pencil worksheets and turn memorization into a game or artwork.
State Map Puzzle
Have the children color maps of the 50 states and glue them to pieces of thin cardboard. When the glue dries, have them carefully cut out each state and label the backs with the state name; place all the pieces in a bag. Have the student partner up, taking turns drawing pieces from the bag and challenging each other to name the state. If she is correct, she tries to place the state in its correct geographical location by fitting it together with neighboring states until the map is complete. If not, she drops the piece back in the bag and draws a piece for her partner. For an additional challenge, students must name the state capital as well as the state name or identify bordering states, regions or important geographical features.
3D Topographical Map
Mix up a large batch of salt dough and let students sculpt it into the shape of your state or the mainland United States. Tell them to shape the surface to show important physical landmarks such as major mountain ranges, valleys, mountain peaks and waterways. Have students create a color-coded map key for counties, temperatures, elevations or topographical features and paint the map according to the key.
Guessing Game
Ask students to choose 30 to 100 locations in your state or the United States. Create a set of "Where Am I?" cards that show a picture of an important landmark and list location clues. If a student chooses to cover the whole country, he must make at least one card for each of the states. Single state games can include cities, counties and important geographical features such as mountains, rivers, lakes and national or state parks. Multistate games can also include clues about neighboring states and distinctive landmarks, such as the Statue of Liberty for New York City or the Grand Canyon for Arizona. To play, one student reads the clues to a partner and challenges her to guess the location, including the state name, if the game includes all of them.
State Capital Cards
Instruct students to create a set of cards that lists state names on half the cards and state capital names on the other half. They should shuffle the cards and deal five cards to each player. Explain that the game is played like "Go Fish" with the goal being to collect pairs of states and capitals. Students must ask for specific cards on their turn. For instance, if he has Kentucky, he must ask, "Do you have Frankfort?" as opposed to "Do you have the capital of Kentucky?" to obtain the needed card. If she has Olympia, she must ask, "Do you have Washington state?" The winner is the person with the most matches when all the pairs have been matched.
Tags: state name, United States, cards that, geographical features, important geographical
