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A Fun and Interesting Way to Learn All About the State You Live In!
Research the interesting and important people, places, and symbols of the state you live in, and then design, create, and present a "museum exhibit" highlighting what you learned!
Your elementary school students will research the important places, people, and symbols of the state they live in, learn good research and presentation skills, collaborate on creating a "state museum," and design, create, and present exhibits that document what they learned.
What’s Inside
Packed with fun, hands-on activities, extension and enhancement ideas, opportunities for independent and group work, and engaging inquiry-based challenges, this 48-page project-based unit comes complete with:
- For the Teacher: Engaging social studies lessons with teacher notes, step-by-step instructions for all activities, assessment guidance, and inquiry questions.
- For Students: A full-color Student Pack complete with all of the printables, slides, photos, and instructions students need for the activities - just print (or share) and teach!
A complete, ready-to-teach Teacher Pack that includes:
- Teacher versions of all the student printables with step-by-step annotations and notes for teaching the lesson;
- Formative and summative assessments, answer keys, and a full project rubric;
- Instructions and guidance for the extension activities and project enhancements;
- Materials and resources lists, links to articles, videos, and research, plus additional resources for lecture and presentation.
What's Included
- Lesson Plan - Step-by-Step Project Teaching Guide
- Milestone 1: Important Places in My State
- Milestone 2: Important People in My State
- Milestone 3: Symbols of My State
- Milestone 4: Creating a Museum Exhibit
- Milestone 5: Presenting Museum Exhibits
Teacher and Student Resources
- Materials Needed for the Projects in this Unit
- Books About States (Optional)
- Important Places in My State Activity
- State Map Video Activity and Guidelines
- A Place in My State 5 Facts Writing Prompt
- Milestone #1 Inquiry Question
- Where Are They From? Famous People State Research Activity
- Important People From My State Research Activity
- A Person From My State Group Research Mini-Project
- Milestone #2 Inquiry Question
- State Symbols Scavenger Hunt Activity
- State Symbols Scavenger Hunt Activity Answer Key
- Symbols of My State Prediction Activity
- 5 Interesting Facts About My State Writing Prompt
- Milestone #3 Inquiry Question
- Exploring My State Quick Quiz
- Exploring My State Quick Quiz Answer Key
- State Museum Research and Writing Activity
- Parts of a Museum Video Activity
- Parts of a Museum Activity Answer Key
- State Map Guidelines for Exhibit Handout
- Milestone #4 Inquiry Question
- Oral Presentation Mini-Lesson
- New Facts I Learned Writing Prompt
- Milestone #5 Inquiry Question
- Exploring My State Summative Assessment
- Exploring My State Summative Assessment Answer Key
- Exploring My State Project Rubric
OVERVIEW:
This project-based learning lesson is designed to support and reinforce the concepts in a Grade 3 Social Studies unit on students' home states. It is built around 5 inquiry-based milestones that incorporate cross-curricular hands-on projects, formative and summative assessments, independent and group activities, and extensions.
STUDENT/GROUP OUTPUT:
In the course of this project-based learning unit, students will:
Build background knowledge about the important places, people, and symbols of their home state;
Research and write about home state facts, data, and personalities;
Collaborate on researching and creating a "state museum";
Apply what they learn by creating and doing an oral presentation of an exhibit about the facts they researched.
SUGGESTED SUBJECT PREREQUISITES:
Students will acquire necessary background knowledge of their home state as part of this project, and instructional materials for providing that background are included in the Teacher Pack.
SEQUENCE AND PACING:
This project-based unit is divided into 5 milestones. The minimum suggested duration for completing this project-based unit is 5 class periods. However, the unit is completely flexible and can be lengthened or shortened as necessary or desired, based on available class time and interest level.
TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES (suggested):
Internet access
