Author: Teri Daniels
email: Teri@TeriDanielsBooks.com
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Grade Levels:
first
second
third
fourth
fifth
sixth
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Subjects:
writing
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Themes or Keywords : The United States, The Feet Across America Club, Share Your Home State | Objectives : The feet from the children's book, The Feet in the Gym, are now touring America. U.S. Teachers who fill out the request form on the web site of author Teri Daniels will receive a free picture book, and an invitation for students to send pictures, facts, and feelings about their home states. Class submissions will be posted online at: www.TeriDanielsBooks.com This unique project enables children to see the 50 states online through the eyes of their peers.
| Materials : - a school computer
- writing and drawing tools
- a book about your home state
| Introductory Questions : - How much do you know about our home state of __________________?
- What do you think a visitor would like to know about our state?
- Students in all 50 states are Americans, but which state features make a lifestyle very different?
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| Introductory Activity : (A) Visit the website (www.TeriDanielsBooks.com) to see the map and project questions.
(B) Listen to the song, Fifty Nifty United States (It plays automatically on The Feet Across America Club Page).
(C) Ask students to gather state facts, pictures and postcards.
Students could investigate the following:
1. famous people from your state
2. annual events or festivals in your state
3. interesting landmarks to visit
4. the most popular vacation spots
5. the state song or state symbols
6. products made or grown in your state
7. the land and the weather
8. the history of your state or hometown
9. the people who govern your city and state
10. facts about your town
| Body : All grades (K-6) can
(1) compile one group letter with the fact findings
(2) draw pictures of places or symbols
(3) select which postcards to send
In grades 3-6, individual students can adopt any subtopic and write a detailed paragraph. For example, write:
(1) a brief biography of a famous person from the state
(2) a description of a landmark, location or building
(3) greater details on the land and seasons
(4) quirky info, such as how a place got its name or an old legend
(5) how a particular state symbol came to be
Students in grades 5-6 can form groups to prepare a state travel brochure. This is a creative way to assemble and illustrate information.
***To gather facts and get ideas, students can visit this helpful link that lists lots of state links:
(Teachers, please remind students to use facts in sentences they generate themselves.)
Visit the web site: The Nifty Fifty States
by Julie Foster from Stone Harbor Elementary School
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/listthe50sju.html
| Conclusion Activity : Send email about your state to: Teri@teridanielsbooks.com
***Send mail about your state to:
Teri Daniels c/o SDDCO
420 Madison Avenue, 7th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10017
Soon after sending, children enjoy seeing their work posted on their home state page, and then visit the remaining state pages to see the country as other students do.
| Vocabulary Words : | Evaluation Activity : Now that we have finished our state project, where would you take a visiting relative? Why?
| Internet Resources Referenced in this Lesson : www.TeriDanielsBooks.com
www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/listthe50sju.html
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