I have tried and failed for years to complete a study of all 50 states. We’d start out ready and raring to go, and then the tyranny of all the other core subjects took over and our study would peter out (by the way, to read about the origin of the phrase “peter out,” go here). Part of the problem was that I was constantly trying to add new elements to our study and was not carrying it out in an organized fashion. Enter the Procedure List to Study the 50 States..
The Procedure List
With the procedure list, I now have an organized, systematic way to complete our study. Since I know exactly what to do for each state, it’s much easier to pick it up and run with it. I’ll explain each step here, but I have a printable version of it available in my resource library for your convenience.
1. Complete notebooking pages
The notebooking pages I chose to use were a freebie from Teachers Pay Teachers and are a-m-a-z-i-n-g because they include all the graphics you need to glue onto the notebooking page for each state (flag, quarter, bird, etc.). You can print the state pages in color or in black and white.
2. Read portions of resource books
Note that as an Amazon affiliate I may receive a small commission if you purchase through one of my links.
You can obviously use different books than the ones I chose, but I liked these in particular for their brevity. We are not planning an in-depth study of the states, just an overview. These books should supply the information your kids will need to complete their pages.
3. Watch short You Tube videos
The Homeschool Pop videos are put out by a homeschool dad who seems like a very enthusiastic person. I mean, very enthusiastic. Watch them and you’ll see what I mean.
Socratica videos have short facts about each state and run about 2 minutes long per state.
50 birds 50 states videos are made by National Geographic Kids. These cartoon videos have the state bird for each state rapping about its state. Very unique approach, and very kid friendly.
4. Read a story from “It Happened in America”
Read a story from “It Happened in America: True Stories from the Fifty
States.” This book has an interesting story about each state and makes for a good read aloud. I haven’t read all the stories, so I would always preview before reading.
5. Work on memorizing capitals
5. Work on memorizing the capitals of each state using the “Yo Sacramento” book. This book gives fun facts of each state in addition to providing a fun way to memorize its capital. My kids love this book!
6. Glue on state stamps
If you have never made use of the US Postal History Foundation, you need to visit their site. They will send you, free of charge, stamps and sometimes lesson plans on a variety of topics. Clearly I chose the U.S. stamps, but have also received alphabet stamps, animals, insects, American figures, and more.
Please let me know if any of you use this list! You’ll need to download it to use the links.
