Objectives
- The students will learn the definition of a state.
- The students will locate their state on the United States Map.
- The students will use map symbols to determine the boundary of a state.
Vocabulary
state boundary symbols
Materials Needed
United States Political Map, post-it-notes
Lesson
Ask the students the name of our country. Write the name United States on the board. Review the meaning of the term country with the students. A country is an area of land where people live under one government. Ask the students the name of the their state and write it on the board. The United States has 50 states. Each state is smaller than the country. Tell the students today they will learn about states.
Pull down the United States Political Map. Locate the part of the map legend, which defines state and the state boundary symbol. Review with the students the definition of state. Virginia is cited as an example. Have a student locate Virginia on the map.
Ask the students how they can tell where the state of Virginia begins and where it ends. Each state has a boundary. In the map legend find the symbol for a state boundary and the definition of boundary. A boundary is a line drawn on a map showing where the territory of one state begins and another ends. On the United States Map have a student trace the boundary of Virginia using the correct symbol.
Use the post-it-notes to locate and identify states on the map. Locate your state. Write the name of your state on the post-it-note. Place it on the map in the correct place.
Have a student trace the boundary around your state. Have students identify each state that is touching your state. Use post-it-notes and write in the name of each state.
Emphasize there are 50 states in our country. States are smaller parts of the large country, the United States.
Lesson .pdf file (Printable Lesson)