PLAN A FIELD TRIP FOR ROOM D4!

Mrs. Desler's 5th Grade Accelerated Class

Barbara Comstock Morse School, Elk Grove Unified School District

You and your partner are going to plan a class field trip from Elk Grove to Washington, D.C. - just in case I win the lottery!

Click here for an extensive map of the United States -This site will take a few minutes to load. How many states have you or your partner already visited?

Using the requirements listed below, plan our route. Don't get us lost!

1. With a colored pencil, crayon, or marker, section off the seven regions of the USA. It's up to you to decide how many of the following regions we will see.

NORTHEASTERN REGION: including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia

SOUTHEASTERN REGION: including North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Virginia, Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi

GREAT LAKES REGION: including Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin

GREAT PLAINS REGION: including Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri

SOUTHWEST REGION: including Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma

MOUNTAIN STATES REGION: including Utah, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada and Colorado

PACIFIC STATES REGION: including California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii

2. Locate and label three rivers we will be crossing or passing

3. Locate and label at least five land forms we will be crossing or passing (e.g. desert, mountains, plains, valley)

4. Locate and label three national parks we will be visiting

5. Locate and label three historical places or landmarks we will be visiting (e.g. The Alamo. Williamsburg)

6. Locate and label three famous companies or business headquarters we will tour (e.g. Campbell's Soup in New Jersey)

7. Locate and label three baseball, football, or basketball teams we will be visiting (remember: they have to be along the route you have chosen).

When you and your partner complete your research, ask Mrs. Desler for a blank map of the United States. Now you are ready to start:

· Draw out the route you have chosen for us
· Label each state we will pass through
· Label all the places you have researched and chosen for us to visit
· Illustrate the boarders of your map

Materials Mrs. Desler Will Provide:

· a blank map of the United States
· crayons, glue, scissors
· atlases
· a list of useful web sites:

Stately Knowledge - http://www.ipl.org/youth/stateknow/

Hall of States - http://www.angelfire.com/tx2/Rockets/HOS.html

Fifty States and Captals - http://www.50states.com

National Parks - http://www.nps.gov/parks.html

US Topography - http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/topo/state.html

On the Road Again - http://www.fred.net/nhhs/html2/otr.htm

Earthrise - http://earthrise.sdsc.edu/earthrise/main.html

Fact Book - http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/us.html

National Geographic Sources - http://www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/maps/atlas/index.html

US Sites - http://www.yahooligans.com/Around_the_World/U_S__States/

USA CityLink Project - http://usacitylink.com/

National Scenic Byways - http://www.byways.org/

· CD-ROMs

Materials You Could Bring:

· magazines or travel brochures for cutting out pictures
· poster board (much nicer for your backing than construction paper)
· markers, colored pencils, or any art supplies Mrs. Desler does not have

Scoring Guide

4 Exemplary

• Criteria for Proficient have been successfully completed
• Poster is exceptionally detailed, with a minimum of "white space"

3 Proficient

• All instructions have been followed
• Border illustrations include one item from Map Requirements 2-7
• Each border item is neatly labeled
• All information is accurate (e.g., locations, spellings)
• Map includes a legend
• Bibliography of sources used is attached to the back of poster. Sources are correctly cited.
• All parts of the poster are clear and easy to read

2 Progressing

• Less than six of the criteria in the Proficient category have been met
• More work is needed

1 Not Yet Meeting the Standards

• Less than four of the criteria in the Proficient category have been met
• The task should be repeated

For questions or comments regarding this lesson, please contact Gail Desler.

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