| Fifth-graders relate to the states By Erica Pippins Montgomery Advertiser |
Learning about geography can be sweet. That's why Blake Tolliver, 11, passed out honey to elementary school students at Alabama Christian Academy as he rattled off facts about Missouri. "Honeybees are everywhere in Missouri. That's probably how they became the state insect," said Blake, a fifth-grader. "Did you know the state animal was a mule? That's kinda funny and cool at the same time." Blake and other Alabama Christian Academy fifth-graders shared their knowledge about people and places in North America during a State Fair at the school Wednesday. The academy's multipurpose room was filled with colorful displays containing flowers, food and other items that are native to each of the 50 states. Fifth-grade teacher Linda Slauson, who came up with the idea for the project, said it is important for children to know the basic characteristics of the state and nation in which they live. While math, English and science tend to get more attention in the classroom, Slauson notes that local, regional and national geographical facts often are tied to the core subject areas. Students frequently encounter questions related to geography on standardized tests and college entrance exams such as the SAT and ACT. "When you study American history, you realize that so much of the way this country developed has to deal with people and places. That continues to be true today," Slauson said. "But so many children don't know the geography of their own country," she said. "So this was an educational but fun way for them to learn about a state that they didn't know much about and to share that information with the other grades." Over the past several weeks,
the fifth-graders collected population, climate, economic and political
data on their assigned states. Students also were asked to research the
state bird and state flower, and to come up with a list of famous people
born in the state.
Their final task was to compile all the information into a report and to make a display for the State Fair. As an added bonus, some students even decided to dress the part. Those who visited Haley Dykes' booth on New York got the chance to see the Statue of Liberty up close. Haley, who was wrapped in a green robe, held a torch in one hand and passed out Apple Jacks with the other. "New York is called the Big Apple, so I had to have some sort of apples," said Haley, 10. "I wanted to research New York because I knew it was a fun place and I found out that it really is. I've never been there, but researching it really makes me want to go." Clay Bumpers, 11, agreed. Clay loves Harley-Davidson motorcycles and cheese, so it came as no surprise to his classmates that he decided to research the state renowned for both - Wisconsin. Clay combined his passion for both by wearing a motorcycle jacket and Cheesehead hat. "You wouldn't believe all the different types of cheese they make there. It seems endless," Clay said. "It was a lot of fun learning about that and everything else. Researching geography has been really awesome." |
