Let’s Go On A Trip!

My third graders are starting their final research paper this coming week. They will have two weeks to research and write a news article on why their assigned state is a good state to travel to. In addition to the news article, they will have to prepare and present the information they’ve found through their research.

The Storyline

The story is that we are at the Denver airport ready to board the plane. When we get on the plane, the pilot then announces where we are headed. For example, he states “Welcome to the Denver Airport. Our destination today is (insert state name here).”

Each student will be assigned a state and given a packet to record notes as they research the information needed. Some of the information they will search for is:

1. What is the abbreviation for their state
2. What is the capital city
3. What are some well known cities
4. What is a nickname for their state
5. What is their state song
6. State tree
7. State flower
8. State flag
9. State bird
10. Any landforms or uniqueness to how the state looks
11. The climate and weather
12. Average temperature
13. High temperature
14. Low temperature
15. Interesting facts like famous people or big events
16. Why they think this state would be a fun place to visit

Whoa! That’s a lot! No worries though. They have two days to complete their research and then they’ll get started with writing their news article about traveling to their state.

Because our students will be traveling from the Denver Airport, Colorado will not be one of the states given as a choice. So far, we have assigned Mississippi, Rhode Island, Missouri, New Mexico, Montana, Maryland, South Dakota, and Connecticut.

For my students that work quicker than everyone else and still produce quality work, I will be adjusting the assignment and they will be taking a road trip to their state. This means they will have to research information about all the states they will pass through and any worthy sight-seeing spots along the way.

I can’t wait to hear these presentations and all that the students have learned about their state!