Grade: Elementary

#2758. Revised state capital game

Social Studies, level: Elementary
Posted Mon Dec 9 21:03:57 PST 2002 by CSUH students ().
Materials Required: 3x5 cards, list of states and their capitals
Concepts Taught: learning state capitals

STATE CAPITAL GAME
Adapted by: Anne Mumper, Nina Hyland, Janet Hampton, Pauo Te'o

Focus: To help students learn and know all the state capitals by memory
Primary Subject - Social Studies
Grade Level -- 5th grade
Objective:
Learning Objective:Students will name the 50 states and each state's capital from memory with 100% accuracy.

Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge: Students will memorize and recall the names of the 50 states and their state capitals.

CA State History/Social Science Content Standards: US History and Geography 5.9: Students know the location of the current 50 states and the names of their capitals.

California Standards for the Teaching Profession:
Standard for Planning Instruction and Designing Learning Experiences for All Students:Using a variety of instructional strategies and resources to respond to students' diverse needs.

Materials:
Deck of 3x5 cards to write on
List of the 50 capitals and states (in order from which they entered the U.S.)
Overhead
Transparency with directions written on it

Organization:
Students will be seated at their desks. After introduction, choose students who have been paying the most attention to pass out index cards with the capitals and states written on them.
I will have the students clear their desks and lay card(s) flat so their neighbors can see their cards. If after 5 seconds no one has answered, neighbors can tip off the person who has the state that needs to be read out loud.

Introduction: Please clear your desks.
Silently raise your hand if you have been studying the list of the 50 capitals and states at home. Ask students: Who thinks they can list them all without looking at the paper? Who thinks they can list most of them?
Since you all have had the list for awhile, today I thought we would play a game to see how many state capitals you have learned/memorized.
Here is how the game works: On each 3x5 index card I have written the name of a state capital on the lower half and a state on the top. I will pass out all of the cards; some of you will have more than one card. One of the cards will say, Start, at the top. Whoever has the Start card goes first. He/she will stand by his/her desk and say loud and clear, "Dover is the capital OF. . ." and the student with the Delaware card will stand up by his/her desk(as the other person sits down) and say, "DELAWARE! He/she then reads the bottom of the card and says, " Harrisburg is the capital OF.." and the person with the correct state will stand up and say what is on his/ her card, and so on..until we reach the very last card, which says a state on the top and END at the bottom. During the game, If no one answers in 5 seconds, then each of you will look at your neighbor's cards and tip off the person who has the card with the correct match. I will choose a few students to quickly demonstrate the activity. I will then check for understanding. I will leave the directions of the game on the overhead, in case students forget what to do.

THROUGH (Playing the game)
After passing out the cards, we will play the game. I will remind the students that I am looking for students who demonstrate good sportsmanship and I will not tolerate anyone who puts down another student for getting an answer incorrect. It is okay to make mistakes.
We will play as many rounds as time allows.
Accommodations: Those who feel they need to look at the list while playing can until they feel comfortable not doing so.
I will time each of the rounds to show the students that each round they play goes faster and faster.


BEYOND: (Time for reflection)
I will ask the student how they think the game went. I will ask them if they think we all need to study the list some more.
I will ask them if they want to play the game again on another day.

Modifications: To make the game a bit more challenging have the student not only say the name of the state, but go up to the map of the United States and point to where it is located.


Assessment: I will assess the students by observation.