Lesson #1791. Postcard Project

Posted by Jodie Weddle, Rains Elementary School, Emory, TX (US)
Social Studies, level: Elementary; Materials Required: Maps, Paper, Pencils
Activity Time: 30 Minutes; Concepts Taught: Identification and Location of the 50 United States

This lesson was designed to strengthen student knowledge of the geographical location of the 50 United States. My fifth grade students at Rains Elementary School were assigned a letter writing activity (e-mail was also used). The students wrote to a relative or friend who lived in another state and requested a postcard. They also asked that a historical fact about the state be written on it. Students wrote the letters in class and took them home for addresses and stamps. (I supplied those who did not have a stamp). As the postcards began coming in, we would take the first five minutes of class time each day and locate the state where the postcard originated and then read the historical fact. A large bulletin board with a map of the U.S.A. placed in the center was labeled "Project Postcard" to display the cards. A classroom aide typed the info from the back and taped that information, along with the name of the student who received it, to the bottom of the card. In this way the students were able to read about the state and see the picture too. In addition I placed an article in the local newspaper and invited readers to send postcards to our classroom. We received cards from 47 of the fifty states.

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