50 States Geography Through Literature

I really like the idea of learning through literature. Reading is fabulous! My kids think so too. They like to read and they remember so much of what they read. We wanted to learn about the 50 States and I wanted to add in a geography unit. So combining them seemed reasonable. I looked and looked, I simply did not find what I was looking for out there. Lots of pieces of it but nothing complete. So I put it together myself. I have posted my unit with links to the parts I have created and to the wonderful pages of others. Most of this is free. Remember to check the library for books before you go buy them.
Blog page 50 States
PDF pages 50 States
Colorado Boy

I put this together because I like the idea of learning through literature but could not find a curriculum that actually covered all 50 states. This covers them in a few sections using books that "travel" or are a series that highlight a variety of areas. Please use this link to find the PDF pages for the unit. 

Resource and Book list for US Geography and the 50 States through Literature:

50 States:

Resources:

One set per child of 50 State note booking pages or a 50 State coloring book such as https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Miss-Martin.

It could be useful to have some notebooking pages on Explorers (http://lilliputstation.blogspot.com/2012/06/world-explorer-biography-pages-free.html).

Books:

One kids resource Atlas on all 50 states such as DK Atlas State by State or Time For Learning; States.

Geography:

Resources:

· https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Miss-Martin, pages on landforms and geography.

· This next one has a great hands on project for landforms! http://www.onlypassionatecuriosity.com/portfolio/geology-and-geography-unit-study/

· https://www.teachervision.com/geography/teacher-resources/6642.html

Books:

You only need one and the library likely has a great selection.

· Geography from A to Z: A Picture Glossary by Jack Knowlton

· The Everything Kids' Geography Book: From the Grand Canyon to the Great Barrier Reef - explore the world! By Gardner and Mills

· Janice VanCleave's Geography for Every Kid: Easy Activities that Make Learning Geography Fun

· Geography: A Visual Encyclopedia - DK

Habitats & Biomes:

Resources:

· http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/globaltrek/

· http://www.mbgnet.net/

· http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/index.php

· http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm

· http://www.biologycorner.com/quiz/qz_eco_biomes.html

Books:

· A True Book series by Darlene R. Stille, has several books on particular habitats and biomes.

· A walk in the _________ book series by Rebecca L. Johnson is a great series covering nearly every biome there is.

· The library is likely to have both or another great set.

Great Lakes area:

Resources:

Make sure you have a map that shows the Great Lakes along with the St. Lawrence River and the Hudson River. If you want them to memorize it have a few blank ones to practice on.

Books:

· Paddle to the Sea by Clancy Holling (primary)

· Additional topic reading could include: Geese, Beavers, Ponds and Marshes, The Great Lakes, Wetlands, Lakes, Streams.

· Explorers: LaSalle, Hudson, Cartier, Champlain.

· Ojibwe people

· Mystery on the Great Lakes by Carol Marsh

· The Erie Canal / by Martha E. Kendall.

Appalachian Trail:

Resources:

Map of the Appalachian Trail with states labeled. Blank States map to fill in and add landmarks and landforms to, and label biomes.

Books:

· Navigating Early / Clare Vanderpool. (primary choice)

· Ellie's Long Walk (primary choice)

· Grandpa and the Tortoise Shell

· A Hike on the Appalachian Trail by Carolyn Cook, Douglas Cook (primary choice)

· The Appalachian Trail reader / edited by David Emblidge. Better choice for older readers or just selections. Could be very dry.

· Other books to look for at your library: Appalachian folk tales and stories for kids, Daniel Boone, settlers, Cumberland gap, Trail of Tears, Deciduous forests, Valley, hills, streams, north and south slopes. The Jack Tales. When I was young in the mountains / by Cynthia Rylant ; The rag coat / Lauren Mills;  Appalachia : the voices of sleeping birds / by Cynthia Rylant ; Silver packages : an Appalachian Christmas story / by Cynthia Rylant ; Ashpet : an Appalachian tale / retold by Joanne Compton ; That Book Woman / Heather Henson ; The adventures of Molly Whuppie and other Appalachian folktales / Anne Shelby ;

· Native American Tribes: Abenaki, Algonquian, Cherokee, Creeks, Delaware, Lenape, Iroquoian Family, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, Mahican, Mohegan, Passamaquoddy, Pennacook.

· Other books from the general area: Shiloh trilogy by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor; Where the Red Fern Grows; Old Yeller; My Side of the Mountain; On the Far Side of the Mountain; Midnight in Lonesome Hollow : a Kit mystery / by Kathleen Ernst ; Down Cut Shin Creek : the pack horse librarians of Kentucky / Kathi Appelt & Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer; Meet the Drakes on the Kentucky frontier / by John J. Loeper; The journal of Jesse Smoke : a Cherokee boy / by Joseph Bruchac; Soft Rain : a story of the Cherokee Trail of Tears / Cornelia Corneissen; Only the names remain : the Cherokees and the Trail of Tears / by Alex W. Bealer

The Mississippi River route:

Resources:

Map of the Mississippi with states labeled. Blank States map to fill in and add landmarks and landforms to, and label biomes.

Books:

· Minn of the Mississippi by Clancy Holling (primary)

· Other subjects to look for at the library: paddle boats and steam boats, Mark Twain, Snapper Turtles, river, deciduous forests, gulf, tributaries, and migration.

· America’s Mark Twain

· Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn or Life on the Mississippi all by Mark Twain for older kids or abridged versions for younger readers. 

· The Mystery on the Mighty Mississippi by Carole Marsh

· Mississippi America’s Mighty River by Robin Johnson

Florida:

Resources:

Basic Map of Florida, a cartoon tourist map will be fine, you can add in the main places from the books. Blank States map to fill in and add landmarks and landforms to, and label biomes.

Books:

· Voices in St. Augustine  by Jane R. Wood (primary)

· Trouble on the St. Johns River by Jane R. Wood (primary)

· Adventures on Amelia Island: A Pirate, A Princess, and Buried Treasure by Jane R. Wood (primary)

· The Yearling by Patricia Reilly Giff

· Other books to look for at the library: Pirate books, Ponce de Leon, Florida history, Everglades, Manatee, Loggerhead Turtle, Florida Keys.

· Other chapter books: Boys of blur / N.D. Wilson; The Panther Mystery / created by Gertrude Chandler Warner ;

The Colorado River route:

Resources:

Map of the Colorado River with states labeled. Blank States map to fill in and add landmarks and landforms to, and label biomes.

Books:

· The Last River: John Wesley Powell and the Colorado River Exploring Expedition (Great Explorers) by Stuart Waldman (primary)

· Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry

· Canyon Winter by Walt Morey

· Other books to look for at your library: Rivers, tributaries, streams, rocky mountains, continental divide, plains, lakes, dams, reservoirs, Canyon, erosion, river pollution, Grand Canyon, water power plants,  Colorado Territory purchase, statehood, Hoover Dam, Lake Powell,

· Native Americans: Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Jicarilla, Kiowa, Navajo, Paiute, Shoshone, Pueblo. 
*  I would highly recommend one book that is about the Colorado River written for kids. There were many and I am picking from the library selections. 

Along the trail with Lewis and Clark (could trade for doing both Oregon Trail and Railroad):

Resources:

· Map of Lewis and Clark’s Trail with states labeled. Blank States map to fill in and add landmarks and landforms to, and label biomes.

· http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/class/idx_les.html

· This has reflection pages for this subject that are great even if you don’t watch the PBS show they are linked to. But, the library may have it.

· http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/trailmap/index.html

· http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/into/index.html

· http://digitalprojects.libraries.uc.edu/lewisandclark/index.php

· http://www.lewisandclarkexhibit.org/2_0_0/page_2_2.html

Books:

· The Journal of Augustus Pelletier : the Lewis and Clark Expedition / by Kathryn Lasky. (primary)

· The Lewis and Clark Expedition / by Susan Bursell. (primary)

· The Captain’s Dog (primary)

· Other library books to look for:  Significant persons- York; Sacagawea

· Other topics to learn about: Rivers, Missouri River, Coniferous Forests,  plains, coast, Louisiana Purchase, Native Americans: Dakota, Lakota, Mandan, Shoshone, Nez Perce

*Traveling the Oregon Trail (alternate):

Resources:

· Map of the Oregon Trail with states labeled. Blank States map to fill in and add landmarks and landforms to, and label biomes.

· Teacher Vision web site has a lesson plan for this unit that is short and concise.

· https://www.teachervision.com/us-history/printable/64773.html

· Oregon Trail map of 1843 has landmarks that can be selected for any additional readings and photos.

· Oregon Trail Lesson Plan will help students become familiar with the geography of the land along the Oregon Trail by using teamwork and cooperation.  This will also introduce students to basic navigation. *The first 3 resources are free, after that the user will need to pay a subscription fee.

· The Oregon Trail gives detailed information about the Oregon Trail in the following categories: historic sites along the trail with pieces of information about each location, interesting facts and games there were played, diaries that were kept along the trail & a shop where teachers can purchase items to aid in the lesson plan.

· Use activities page from this site above. Printed out.

· Use The Oregon Trail maps and interactive info guide in these resources above and below.

· http://www.historyglobe.com/ot/otmap1.htm

· http://www.america101.us/trail/Oregontrail.html

Books:

· Roughing It on the Oregon Trail by Diane Stanley

· Westward to Home, Joshua’s Diary

· The Journal of Jedidiah Barstow

· Other topics to look for at the library: Coniferous forests, Rivers, Plains, Rocky mountains, Indian tribes of North America, Westward Expansion.

*Riding the Transcontinental Railroad (alternate):

Resources:

Map of the Transcontinental Railroad route with states labeled. Blank States map to fill in and add landmarks and landforms to, and label biomes.

Books:

· My Name is America: The Journal Of Sean Sullivan, A Transcontinental Railroad Worker

· Railroad Fever: Building the Transcontinental Railroad 1830-1870 (Crossroads America)

· Coolies

· The Golden Spike

· Other topics to explore at the library: Endangered buffalo, Plains, Grasslands, coyote, Impact on Native Americans, Chinese and Irish workers, General William Palmer

The Santa Fe Trail:

Resources:

Map of the Santa Fe Trail with states labeled. Blank States map to fill in and add landmarks and landforms to, and label biomes.

Books:

· Tree in the Trail by Clancy Holling (primary)

· Jedediah Smith / Sharlene and Ted Nelson.

· The mountain men / by James L. Collins.

· Stone Fox (Bent’s Fort mystery)

· True tales of the Wild West / Paul Robert Walker.

· Trappers and mountain men / by the editors of American heritage ; narrative by Evan Jones, in consultation with Dale L. Morgan.

· A right fine life : Kit Carson on the Santa Fe Trail / Andrew Glass.

· Bent's Fort : crossroad of cultures on the Santa Fe Trail / by Melvin Bacon and Daniel Blegin.

· Along the Santa Fe Trail : Marion Russell's own story / by Marion Russell ; adapted by Ginger Wadsworth

· Other topics to explore at the library: Santa Fe Trail, Native Americans (plains Indians, Pueblo and Navajo), Bent’s Fort, Fort Sumter, buffalo, coyote, desert, grasslands, mesa, cliff, bluff, butte.

Alaska:

Resources:

Map of Alaska (Klondike Gold Rush, Yukon, Chilkoot trail, etc). Blank States map to fill in and add landmarks and landforms to, and label biomes.

*NOTE: Alaska can be studied in a variety of ways, for which there are ample book options. Salmon migration and fishing; Caribou migration; whaling; glaciers; by studying the Inuit people; the Yukon river; the Gold Rush. I am using the Gold Rush and the Yukon (and Chilkot trail). So the other books are in the other good book ideas categories.

Books:

· Big Alaska / Debbie S. Miller ; illustrations by Jon Van Zyle. (primary)

· Flight of the Golden Plover (also Hawaii)

· Jason's gold / Will Hobbs. (primary)

· Down the Yukon by Will Hobbs (primary)

· The bite of the gold bug : a story of the Alaskan gold rush / by Barthe DeClements

· Call of the Klondike : a true gold rush adventure / David Meissner and Kim Richardson.

· Chapter books to consider: Gentle Ben, Woodsong, Julie, Julie of the Wolves, The Call of the Wild,

· Other good books and topics to consider: The magic school bus goes upstream : a book about salmon migration / written by Joanna Cole;. Salmon / written by Deborah Hodge ; Song of Sedna / adapted by Robert D. San Souci; Stories about Togo and Balto sled dogs who helped to save the people of Nome. Iditarod stories; A Caribou journey / by Debbie S. Miller ;

· Other topics to explore at the library: Tundra, ice caps, glaciers, polar bears, Golden Plover, Caribou, Eskimo,

Hawaii:

Resources:

Map of the Hawaiian Islands labeled. Blank States map to fill in and add landmarks and landforms to, and label biomes.

Books:

· Hawaiì Volcanoes National Park : adventure, explore, discover / Stephen Feinstein.

· Flight of the Golden Plover

· Kaiulani : the people's princess / by Ellen Emerson White.

· Hawai'i by Gill, Shelley

· Other book topics to check out: Surfing; Sea Turtle migrations, how volcanic islands are formed

PDF pages for this unit can be found here:  https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tk3frnexy2g473p/AABpxZDckv0zN6z9yT6Sy_qGa?dl=0

Colorado Boy Travels the 50 States 
mail project see this post for details.