State Reports and Floats It's that time of year when testing is almost done, (hooray!) and I finally have time do all of the lessons I have been wanting to do all year! One of my most favorite writing assignments for the year is our State Reports. I have the students pick a state, or assign one at random, and then they will do a report on their state. They will learn to research from different sources, such as books, articles, the internet, etc. They will collect research on their research notes page. They will learn about the state's history, geography, and all of the facts (the state bird, flower, date of statehood, cities, landmarks, attractions, etc). Then during school, they will follow an outline to write a muli-paragraph essay about their state. I love to integrate art where I can, and this assignment is perfect for that! Then students are asked to create a float at home. They can use all sorts of different materials, but I have a rubric that grades them on their information, creativity, effort, etc. The students love doing this, and it is a great opportunity to invite parents, and other classes from the school to come to the "state parade"! I love doing this project every year, and my students always look forward to it! Here is my a link to my product! It includes; aligned common core standards, how to use page, state list, state research notes, state report outline and rubric (two different versions), state float outline, rubric, and examples. I hope you enjoy!
