Lesson Plan : United States of America Tag

Teacher Name:
 Hillary Weller
Grade:
 Grade 4
Subject:
 Social Studies

Topic:
 The United States
Content:
 Standard Geography, Benchmark 1, Indicator 4 & 5 / PE Standard 1, Benchmark 1, Indicator E
Goals:
 Students will by the end of this game have had review on the general location of where each state in the USA is located.
Objectives:
 Students will be able to know the states and where they are located and will be able play the game with out pushing, shoving, etc.
Materials:
 Large map of the USA, red t-shirts, colored tape
Introduction:
 The rules will be explained by the teacher and the students will play a practice round of the game. This activity will be used for review before the test.
Development:
 Before playing this game students will already have been taught the states and where they are located, this game is for review purposes only.
Practice:
 Mark off 3 lines across the width of your activity area or room. It's a big plus if your room is oriented east to west so the lines run north-south.There should be a center line of one color and two lines on each side 6-10' from the center line of a different color. The center line represents the Mississippi River. The area between the other two lines, including the river, is a neutral zone or no person's land. Students may be tagged if in this zone. Two students are selected to be "it" and they start in the neutral zone, but may move throughout the entire playing area. The students that are "it" will be wearing red shirts that are provided. Half of the other students are located on the west side of the Mississippi river and the other half are on the east side. The side of the river the students begin the activity on is referred to as their "home side". The teacher begins by calling the name of a state. Students that are located on the "wrong" side of the Mississippi river must cross (may be wise to start the activity off by having the students walk, skip, hop, etc. as opposed to running right off the start) the neutral zone to the correct side (e.g. if Nevada was called students on the east side of the Mississippi would have to cross the zone to the west side). Students on the west (correct) side but moved in error to the incorrect side could also be tagged. Students can be tagged if they are on the incorrect side or if they are in the neutral zone. If tagged they must spell the name of the state they missed using the letters of the alphabet painted on the walls. As an alternative, have them find the picture of the state made from construction paper and placed in a box. Periodically during the activity have students return to their "home side". This helps balance the numbers on each side and promotes independent thinking. Place a map on the wall as an instructional aid for reference (be sure to orient it to the east-west designation of your room).
Accommodations:
 The USA could also be split into 4 sections instead of 2.
Checking For Understanding:
 This game is review. There will be a test at the end of the unit.
Closure:
 
Evaluation:
 
Teacher Reflections:
 The lesson went well. I would include more visuals for students next time. That's about all I would change.

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