Warm Up
Where in the USA? (5 minutes)
Welcome, explorers! To kick off our journey across the United States, let's see what you already know!
Instructions:
- Take out a piece of scratch paper or a mini-whiteboard.
- I will call out the name of a state.
- Your task is to quickly write down one thing you know about that state (a major city, a famous landmark, a product it's known for, its general location, etc.).
Let's begin!
- California
- New York
- Texas
- Florida
- Your Home State (if applicable)
Think about states you've visited or heard about! No worries if you don't know much yet, that's what we're here to learn! Let's share a few ideas!
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Lesson Plan
50 States Scavenger Hunt
Students will be able to identify and locate all 50 states on a map of the United States with 80% accuracy.
Understanding the geography of the United States helps students build a stronger foundation for social studies, history, and current events. It also fosters a better understanding of their country and the world around them.
Audience
5th and 6th Grade Students
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Through an interactive game and guided practice, students will learn and locate all 50 states.
Materials
Whiteboard or projector, Markers or pens, Where in the USA?, 50 States Scavenger Hunt Game, State Name Cards, State Map Worksheets, and Where Do We Go From Here?
Prep
Teacher Preparation
15 minutes
- Review all generated materials: 50 States Scavenger Hunt Lesson Plan, Where in the USA?, 50 States Scavenger Hunt Game, State Name Cards, State Map Worksheets, and Where Do We Go From Here?.
- Print and cut out State Name Cards (one set per small group).
- Print State Map Worksheets (one per student or small group).
- Prepare your whiteboard or projector to display the blank US map during the game.
- Ensure you have markers/pens readily available.
Step 1
Warm-Up: Where in the USA?
5 minutes
- Begin with the Where in the USA? activity. Ask students to share one fact about a state you call out.
- Encourage participation and briefly discuss their responses. The goal is to activate prior knowledge and get them thinking about states.
Step 2
Introduction to the 50 States
3 minutes
- Briefly introduce the goal of the lesson: to learn and identify all 50 states.
- Explain that knowing the states helps us understand history, news, and where places are in our country.
- Show a quick visual of a US map with all 50 states highlighted (can be on the Slide Deck or a large poster).
Step 3
Activity: 50 States Scavenger Hunt Game
15 minutes
- Divide students into small groups (3-4 students per group).
- Distribute one set of State Name Cards and one State Map Worksheets to each group.
- Explain the rules of the 50 States Scavenger Hunt Game: Each group will work together to place the state name cards on the correct location on their blank US map worksheet.
- Circulate around the room, offering guidance and hints as needed. Encourage groups to use any prior knowledge or logical reasoning to help them.
- After a set time, review the answers as a class, using the Slide Deck or a shared map to point out the correct locations. Discuss any commonly misplaced states.
Step 4
Cool Down: Where Do We Go From Here?
5 minutes
- Distribute the Where Do We Go From Here? exit ticket.
- Ask students to complete the cool-down activity, reflecting on what they learned and what they still want to explore.
- Collect the exit tickets to assess understanding and inform future lessons.
Slide Deck
Welcome to the USA: State Explorers!
Our Mission Today:
- Become master state identifiers!
- Explore the geography of the United States.
- Have fun learning about our country!
Welcome students and introduce the warm-up activity. Explain that today's lesson is about getting to know the 50 states.
Recap: Where in the USA?
What states did you think of?
What do you know about them?
It's okay if you didn't know many—that's what we're here for!
Briefly review the warm-up activity. Ask students to share some of the states they mentioned and why. This is a good opportunity to gauge prior knowledge.
Our Great Nation: The 50 States
The United States is made up of 50 amazing states, each with its own unique history and features.
Today, we're going to learn where they all are!
Introduce the main objective of the lesson. Show a clear, simple map of the United States. You can point out where they are currently.
Ready for a State Scavenger Hunt?
Your Mission:
Work with your team to place each state name in its correct spot on the map.
Rules:
- Work together!
- Use what you know and make educated guesses.
- Don't be afraid to try!
Explain the rules of the Scavenger Hunt Game. Emphasize teamwork and problem-solving. Show an example of a blank map and a state card.
The United States of America!
(Display a clear, labeled map of the 50 states for review.)
Let's see how well your team did!
We'll go through the states together.
This slide can be displayed during the game as a visual reference or after to review answers. Have a full map of the US on this slide for students to check their work.
Reflect and Grow!
"Where Do We Go From Here?"
Think about what you learned today. What states did you find interesting? What states do you want to learn more about?
Introduce the cool-down activity. Encourage students to think about their learning.
Game
50 States Scavenger Hunt Game (15 minutes)
Your Mission:
Work with your team to correctly place all 50 state names on the State Map Worksheets!
Materials:
- State Name Cards (one set per group)
- State Map Worksheets (one blank map per group)
- Pencils or markers
Instructions:
- Work in Teams: You will be in small groups. Teamwork is key!
- Distribute Materials: Each group will receive a set of State Name Cards and a State Map Worksheets.
- Place the States: As a team, discuss and decide where each state name card should be placed on the blank map. You can lay the cards directly on the map or write the state names in the correct spots.
- Strategize:
- Start with states you know well (e.g., your home state, large states, states on the coasts).
- Use clues like shapes, borders, and neighboring states.
- Help each other remember facts or locations.
- Teacher Check-in: Your teacher will be walking around to offer hints and check your progress. Don't be afraid to ask for help!
- Review: After the time is up, we will review the answers together as a class. We'll use the 50 States Slide Deck to reveal the correct locations.
Good luck, state explorers! Let the scavenger hunt begin!
Activity
State Name Cards
Instructions for Teacher: Print this page and cut out each state name card. Shuffle the cards before distributing one set to each small group for the 50 States Scavenger Hunt Game.
| Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia |
| Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa |
| Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland |
| Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri |
| Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey |
| New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio |
| Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina |
| South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont |
| Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming |
Cut along the dotted lines to create individual cards for each state.
Worksheet
United States Map Worksheet
Instructions: Use your State Name Cards to label each state on the map below. Work with your team to correctly identify all 50 states!
(Insert a blank, outline map of the United States here for students to label. The map should clearly show the borders of all 50 states, but no names should be pre-filled.)
The user wants me to create a lesson about the 50 states of the USA for 5th and 6th graders, lasting 30 minutes. I have already set up the creation, added a Warm-Up, a Lesson Plan, a Slide Deck, a Game, and State Name Cards. Now I need to add the
Cool Down
Where Do We Go From Here? (5 minutes)
Great job exploring the 50 states today! Let's take a moment to reflect on what you learned and what you still want to discover.
Please answer the following questions:
- Name three states you learned to locate on the map today that you didn't know before (or weren't sure about).
- What was one interesting fact or feature you remember about any of the states?
- If you could visit any of the 50 states, which one would it be and why?
- What is one question you still have about the states or US geography?
Thank you for your hard work, explorers! Your answers will help me plan our next adventure!
Answer Key
United States Map Answer Key
Instructions for Teacher: Use this answer key to review students' State Map Worksheets and the 50 States Scavenger Hunt Game.
(Insert a clearly labeled map of the United States with all 50 states correctly identified and labeled here.)
Correct State Locations (listed alphabetically for reference):
- Alabama: Southeast U.S., borders Florida, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee.
- Alaska: Northwest corner of North America, separated from the lower 48 states.
- Arizona: Southwest U.S., borders California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Mexico.
- Arkansas: South Central U.S., borders Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma.
- California: West Coast U.S., borders Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and Mexico.
- Colorado: Western U.S., borders Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah.
- Connecticut: Northeast U.S., borders New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island.
- Delaware: East Coast U.S., borders Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland.
- Florida: Southeast U.S. peninsula, borders Georgia, Alabama.
- Georgia: Southeast U.S., borders Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina.
- Hawaii: Island chain in the Pacific Ocean.
- Idaho: Northwest U.S., borders Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Canada.
- Illinois: Midwest U.S., borders Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana.
- Indiana: Midwest U.S., borders Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois.
- Iowa: Midwest U.S., borders Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota.
- Kansas: Midwest U.S., borders Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, Colorado.
- Kentucky: Southeast U.S., borders Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri.
- Louisiana: South Central U.S., borders Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas.
- Maine: Northeast U.S., borders New Hampshire and Canada.
- Maryland: Mid-Atlantic U.S., borders Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, and D.C.
- Massachusetts: Northeast U.S., borders Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island.
- Michigan: Midwest U.S., consists of two peninsulas, borders Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Canada (via lakes).
- Minnesota: Midwest U.S., borders Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Canada.
- Mississippi: Southeast U.S., borders Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas.
- Missouri: Midwest U.S., borders Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska.
- Montana: Northwest U.S., borders Idaho, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Canada.
- Nebraska: Midwest U.S., borders Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota.
- Nevada: Western U.S., borders Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, California.
- New Hampshire: Northeast U.S., borders Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Canada.
- New Jersey: Mid-Atlantic U.S., borders New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware.
- New Mexico: Southwest U.S., borders Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and Mexico.
- New York: Northeast U.S., borders Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Canada.
- North Carolina: Southeast U.S., borders Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina.
- North Dakota: Midwest U.S., borders Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana, and Canada.
- Ohio: Midwest U.S., borders Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana.
- Oklahoma: South Central U.S., borders Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado.
- Oregon: Northwest U.S., borders Washington, Idaho, Nevada, California.
- Pennsylvania: Mid-Atlantic U.S., borders New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio.
- Rhode Island: Northeast U.S., smallest state, borders Massachusetts, Connecticut.
- South Carolina: Southeast U.S., borders North Carolina, Georgia.
- South Dakota: Midwest U.S., borders North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana.
- Tennessee: Southeast U.S., borders Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri.
- Texas: South Central U.S., largest of the contiguous states, borders Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Mexico.
- Utah: Western U.S., borders Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada.
- Vermont: Northeast U.S., borders New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Canada.
- Virginia: Southeast U.S., borders Maryland, D.C., West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina.
- Washington: Northwest U.S., borders Oregon, Idaho, and Canada.
- West Virginia: Southeast U.S., borders Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky.
- Wisconsin: Midwest U.S., borders Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota.
- Wyoming: Western U.S., borders Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Idaho.