Just printed out the map with states and capitals and also as a list. Can't wait for my 2nd grader to get home.
He should definitely know the capitals. Thus far we have concentrated on European ones.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had to do this when we were kids. Why don't you want your child to be educated?

Maybe because she thinks most of the states are in flyover country and not worth learning?

I'm the OP, and I'm from flyover country. I am just sick of homework that's all. I will try to stay positive and stop complaining.

I get where you are coming from OP. It is not learning the states, it is that we are all exhausted and ready for the year to be over.

Did you see this OP. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jen-hatmaker/worst-end-of-school-year-mom-ever_b_3378480.html

I think this is how many of us feel at the end of the year. I was up at 6:45 baking. Why? Why? Why>
11 MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You have this OP!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The song is Fifty Nifty United States, and I still can sing very word almost 40 years after learning it. Does not teach the capitals though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhDrGnjacvA

I learned Fifty Nifty United States in 2nd grade, 43 years ago and can still sing it now. In fact, this is how I still remind myself of all 50 states and can state them in alphabetical order. And after I learned the song, I found it easier to learn the state capitals. Several months ago, I joined some friends for trivia night and was able to answer the capital of South Dakota quickly earning "my" team 10 points. Probably the first time in 43 years that I actually had a practical reason for knowing the capital of South Dakota!

I think I was in 6th grade before I had to know the capitals. But sang Fifty-Nifty starting around 3rd grade. (FCPS)

Anonymous wrote:This is the song my 3rd or 4th grader learned in music when they were studying them in social studies. He is now in 10th grade and still knows the lyrics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSvJ9SN8THE

I also learned this song in 3rd grade about, ahem, 40 years ago. I also still know the lyrics. They never leave you ... But they do come in handy for trivia and Jeopardy occasionally.

This standard of learning the 50 states doesn't seem to be taught in FCPS, at least not at our school.

I do think that having to learn all 50 at once is too much.

When I taught we did this in 5th grade. But not all at once - we did one region at a time, adding on each region. So first test was 10-15 Northeast states, then second test was 15-25 Northeast + Southeast states, and so on. At the end of the year each kid did a big project on one state and they presented their project at a "state fair" that all the other grades attended. Each kid had a booth with a poster board, booklet, game/activity, and snack from their state. It was adorable and the kids loved it!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is an app called Stack the States. It may help!

Yes, my kids love this app and learned many states and countries (Stack the Countries) that way.

This is awesome! I never heard of it but just bought Stack the States for my daughter and bought the country one for myself!!! My geography has always sucked.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had to do this when we were kids. Why don't you want your child to be educated?

Maybe because she thinks most of the states are in flyover country and not worth learning?

I'm the OP, and I'm from flyover country. I am just sick of homework that's all. I will try to stay positive and stop complaining.

Anonymous wrote:We had to do this when we were kids. Why don't you want your child to be educated?

Ha! I do want them to learn this stuff. That's why I already had the 50 state jigsaw puzzle. I just feel blindsided by this stuff. They worked so hard to get through the SOL's, and now with swim team starting, it is hard to sit down and memorize all this stuff right now.

I still study the US States map so I can identify them when blank. Keeps my mind sharp.

I think it's good your school is keeping them learning. Better than making them watch movies all day.

This is pretty standard for third grade. We had a stack of flashcards with the states and the capitals that we used to keep in the car. The map puzzle is a fantastic way to learn!

Anonymous wrote:We had to do this when we were kids. Why don't you want your child to be educated?

Maybe because she thinks most of the states are in flyover country and not worth learning?

That is wonderful!

Have they travelled much in the states? Maybe you can make it a game, mapping out the states they have visited and the states they want to see next.

Get an old fashioned US driving map from Walmart and some markers and have at it.

What a great way to use class time now that SOLs are over. You should thank the teacher.