How I create my "free" curriculum, Part 2.

Now, that I explained a little bit about how I build my curriculum, I wanted to give a more detailed example. (More in full post)

Yesterday, I came up with a 50 States geography curriculum, that I'm not even sure I'll ever use, LOL!

While poking around on the Stickers and Charts website, I found THESE US STATE STICKERS - second set HERE. I thought, "Oh, wouldn't those be cute in some sort of 'passport' notebook, where the kids get a sticker for each state studied?" So then I went on a google search and eventually came up with this plan:

Print an outline copy of the US - FROM HERE - and put it in the front of a notebook. Print several copies of THIS STATES QUICK FACTS PAGE to be filled out using information from these sources - THE INTERNET LIBRARY and AMERICA'S STORY. (Two notes - the Quick Facts form only needs page 1 printed. Page 2 is blank. Also, on the internet library, if you click on the individual state name, it will take you to a page with more info and lots of links directly related to that state.)

States could be studied in alphabetical order or, IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY JOINED THE UNION. (THIS PAGE allows you to sign up for a 25 week e-mail program that directs you to study 2 states a week - by order into the union - it could help keep you on track.)

You can also print BLANK OUTLINE MAPS OF THE INDIVIDUAL STATES and COMPARISON CHARTS FOR THE STATES.

Here is how I would pull all that together:

I'd start on Monday with a certain state (using order into the union). We'd read about the state at the internet library and follow some of the links. We'd color the state on the US map and label it, with its capitol. We would also write out some interesting facts we learned about the state, just using notebook paper.

On Tuesday, we'd fill out the Quick Facts form and the comparison chart, and also visit the America's Story website. We'd print the state outline map, color it, and label it with major cities and natural features - rivers, mountains, etc. We'd finish the state by using one of those cool stickers - sticking it to the Quick Facts page, as a mark in our "passports" that we'd "visited" said state.

We'd repeat this for a new state on Wednesday and Thursday.

On Friday, we'd do something fun, like cook a meal known to that region, or read/watch a book or movie relating to a state we'd studied.

As I said, since we're working on World Geography, I'm not sure if or when we'd actually even use this plan, but I wanted to use it as an example of how you can take multiple sources to come up with one finished plan.