FIFTH-GRADE STATE REPORT Dear Fifth Grade Parents, Here are the guidelines for students to follow in writing their state report. As much of this report will be researched, written, and illustrated outside of school, please help oversee your student in their work on this report. Students must use their own thoughts and words and not copy from books or other sources. Thank you for encouraging your child throughout the process, as they will truly appreciate it (even if they resist!), and most certainly will benefit from your support. Students will also give oral presentations on their state reports. Assessments (1-4) will be given for the state report and for the oral presentation. State Report Guidelines Students are to organize their reports in a first draft outline. The outline must be written on the “Outline” sheet provided. The written outline is due Wednesday, December 5th. After the outline is checked, it will be returned on December 7th, and the students may continue doing research. Additional information may be added to the outline. After the outline is returned, parents may proofread any final draft with your son or daughter before it is turned in. The final report is due Wednesday, December 12th. The final report would preferably be written in cursive, but may be printed if need be (not typed). STATE REPORT OUTLINE CHECKLIST

_____ Cover Page complete _____ Table of Contents (topics and pages listed) _____ Introduction _____ Handwritten pages in cursive written in blue or black ink, skipping lines ______ Complete Sentences used _____ Spelling, Grammar & Punctuation correct _____ Paragraphs indented _____ Maps, charts and pictures must have a title

_____ Maps, charts and pictures must be hand-drawn and colored (a few choice colored copies may also be cut and pasted for places like Cover Page, and/or a separate artistic page). _____ Closing Paragraph _____ Bibliography (three sources – must include 3 books or 2 books & an encyclopedia. I will make school encyclopedias available.) _____ Order of Report – with pages numbered Cover page – not numbered Page 2 – Table of Contents Page 3 – Introduction Pages 4+ - Contents of Report Last page – Bibliography End page(s) - Student artwork, including state map COVER List the following information on your top cover sheet: Title (name of your state) Name (your own, first & last) Grade Teacher Date You may add pictures, drawings, phrases, poems, songs, or anything else to make your cover page more exciting! TABLE OF CONTENTS Pg. 2 List topics and page numbers. Do this page last. INTRODUCTION Pg. 3

(1- page minimum)

This comes after the Table of Contents.. You can tell some basic information about your state if you would like. - Introduce your state and explain why you chose it or why it’s of interest to you

- What you will be writing and showing in your report. GEOGRAPHY This section should include at least the following information…. - Location, bordering states and/or countries - Physical features (forests, mountains, plains, deserts, valleys, caves, canyons, etc.) - Rivers, lakes, and any other bodies of water relevant to the state - Area (size) of the state - Other things that you could include: famous land forms, National Parks, important elevations, major points of interest etc. HISTORY This section should include at least the following information…. - Date of statehood and its ranking out of the 50 states - Important dates in your state’s history - Other things that you could include: historical facts, how it became a state, early exploration and explorers, Native American tribes, etc. FAMOUS PEOPLE This section should include at least the following information….. - Overall population of your state. - Famous people who have lived there or are from there. This might include Native Americans, presidents, authors, artists, inventors, athletes, actors/actresses, etc. - Other things that you could include: type of people (nationality, etc…..), rural or urban populations, etc… NATURAL RESOURCES / INDUSTRY/ AGRICULTURE This section should include any/all of the following that apply to your state: 1. farming 2. manufacturing/processing 3. mining 4. fishing 5. tourist industry 6. forest products 7. minerals 8. water 9. other (feel free to include any other topics that would fit in this category. CLIMATE This section should include at least the following information…. 1. weather

2. average temperatures (summer and winter) 3. precipitation (average rainfall, snowfall, etc.) - Other things you could include: any other interesting facts about the weather. CLOSING PARAGRAPH (REACTIONS) - Answer these questions using complete sentences: 1. What did you like most about your state? 2. Why? 3. What did you dislike? 4. Why? 5. What makes your state interesting for others to want to visit or live there? 6-8. Tell about three things everyone should know and remember about your state. BIBLIOGRAPHY - List ALL sources/resources used. List at least three resources you used for your report. It must include 3 books or 2 books and an encyclopedia. Some bibliography examples: Encyclopedia: “Article Title.” Book title. Year of publication. Example: “Mandarin.” Encyclopedia Americana. 2001 ed. Book: Author’s last name, First name. Title. Place of publication: publisher, date Example: Jones, Susan. Mid-Atlantic States, New York: Dutton, 2007. ILLUSTRATIONS This section comes after all of your written information. Illustrations may also come within your writing if helpful. Required: - a map of your state (labeled with the state name and the capital and major cities, mts., rivers and lakes named and located). Optional: - state bird (labeled) - state flower (labeled) - state flag - charts, graphs ORAL PRESENTATION After your report and project are completed, you will present your information and product to the class. You will be sharing what you have learned with the class. Please plan to spend about 3 to 5 minutes on your oral presentation. Do your best work and good luck!