Archive for January, 2008:
State of the Union Clip Art
History is a big part of our lives and being an election year there are many ways to incorporate this in the classroom. Each state joined the Union until we had the United States of America, which included all 50.
Since each state has, a shape here is a fun idea. Go to http://www.graphicsfactory.com/ and download an image of each state according to the month that they joined the Union. Place the silhouette on the bard and have each child try to guess which state it is and place the answers in a bag or bowl. The first correct answer wins a small prize. Older children can incorporate more facts or even election news as it happens. Below is the date each state joined the Union.
States by Order of Entry into Union
State Entered Union Year settled
1. Delaware Dec. 7, 1787 1638
2. Pennsylvania Dec. 12, 1787 1682
3. New Jersey Dec. 18, 1787 1660
4. Georgia Jan. 2, 1788 1733
5. Connecticut Jan. 9, 1788 1634
6. Massachusetts Feb. 6, 1788 1620
7. Maryland Apr. 28, 1788 1634
8. South Carolina May 23, 1788 1670
9. New Hampshire June 21, 1788 1623
10. Virginia June 25, 1788 1607
11. New York July 26, 1788 1614
12. North Carolina Nov. 21, 1789 1660
13. Rhode Island May 29, 1790 1636
14. Vermont Mar. 4, 1791 1724
15. Kentucky June 1, 1792 1774
16. Tennessee June 1, 1796 1769
17. Ohio Mar. 1, 1803 1788
18. Louisiana Apr. 30, 1812 1699
19. Indiana Dec. 11, 1816 1733
20. Mississippi Dec. 10, 1817 1699
21. Illinois Dec. 3, 1818 1720
22. Alabama Dec. 14, 1819 1702
23. Maine Mar. 15, 1820 1624
24. Missouri Aug. 10, 1821 1735
25. Arkansas June 15, 1836 1686
26. Michigan Jan. 26, 1837 1668
27. Florida Mar. 3, 1845 1565
28. Texas Dec. 29, 1845 1682
29. Iowa Dec. 28, 1846 1788
30. Wisconsin May 29, 1848 1766
31. California Sept. 9, 1850 1769
32. Minnesota May 11, 1858 1805
33. Oregon Feb. 14, 1859 1811
34. Kansas Jan. 29, 1861 1727
35. West Virginia June 20, 1863 1727
36. Nevada Oct. 31, 1864 1849
37. Nebraska Mar. 1, 1867 1823
38. Colorado Aug. 1, 1876 1858
39. North Dakota Nov. 2, 1889 1812
40. South Dakota Nov. 2, 1889 1859
41. Montana Nov. 8, 1889 1809
42. Washington Nov. 11, 1889 1811
43. Idaho July 3, 1890 1842
44. Wyoming July 10, 1890 1834
45. Utah Jan. 4, 1896 1847
46. Oklahoma Nov. 16, 1907 1889
47. New Mexico Jan. 6, 1912 1610
48. Arizona Feb. 14, 1912 1776
49. Alaska Jan. 3, 1959 1784
50. Hawaii Aug. 21, 1959 1820
Super Bowl Sunday 2-3-2008
Entertaining is always fun and football seems to offer the whole range of emotions. Since many of your guests will have different team preferences and definite feelings about the 
teams that didn’t make it, here is a fun buffet idea.Undoubtedly, there will be plenty of food served, some will be immediately recognized and some may cause even an experienced buffeter to pause.
To avoid confusion and a barrage of questions while poking a bit of fun at the many teams not present, use clip art to describe each dish or activity.
If you prepare Mexican food, you might choose clip art from http://www.graphicsfactory.com/ that depicted different football positions. Choose black and white clip art and let the kids color in to match different NFL teams.
Your menu might look something like this:
- Touchdown taco meat
- No Penalty on the play pintos
- Flag on the play Flautas
- Field Goal Guacamole
The other option is to name the food after the teams:
- Redskin Refried Beans
- Saintly Salsa
- Panther Pork
This is a fun way to enjoy yourself at your party and have a little fun with the guests.
Martin Luther King Day Classroom Clip Art Project
Well the year has ended and a new one is here. It is hard to decide where to start. Immediately we have Martin Luther King Day. To use clip art in the classroom try the following:
Use an overhead projector to create an outline for of each child’s head, several different silhouettes are available at www.graphicsfactory.com. Using construction paper stapled to lined paper cut out the silhouette and depending upon the age of the children have them write about Dr. King’s dream or his life on the back. The older the child the more information the will be able to share. An excellent theme is what Dr. King wanted for children.
There are great essay opportunities for older children as well. If you are teaching middle or high school here are some quotes on which children can base their essays.
Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.
Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle, the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.
I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.