Help students collect postmarks from across the United States!
Objectives
Students
name the 50 states,
define the word postmark,
identify the postmark on an envelope,
correctly plot the postmarks on a map.
Keywords
geography, postmark, United States, states, map
Materials Needed
student-collected envelopes with postmarks
scissors
a United States map
pushpins
computers with Internet access (optional)
Lesson Plan
Show students an envelope with a postmark. Ask: "What is a postmark?
Find the postmark on this envelope. Why does the post office put postmarks
on envelopes?"
Tell students that they are going to collect postmarks, one from
each state. Ask students to name the 50 states. Help students brainstorm
ways to collect postmarks (for example, from family members and friends
who live in different states or from a city chamber of commerce, a
state tourist office, or a popular place of interest in a state).
As students collect new postmarks, have them cut out the postmarks
from the envelopes. Tell students to find the states where the postmarks
came from and put them on the map with pushpins.
Variation:
Have older students use map Web sites, such
as MapQuest, to find the
exact location of each postmark. Have students pin the postmarks
to the approximate spot in the state on the map. Extension: Have students collect ZIP codes and plot them
on the map.
