Jack's State Report

Think of a state you've never visited, and probably have never needed to visit, and perhaps have never wanted to visit.  Think of a state about which you know very few specific facts.  You can't name a famous feature, or a famous person from this state, or a reason why you would ever go there.

Do you have a state in mind?

Is it North Dakota?

Well, North Dakota fits all of the above for me, but perhaps I'm unusual.  I must be unusual, in fact, because Jack was interested enough in North Dakota to choose to study it for six weeks.  In the process, we did find out some interesting facts about North Dakota.  Here are a few:

   * It's the geographical center of North America.
   * It's home to (half of) The International Peace Garden that straddles the border between North Dakota and Manitoba and acts as "a unique tribute to peace and friendship between the people" of the US and Canada.
   * It's home to the Enchanted Highway, a 30-mile stretch of road with large sculptures to see as you drive (Jack really wants to see this)
   * Lewis and Clark passed through the area
   * Despite the government and local officials' best efforts to lure and/or dupe people into moving to North Dakota (even 9 years after the Homestead Act took effect, just 28 people had taken advantage of it) it took the railroad coming through in the 1870's for people to start moving to the area
   * North and South Dakota became states on the same day in 1889.  Nobody knows which paper was signed first, so they're both #39/#40.
   * It is so sparsely populated that the population density is about 11 people per square mile (it's ranked #4 behind Alaska, Wyoming, and Montana)
   * Peggy Lee of "Lady and the Tramp" fame is from ND, as is Lawrence Welk
   * Roger Maris is NOT from ND but he went to high school there, so one of the books we checked out from the library claimed him anyway
   * ND is home to tons of farming and ranching

Jack's teacher did a great job of using class time to complete the various aspects of this big project as much as possible, and instilling in them a drive to stay on top of the milestones she provided.  He would come home from school and exclaim, "I have to finish my introduction!!" and get busy on his introduction.  The project included a 5-page research paper (yes, it was a bit of a struggle to find enough material to fill 5 pages) with bibliography and author's bio; a poster with a state flag, map, interesting facts, and timeline; and two activities for the people who want to learn about your state at the 5th grade State Fair.  He worked hard on all of the components.  He was really proud of himself, and I was really proud of him, and we were all happy when it was over.

For his activities, Jack chose to create a menu he'd serve the POTUS using only foods produced in North Dakota (steak, French fries, and cream corn, with ice cream for dessert) and a trivia quiz.  He really wanted candy to give out to the people who passed his quiz (the answers for which were visible on his poster) and insisted that he needed a lot, so at 9:30 the night before the State Fair I bought 5 pounds of Starburst.  (Turns out, 3 pounds would have been enough.  I'll have to remember that for when Eliza's in 5th grade.  Also, some of the kids did very creative and state-specific handouts, activities, and visuals.  More to remember when it's Eliza's turn.  One of the Hawaii kids gave out plastic leis.  A kid reporting on Maine had a fishing-type game for kids to try to catch lobster.  The Louisiana poster I saw was black with Mardi Gras colors and decorations all over it.)  Jack seemed to really enjoy sharing what he'd learned with the kids who walked through the State Fair and did a great job teaching and quizzing.

And it was fun that while Luke and I checked out Jack's setup, Eliza's class was walking through the gym to see the projects.  She learned talked to kids about New Jersey and Hawaii, and earned a Starburst by taking Jack's quiz to which she knew all the answers.

Notice Luke sneaking Starburst...