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Home : 2004 : September : 23

Florida
By teachfla

Your MUST read them "Becasue of Winn Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo (sp?) My 2nd graders loved it last year, but it's good for any grade level. "S is for Sunshine" is also required reading. Another good book in "Everglades" (I
forgot the author.) Go to your public library and clean them out of books on Florida.
In 2nd, we do a mini-tour of our state. I created a template "tourist letter" that we filled in as we "visited" and learned about important cities in Florida. It included stuff like why the city is important, how it is similar to our part of Florida, the part the children liked the best, and of course

a "postcard picture" at the bottom to illustrate their favorite part.
Stop by any local hotel/motel and grab a bunch of tourist pamphlets. That's a good start. You'll want to study North Florida, Central Florida, and South Florida, along with the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf Coast. Don't forget Tallahassee, the Kennedy Space Center, and the Everglades.
You don't say where you live, but go to your local teacher store -- they should carry lots of prep books on Florida. There is a unit created by the Bag Ladies (google them) that my kids loved, too.
We live in the best state (I am rather biased -- I've never lived anywhere else!) There is such a diversity in the people, land, even climate. It was my favorite thing to teach last year. Let me know if I can be of any more help!