How was South Dakota's shape formed?

This mini unit on SOUTH DAKOTA uses the cross curricular approach to education. There are several activities from different academic subjects for you to choose from. One of the most important things is to have fun!

Below are some activities to help you study SOUTH DAKOTA. You may choose to do all, some, or none of the activities. You can also alter the activities to better suit your individual child's needs.

Some of these activities overlap each other, choose the one you think that you and the children will enjoy most. The main point of this unit is to make learning about SOUTH DAKOTA and enjoyable for all who are participating. The South Dakota flag features the state seal surrounded by a golden blazing sun in a field of sky blue.

Letters reading "South Dakota, The Mount Rushmore State" -- the official state nickname -- are arranged in a circle around the sun. Before you begin this unit you may want to set up a research area. Place a desk or table in front of a bulletin board area.

This will be where you can place relevant books, magazines, photographs, posters, newspaper articles, maps, scrapbooks, games, puzzles, computer software, task cards, travel brochures, etc. that you collect. Print a blank map of the state, or draw one on tag board, that you can place on the bulletin board. As you study the political and physical features of the state, have the children fill in the name of the state capital, large cities, and major geographical features.

Color the map using different shades for varying elevations. Place a chart next to the map called "State Facts." List any information on here that you would like to be able to find at a quick glance.

Have the children fill this chart up as the unit progresses. Build a mini museum to exhibit any artifacts or memorabilia about the state you are working on. Label the items with a date and a brief explanation of their history.

Also display any state maps and projects made by the children. During this unit, you can have the child(ren) prepare a portfolio to keep their notes and completed projects in. Include an outline map of the state or a copy of the state flag to go on the cover of the portfolio.

Have them include the date they begin and complete the unit. Use any or all of the following sub-topics to gather information on the state. This can even be used as your "State Facts" sheet mentioned in "Infodesk" section above.

 Create a "State A to Z Fact Book" with a person, place, or fact for each letter of the alphabet.  Create a "State Book of Facts" by cutting paper into the shape of the state and writing one interesting fact along with an illustration on each page. Bind the pages together in a cover of the same shape as the pages.

 Use the facts to help with other activities in this unit. List what you know before you begin the unit and what you would like to learn during the unit and then when the unit is over what you learned throughout the unit. As an ongoing part of this unit, have a "state scavenger hunt" to answer questions about the state.

State archives, history books, museums, artifacts, photographs, old newspapers and magazines, and experts on various topics of interest will help gather an overall picture of the state. Set up categories (i.e. , in the beginning, early immigrants, statehood, geography, famous people, etc.) and provide containers (i.e.

, folders, boxes, etc.) to keep the material and information you gather in to keep them organized. Information you gather on your "scavenger hunt" can be used to prepare reports on the state. The complexity and method of presentation of the reports will depend on the level of your child(ren).

As you work on this unit, gather information, you may wish to create a state timeline so that you can see important events in the states' history presented in a chronological format. The first inhabitants of the United States were Native Americans, also called Indians. Native Americans were the descendants of nomadic tribes who crossed the Bering Strait's land bridge between Russia and what is now the state of Alaska thousands of years ago.

Determine what tribes lived in this the state originally. See also Tribal Nations of the USA. Gather as much information on this/these tribe(s) as possible.

Explore both the history of the tribe and life for the tribe members.  Was the state named after an Native American tribe or some aspect of Indian history or culture?  As European settlers arrived in the state, what happened to the Native American population and why?

 How did the Native American culture influence the state's culture?  Describe life of the Native Americans in the state today.  What problems do Native Americans face in the state today?

To enhance this part of your study, you may wish to construct a shoebox diorama of an Indian village as it would have been long ago. Find out what their particular dwellings looked like (i.e. , wigwam, adobe bricks, log cabin, etc.).

What would the vegetation have looked like? Arriving in America was just the beginning for many immigrants. Many settlers began their treks in different ways, using different means of transportation, and coming and going in many different directions.

Who were the first pioneers to arrive in the state? When did they come? Why did they come?