Queensbury fourth graders took a “Tour De USA” on Wednesday, June 10.
English language arts teacher Kristen Murphy wanted the last research lesson of the year to be something meaningful and memorable for her students.
Students picked one of the 50 states, researched it and presented information about their states during the school day and again for parents that evening at the William H. Barton Intermediate School.
“A lot of kids in today’s world don’t necessarily know where they live and how big the town of Queensbury is versus a state versus a country,” said Murphy, who still remembers doing a similar project when she was a student at the WHBI.
Most students wanted to research New York, but Murphy took that option off the table and used it as an example instead. Several diehard Eagles fans lobbied for Pennsylvania.
“The best part of doing this project was figuring out all these fun facts about Florida,” said 10-year-old Sidonia Sheerer, who memorized her entire presentation.
She found information about the Sunshine State through CultureGrams, PebbleGo and National Geographic.
“I love all the beachy themes and all the fun things you can do in Florida,” Sidonia said, “like you can go to Disney World and Everglades National Park. You can also go to Disney World Resorts.”
Some families bought items to represent their state while other families created handmade “artifacts” at home.
“I hope they will just remember the process and the work they put into it,” Murphy said, “and talking with their families about it.”