Exploring Illinois

My 3rd/4th grade social studies class just concluded their unit on Illinois. 

In order to understand the issue they would be presented with, I introduced the unit by explaining how the federal and state government is broken down. Once they understood how the House of Representatives and Senate are chosen, the students were presented the following issue: Illinois is losing a seat in Congress due to the decrease in the Illinois population. We discussed that, by losing a seat, the residents of Illinois lose some power in the federal government, while other states may gain power. 

The students were given the challenge of becoming real estate agents and determining how to entice residents to stay in Illinois and/or move to our state. They were challenged to think like geographers, historians, economists, and government officials to research all aspects of Illinois. 

During the unit the students engaged in a multitude of research skills, such as finding appropriate sources, taking notes and compiling information, as well as analyzing and paraphrasing information. 

By the end of the unit our realtors created Illinois brochures on their findings. They shared important information about the location of Illinois, including landmarks, regions, terrain, weather, and animals. They learned about the first settlers and explorers of the our area and the significance these people have had to our state. The students gained an understanding of the importance of Illinois' natural resources and important industries.  At the end of the unit we discussed how all the aspects of Illinois function as a system in order to be successful. 

Below are some of our final Illinois brochures!