52 Student Almanac

Additional types of activities to consider:

• Have the class create a game show in which all of the questions are based on information from the almanac. When the participants play the game, they should use their handbooks as a reference.
• For the manual alphabet (page 471), have each student learn to sign a word and spell it to a partner.
• For the chart of animal facts (page 479), have students choose one animal and write a paragraph or poem using all the facts about the animal.
• For the table of the metric system (page 481), have students complete the following sentences:
  • One centimeter is ________________ than one-half inch.
  • One meter is _____________ than three feet.
  • One kilometer is ____________ than one mile.
  • One liter is ______________ than one liquid quart.
• For “Our Solar System” (pages 484–485), have students imagine that they are space travelers and write an entry in their logbook, using facts from these pages.
• For the math symbols (page 487), have students write three equations using the math symbols (70” > 1’), trade papers, and read each other’s equations.
• For “Latitude and Longitude” (pages 498–499), have students answer these questions:
  • If you were at 60 N and 120 W, what country would you be in?
  • If you were at 20 S and 60 E, what body of water would you be in?
  • If you were at 40 N and 90 W, what river would you be near?
• For “Branches of Government” (page 512), have students carefully study the government chart, then close their books and write down what they learned. Later, have them check the chart again to see how they did.
• For “The Bill of Rights” (page 518), have students select one amendment and write a journal entry explaining how life in the United States would be different if that amendment did not exist.
• For the time line (pages 521–531), have students make a top 5 list of the most interesting and/or important events in the time line. Then have students share their lists with the class.