US State Unit Study - Lesson 7: Midwestern States

Lesson 7: We read books about the mid-western states including; Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and Missouri.

Settled by French fur traders, the mid-western states have a long history fur trading, fishing, shipping, and logging on the Great Lakes.

The book Paddle-to-the-Sea was an excellent spine books for this region as it was about a carved wooden canoe which floated with the current through each of the great lakes and to the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way, the canoe encountered ships, saw mills, animals and people each important in the Great Lakes region.

When we were finished with the book my daughter created a glitter map of the region.

First she hand drew an outline of the region on a white piece of cardboard.

Then she added the names of important cities and waterways including the major cities at each end of every great lake.

Next glitter glue was added covering each of the three different regions.

Finally permanent marker was used to outline the regions.

In addition to Paddle to the Sea the following books are fun to read with a mid-western state introduction.

Michigan is one of the top Christmas Tree producing states. One story of trees is told in The Christmas Tree Ship.

Near Traverse City Michigan lies a National Park consisting of huge sand dunes. The Legend of Sleeping Bear tells how the sand dunes and two islands in Lake Michigan came into being. The same author also wrote The Legend of Mackinac Island and The Legend of Leelanau, both of which we greatly enjoyed.

Older children can read Shipwrecks & Rescues: Forgotten Great Lakes History and younger children will enjoy listening to the stories. Some are tragic, so please pre-read this one if you have sensitive children.



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