Academic Enrichment Theme – Maryland, My Maryland
Overview
Students will learn about their state: geographic regions, wildlife,
famous people, Star-Spangled Banner, and the Chesapeake Bay in five 45minute sessions. A passport type booklet will be worked on in each session.
At Stevens Forest, we culminated this activity with a Saturday field trip
to Maryland Day at the University of Maryland in College Park. You could
also end with a trip to the Maryland Zoo, they have a great Maryland
Wilderness Trail with interactive exhibits. We also had an end of unit feast
with Perdue chicken nuggets, Black-Eyed Susan cookies, Old Bay flavored
popcorn, and Maryland trail mix.
Partial Bibliography
Bachmann, Elaine Rice. While a Tree Grew: the Story of Maryland’s Wye
Oak.
Centreville, MD: Tidewater Publishers, 2006.
Brown, Jonathan. Maryland. Pleasantville, NY: Gareth Stevens Publishing,
2006.
Golembe, Carla. M is for Maryland: An Alphabet Picture Book about
Maryland.
Alexandria, VA: VSP Books, 2000.
Jensen, Niles R. Maryland. Edina, MN: ABDO Publishing, 2010.
Kulling, Monica. Francis Scott Key’s Star-Spangled Banner. New York:
Random
House Children’s Books, 2012
Labella, Susan. Maryland. New York: Scholastic, 2005.
Menendez, Shirley C. B is for Blue Crab: A Maryland Alphabet. Chelsea, MI:
Thomson Gale, 2004.
Sonneborn, Liz. The Star-Spangled Banner: the Story Behind Our National
Anthem. Philadelphia: Chelsea Clubhous, 2004.
Session – Geographic Regions
In this section of the passport, students will learn about the geographic
regions of Maryland and color in a map of the state to identify the regions.
Maryland by Jensen and Maryland by Brown both discuss the different
regions of Maryland in detail.
Water – Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, Deep Creek Lake,
Patuxent River, Potomac River, Susquehanna River,
Youghiogheny River
(color blue on the map)
Coastal Plain – area surrounding the Chesapeake Bay (entire Eastern
Shore and coastal Western Shore)
(color yellow on the map)
Piedmont Plateau – west of the Bay, about 40 miles wide
(color green on the map)
Mountains – Appalachian, Blue Ridge, and Alleghany Mountain ranges are
west of the Piedmont
(color Brown on the map)
We made extra copies of the Maryland map in the passport and colored and
laminated them ahead of time. Students can use play-doh to make the
mountain ranges in the appropriate areas of the map.
Each session also works on part of the Quick Facts session about
Maryland. In this session, students learn the nickname – Old Line State and
the motto – Fatti Maschii, Parole Femine (Manly deeds, womanly (gentle)
words). Both Maryland books mentioned above explain these facts.
Students also add a copy of the state seal to their passport.
Session – Wildlife
In this section of the passport, students will learn about the wildlife of
Maryland, color in the state bird, make a crayon rubbling of an oak leaf, and
create a model of the state flower. Maryland by Jensen, Maryland by Brown,
and Maryland by Labella all discuss the animals and plants found in
Maryland.
Start by reading While a Tree Grew: the Story of Maryland’s Wye Oak by
Bachmann. This book tells the story of a White Oak tree. After reading the
book, have students create a crayon rubbing of a real oak leaf or a carboard
one by laying it under the passport page. (white school glue can be used to
make veins on a cardboard leaf).
Then, ask students about the state bird. You may also end up discussing
the Orioles baseball team. Enchanted Learning has an outline of the state
bird that can be printed for students to color in.
Maryland’s state flower is the Black-Eyed Susan. Labell’s Maryland book
has a great photograph of the flower in it. Students will use brown circle and
yellow oval petal shapes to create the state flower on their passport page.
Each session also works on part of the Quick Facts session about
Maryland. In this session, students add photos and names of the state bird,
state tree, state flower, state insect, and state cat to their passport.
bird – Baltimore Oriole
tree – White Oak
flower – Black-Eyed Susan
insect- Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly
cat – Calico Cat
Session – Famous People
In this section of the passport, students will learn about famous people who
were born in Maryland.
Maryland by Brown has short biographical sections on Thurgood Marshall,
Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, and Babe Ruth.
Maryland by Jensen has short biographical sections on Frederick Douglas,
Jim Henson, Francis Scott Key, Thurgood Marshall, Babe Ruth, Edgar Allen
Poe, Harriet Tubman, and Michael Phelps. (I would save Francis Scott Key
for the Star-Spangled Banner session).
This information could be reproduced for students to look at or multiple
copies of the books could be checked out from the public library.
On the passport page, students will complete four trading card like sections
about famous people born in Maryland. You should let them choose four
people that interest them the most. They will include name, birth date,
death date, profession, and a sentence about what they did. They can also
illustrate the person.
Each session also works on part of the Quick Facts session about
Maryland. In this session, students add photos and names of the state
reptile and state horse to their passport.
reptile – Diamondback Terrapin
horse – Thoroughbred
Session – Star-Spangled Banner
In this section of the passport, students will learn about the Francis Scott
Key and the Star-Spangled Banner.
Share with students a book about the writing of our national anthem such as
Francis Scott Key’s Star-Spangled Banner by Kulling or The Star-Spangled
Banner: the Story Behind Our National Anthem by Sonneborn. Kulling’s
book is an easier read. The Howard County public library has at least 5
other books about Key and our national anthem.
Have students complete the biographical section on Francis Scott Key in
their passport and color in both the 1812 flag and our current flag in their
passport. Students can compare the two flags. Enchanted Learning has
additional versions of the flag that can be studied. The Smithsonian
Institution has a wonderful online website about the Star-Spangled Banner
and conservations efforts that have been made to preserve the flag at
americanhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner.
Each session also works on part of the Quick Facts session about
Maryland. In this session, students add photos and names of the state dog
and state dinosaur to their passport.
dog – Chesapeake Bay Retriever
dinosaur – Astrodon Johnstoni
Session – Chesapeake Bay
In this section of the passport, students will learn about the Chesapeake
Bay and the wildlife that the bay supports.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources sponsors a Bay Game
summer booklet every year. Paper copies can be found at public libraries,
state parks, and rest stops with visitor information centers (like the on 95
between 32 and 216). The booklet can also be printed from their website at
www.dnr.state.md.us/baygame/. Each year has a different focus and many
activities that students enjoy. There are always sections on how to help
protect and restore the Bay. This year’s game includes sections on how the
bay license plates help support the bay, how oysters clean the water in the
bay, different kinds of boats that can be found on the bay, what a watershed
is and how to protect it from fertilizer, and the clean water act.
The website ww.mdkidspage.org/BayBridge.htm has lots of facts about the
Chesapeake Bay Bridge and some wonderful photos of the twin spans.
The Howard County public library has many Chesapeake Bay wildlife
stories written by Priscilla Cummings about the adventures of Chadwick the
crab which would be great for a read aloud.
Each session also works on part of the Quick Facts session about
Maryland. In this session, students add photos and names of the state
crustacean and state fossil shell to their passport.
crustacean – Maryland Blue Crab
fossil shell – ecphora gardnerae gardnerae
flower center
oak leaf
flower petals
Name ______________________________
State Seal
Facts about Maryland
state nickname ________________________________
state motto ___________________________________
state bird
state cat
state dinosaur
___________________ ___________________ ___________________
state dog
state flower
state horse
___________________ ___________________ ___________________
state insect
state reptile
state tree
___________________ ___________________ ___________________
“Maryland Outline Map with text.” Outline Maps Collection. Maps 101. © 2012. July 8, 2012 http://media.maps101.com/SUB/OUTLINE/MARYLA-P1.gif
Geographic Regions
Wildlife
“Baltimore Oriole.” All About Birds Animal Printouts. Enchanted Learning. © 1999 - 2010. July 8, 2012
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/birds/printouts/Orioleprintout.shtml
Famous People
Name
______________________
Name
______________________
Born: _________
Born: _________
Died: __________
Died: __________
Profession:
Profession:
__________________________
____
What They Did
__________________________
____
What They Did
__________________________
____
__________________________
____
__________________________
____
__________________________
____
Name
______________________
Name
______________________
Born: _________
Born: _________
Died: __________
Died: __________
Profession:
Profession:
__________________________
____
What They Did
__________________________
____
What They Did
__________________________
____
__________________________
____
__________________________
____
__________________________
____
Star-Spangled Banner
Name ______________________
Born: _________
Died: __________
Profession: ________________________
What They Did
__________________________________________________________
_________
Our flag when Francis
Scott Key wrote the
Star-Spangled
Banner.
Our flag today.
“US Flag.” US Flag: Color and Count. Enchanted Learning. © 1999 - 2010. July 8, 2012
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/alphabet/followinstructions/usflag/
Chesapeake Bay
state crustacean
state fossil shell
___________________
___________________
Amsel, Sheri. “Habitat Coloring Pages.” Chesapeake Bay Coloring Page. Exploring Nature Educational Resource. ©
2005-2012. July 8, 2012<http://exploringnature.org/db/detail.php?dbID=44&detID=1375>