PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Teacher’s Answer Key
United States Geography
Program based on the
National Football League
schedule from
September 9, - December 30, 2007
presented by the
TOPEKA CAPITAL-JOURNAL
TEACHER’S EDITION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FIVE THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY
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STUDENT’S STUDY HINT SHEET
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TWO-LETTER STATE ABBREVIATIONS
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UNITED STATES TIME ZONE MAP
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UNITED STATES AND NFL CITIES POPULATION TABLE
SEATING CAPACITY OF NFL STADIUMS
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MATH & GRAPHING WITH STADIUM CAPACITY FIGURES
NFL CITY LOCATION MAP
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ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES
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ADDITION-SUBTRACTION, GRAPHING INSTRUCTIONS
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WEEKLY QUIZZES
Week # 1
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Week # 2
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Week # 3
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Week # 4
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Week # 5
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Week # 6
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Week # 7
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Week # 8
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LATITUDE and LONGITUDE Answer Key
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Week # 10
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Week # 11
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Week # 12
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Week # 14
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51
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STUDENT REFERENCE INFORMATION
CITY, STATE, TEAM NAME Quiz and Answer Key _
VERBS and the SPORTS PAGE _
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PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
FIVE THEMES IN GEOGRAPHY
Source: National Geographic Society
LOCATION: (Absolute and Relative): Location answers the basic question: Where? Absolute and relative
location are two ways of describing the positions of the Earth's physical and cultural features. For example,
knowing the absolute, or exact, location of Tucson, AZ, showed us where the forest fires occurred. A grid
system representing latitude and longitude is one way of showing absolute locations. Another way of looking at
location has to do with the interaction of places. This is relative location-the way a city is connected to other
places. A map can provide a starting point for gathering information. IN WHAT MOUNTAIN RANGE IS MT.
RAINIER LOCATED? Exactly where did Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi coast?
PLACE: (Physical and Human Characteristics): All places on Earth have special features that distinguish them
from other places. Geographers usually describe places by their physical and human characteristics. Los
Angeles, CA, and its neighboring communities, for example, are known for such physical characteristics as
sandy beaches, abundant sunshine, and a mild climate. Human characteristics such as the density of populat ion
and its ethnic makeup also play an important role in shaping the image of Los Angeles. WHAT PHYSICAL AND
HUMAN CHARACTERISTICS MAKE THE PLACE YOU LIVE DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER? HOW DO
THESE CHARACTERISTICS AFFECT YOUR LIFE? HOW IS LIFE IN BAYOU COUNTRY DIFFERENT FROM
YOUR CITY or the area in which you live?
HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS: (Relationships Within Places): People interact with their
environments and change them in different ways. Large-scale agricultural development of the dry Texas
Panhandle, for instance, did not occur until the invention of circular irrigation systems that distribute water from
underground wells. But such change has a price: The region's water supply is rapidly diminishing. Geographers
examine how human-environment interactions develop and what their consequences are for people and the
landscape. LOOK AROUND YOU: HOW HAVE PEOPLE CHANGED YOUR ENVIRONMENT? WHY HAVE
THEY MADE SUCH CHANGES? WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THESE CHANGES?
MOVEMENT: (Mobility of People, Goods, and Ideas): People everywhere interact. They travel from place to
place, they communicate, and they depend upon other people in distant places for products, ideas, and
information. A good example of movement exists in the highly urbanized northeast corridor between Boston and
Washington, D.C. Here, people can quickly fly from one city to another. Farmers efficiently send products to
restaurants and supermarkets by truck and trains. Let every trip to the supermarket be a geography lesson!
From where does all that produce come? Contaminated lettuce and spinach grown in the San Joaquin Valley of
California show up in restaurants in New Jersey. Are you feeling the “pinch” of this at the retail level?
Geography helps us understand the nature and effects of such movement. HOW DO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
DEPEND UPON PEOPLE IN OTHER PLACES? HOW DOES MOVEMENT AFFECT WHAT YOU CAN BUY IN
STORES IN YOUR CITY OR TOWN?
REGIONS: (How They Form and Change): Regions are areas on the surface of the Earth that are
defined by certain unifying characteristics. These characteristics may be physical, or they may be
human. The peaks and valleys of the Rocky Mountains, for example, form a physical region. The
Corn Belt, on the other hand, forms a human region. Large farms and similar crops unite several
midwestern states into this region, where corn has been the mainstay. Regions provide an organized
way to study Earth's landscapes and peoples. CAN YOU IDENTIFY SOME PHYSICAL AND HUMAN
REGIONS IN THE UNITED STATES? DRAW A MAP OF THESE REGIONS. DO ANY OF THEM
OVERLAP?
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PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Student’s Study Hint Sheet
Student Reference Information
CAPITALS --DENVER
ATLANTA
INDIANAPOLIS
NASHVILLE(TN)
PHOENIX (AZ) --Stadium is in Glendale, but we use the capital.
BOSTON (N.E.) --Stadium is in Foxboro, but we use the capital.
Washington, D.C. is the nation's capital.
RIVERS --
Mississippi River cities:
Minneapolis(MN), St. Louis, New Orleans
Ohio River cities:
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati
Missouri River city:
Kansas City
Detroit River city:
Detroit
Delaware River city:
Philadelphia
Cumberland River city:
Nashville(TN)
Pittsburgh: Ohio River formed at confluence of Allegheny and Monongahela
Philadelphia is at the confluence of the Delaware and Schuylkill
St. Louis is near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri
ATLANTIC OCEAN CITIES:
MIAMI
BOSTON (N.E.)
JACKSONVILLE
NEW YORK JETS
NEW YORK GIANTS
LANDLOCKED CITIES:
DALLAS
DENVER
ATLANTA
PHOENIX
CHARLOTTE
INDIANAPOLIS
STATES--MORE THAN ONE TEAM:
FLORIDA
(3)
NEW YORK
(3)
CALIFORNIA
(3)
OHIO
(2)
TEXAS
(2)
MISSOURI
(2)
PENNSYLVANIA
(2)
PACIFIC OCEAN CITIES:
SAN DIEGO
SAN FRANCISCO
BAY CITIES:
PENINSULA STATES
TAMPA ON TAMPA BAY
FLORIDA
MIAMI ON BISCAYNE BAY
MICHIGAN
SEATTLE ON ELLIOTT BAY
WASHINGTON
GREEN BAY ON GREEN BAY
DELMARVA formed by
SAN DIEGO ON SAN DIEGO BAY
Delaware, Maryland & Virginia
BALTIMORE ON CHESAPEAKE BAY
OAKLAND ON SAN FRANCISCO BAY
SAN FRANCISCO ON SAN FRANCISCO BAY
GREAT LAKE CITIES:
BUFFALO ON ERIE
CLEVELAND ON LAKE ERIE
CHICAGO ON LAKE MICHIGAN
PANHANDLE STATES
TEXAS
IDAHO
FLORIDA
OKLAHOMA
WEST VIRGINIA
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PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
T wo - L e t t e r S t at e Ab b r e vi a t i o n s
Student Reference Information
Alabama
AL "Heart of Dixie"
Montana
MT "Treasure State"
Alaska
AK "Last Frontier"
Nebraska
NE "Cornhusker State"
Arizona
AZ "Grand Canyon State"
Nevada
NV "Silver State"
Arkansas
AR "Land of Opportunity"
New Hampshire
NH "Granite State"
California
CA "Golden State"
New Jersey
NJ "Garden State"
Colorado
CO "Centennial State"
New Mexico
NM "Land of Enchantment
Connecticut
CT "Constitution State"
New York
NY "Empire State"
Delaware
DE "First State"
North Carolina
NC "Tar Heel State"
Florida
FL "Sunshine State"
North Dakota
ND "Flickertail State"
Georgia
GA "Peach State"
Ohio
OH "Buckeye State"
Hawaii
HI "Aloha State"
Oklahoma
OK "Sooner State"
Idaho
ID "Gem State"
Oregon
OR "Beaver State"
Illinois
IL "Prairie State"
Pennsylvania
PA "Keystone State"
Indiana
IN "Hoosier State"
Rhode Island
RI "Little Rhody"
Iowa
IA "Hawkeye State"
South Carolina
SC "Palmetto State"
Kansas
KS "Sunflower State"
South Dakota
SD "Rushmore State"
Kentucky
KY "Bluegrass State"
Tennessee
TN "Volunteer State"
Louisiana
LA "Pelican State"
Texas
TX "Lone Star State"
Maine
ME "Pine Tree State"
Utah
UT "Beehive State"
Maryland
MD "Old Line State"
Vermont
VT “Green Mt. State”
Massachusetts
MA "Bay State"
Virginia
VA "Old Dominion State"
Michigan
MI "Wolverine State"
Washington
WA "Evergreen State"
Minnesota
MN "Gopher State"
West Virginia
WV "Mountain State"
Mississippi
MS "Magnolia State"
Wisconsin
WI "Badger State"
Missouri
MO "Show Me State"
Wyoming
WY "Equality State"
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PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Population Table
THE WORLD ALMANAC 2007 - Page 596 - 598
Student Reference Information
CITIES
1. New York
2. Los Angeles
3. Chicago
4. Houston
5. Philadelphia
6. Phoenix
7. San Antonio
8. San Diego
9. Dallas
10. San Jose
11. Detroit
12. Indianapolis
13. Jacksonville
14. San Francisco
15. Columbus, OH
18. Baltimore
20. Charlotte
23. Seattle
24. Boston
25. Denver
27. Washington, D. C.
28. Nashville
35. Atlanta
38. New Orleans
39. Cleveland
40. Kansas City
44. Oakland
45. Miami
48. Minneapolis
52. St. Louis
56. Tampa
57. Pittsburgh
58. Cincinnati
66. Buffalo
??. Green Bay
METROPOLITAN AREAS
8,143,197
3,844,829
2,842,518
2,016,582
1,463,281
1,461,575
1,256,509
1,255,540
1,213,825
912,332
886,671
784,118
782,623
739,426
730,657
635,815
624,067
578,887
573,911
559.034
550,521
549,110
470,688
454,683
452,208
444,965
395,274
386,417
372,811
344,362
325,989
316,718
308,728
279,745
100,353
1. New York
18,323,002
2. Los Angeles
12,365,627
3. Chicago
9,098,316
4. Philadelphia
5,687,147
5. Dallas
5,161,544
6. Miami
5,007,564
7. Washington
4,796,183
8. Houston
4,715,407
9. Detroit
4,452,557
10. Boston
4,391,344
11. Atlanta
4,247,981
12. San Francisco
4,123,740
13. Riverside, CA
3,254,821
14. Phoenix
3,251,876
15. Seattle
3,043,878
16. Minneapolis
2,968,806
17. San Diego
2,813,833
18. St. Louis
2,698,687
19. Baltimore
2,552,994
20. Pittsburgh
2,431,087
21 Tampa
2,395,997
22. Denver
2,179,240
23. Cleveland
2,148,143
24. Cincinnati
2,009,632
25. Portland
1,927,881
26. Kansas City
1,836,038
27. Sacramento
1,796,857
28. San Jose
1,735,819
29. San Antonio
1,711,703
30. Orlando
1,644,561
31. Columbus, OH
1,612,694
32. Providence
1,582,997
33. Norfolk
1,576,370
34. Indianapolis
1,525,104
35. Milwaukee
1,500,741
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PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Seating Capacity of Stadiums
National Football League-2007
Student Reference Information
University of Phoenix
Georgia Dome
M & T Bank Stadium
Ralph Wilson Stadium
Bank of America Stadium
Soldier Field
Paul Brown Stadium
Cleveland Browns Stadium
Texas Stadium
Invesco at Mile High Stadium
Ford Field
Lambeau Field
Reliant Stadium
RCA Dome
Jacksonville Municipal Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium
Dolphin Stadium
Metrodome
Gillette Field
Louisiana Superdome
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium
Oakland MdAfee Coliseum
Lincoln Financial Field
Heinz Field
Edward Jones Dome
Qualcomm Stadium
Monster Park
Qwest Field
Raymond James Stadium
LP Field
Glendale, AZ
Atlanta, GA
Baltimore, MD
Orchard Park, NY
Charlotte, NC
Chicago, IL
Cincinnati, OH
Cleveland, OH
Irving, TX
Denver, CO
Detroit, MI
Green Bay, WI
Houston, TX
Indianapolis, IN
Jacksonville, FL
Kansas City, MO
Miami, FL
Minneapolis, MN
Foxboro, MA
New Orleans, LA
E. Rutherford, NJ
E. Rutherford, NJ
Oakland, CA
Philadelphia, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
St. Louis, MO
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
Seattle, WA
Tampa, FL
Nashville, TN
Cardinals
Falcons
Ravens
Bills
Panthers
Bears
Bengals
Browns
Cowboys
Broncos
Lions
Packers
Texans
Colts
Jaguars
Chiefs
Dolphins
Vikings
Patriots
Saints
N.Y. Giants
N.Y. Jets
Raiders
Eagles
Steelers
Rams
Chargers
49ers
Seahawks
Buccaneers
Titans
65,000
71,228
70,107
73,967
73,298
61,500
65,515
73,300
65,529
76,125
64,500
72,928
71,054
55,531
67,164
79,451
75,192
64,121
68,756
65,000
80,242
80,242
63,132
68,400
65,000
66,000
70,000
69,732
67,000
65,908
69,143
FedEx Field
Washington, DC
Redskins
91,704
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PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Math with the Stadium Capacity
The seating capacity table of the NFL stadia may be used for math lessons with your newspaper. Every
boxscore of NFL games will include an attendance figure, and some may include stadium capacity along
with that figure. Students may subtract the actual attendance from the stadium capacity to determine
how many empty seats were in the stadium on any given game day. For example, at the bottom of a
boxscore you may see: A - 56,623(62,518). The figure within parentheses is stadium capacity, and
56,623 is actual attendance.
More advanced classes/students may divide the actual attendance by the stadium's capacity to
determine the percentage of capacity for a particular game. Having students figure the percentage of
attendance is an interesting and quick exercise to do with a calculator. After calculating the percentage
of stadium capacity each week, portray this on a line or bar graph. Send these graphs to the coach or
team owner at season's end. THIS DEED WILL BE APPRECIATED.
MAKE A COLORFUL BAR GRAPH. Round-off the attendance of your favorite team to the nearest five
hundred(500) and construct a vertical bar graph for the 16 weeks "your team" plays. This bar graph will
be bright and colorful if you suggest the students draw the bar each week in the color of the opposition’s
dominate team color. For example, Pittsburgh's colors are black and gold, Green Bay's are green and
yellow, St. Louis’ are blue and gold, etc.
The attendance figure may be used for simple place value lessons, or for practice in writing exponents.
Primary students can look at the scores of Sunday's games to determine if the numbers are odd or even.
Intermediate grade students may determine that the scores are prime or composite numbers. Composite
numbers should be factored to their prime components.
ANOTHER MATH SUGGESTION THAT MIGHT BE DEVELOPED FROM ANY SECTION OF THE
NEWSPAPER. Simple or more challenging subtractions lessons can be developed from the many tables
of information that appear frequently in all sections of the newspaper. When any information is
presented in a descending numerical order, have a subtraction lesson by determining the difference
between the first number and the second number in the listing; between the second and third, third minus
fourth, fourth minus fifth, etc.
Request a “Stat Sheet” from this author via your NIE Coordinator if you want to follow your favorite team
with a weekly spreadsheet application. The sheet is completed by having the students obtain seven(7)
bits of information from the sports page boxscore and writing them down in the proper columns. Then
after the first week, the students make seven simple ADDITIONS to keep a RUNNING total of the
points, yards rushing, yards passing, and attendance as the season progresses. Then seven
DIVISIONS by the game number to figure the average points, yards rushing, yards passing, and
attendance per game as the weeks whirl by.
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PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Enrichment Activities
1. This makes me Unusual! Challenge your students to find an article(s) about each NFL city that
distinguishes it from the other NFL cities. South Mountain Park in Phoenix is the world’s largest
municipal park. Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta is the largest granite dome in North America.
Phoenix is the most populous state capital. Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport is now the world’s busiest.
2. County Counting! Mount a large map of your state in the classroom and find a dateline or article
representing each county in your state. You may not be able to do this for all of the 254 counties
in Texas; maybe for the 102 counties in Illinois; and certainly for the 21 counties in New Jersey.
Contact a city or state official for a map.
3. What’s important in each State? During the course of the NFL season, clip articles daily and
weekly from your newspaper that show unique, unusual or important products or features from
each state. Attach these articles to a large outline map of the United States. For example,
cherries in Michigan, diamonds and rice in Arkansas, Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota, wheat in
Kansas, or corn in any of the Corn Belt states. Kalamazoo, MI, grows 75% of the bedding plants
in the U.S. You should cover every state during the NFL season. California produces 90% of
the garlic in the nation. Where is Gilroy? See sample state product exercise on page 51
4. Which quarterback was the best on Sunday? Each boxscore in Monday’s newspaper will tell you
about the quarterback’s efficiency with figures that read as: 16-30-2. This means that the QB
completed 16 passes out of 30 attempts with two(2) interceptions. Forget about the
interceptions. Write 16/30 as a common fraction and reduce it to lowest terms, 8/15; or change it
to the decimal equivalent rounded to thousandths place, .533. Of course, not all completionattempts fractions can be reduced. This math exercise will have the students solving 20-30
problems every Monday or which ever day you choose to do the assignment.
5. Which team was best on Sunday? This is a simpler version of the quarterback exercise. A
headline may read “Bears maul Ravens, 36 - 14.” Write each game score as a common fraction,
14/36, and reduce when possible. Again, 12-15 problems each Monday.
6. How many Empty Seats? Included in each boxscore is an attendance figure. Use the Stadium
Capacity table you have and subtract the actual attendance from the capacity to determine how
many unoccupied seats there were on game day. Taking math to a higher level, use these
figures to determine the per cent of capacity. Calculators?
7. Be Weather Wise! Have a simple subtraction lesson from the weather page of the newspaper by
having students find the difference between the high temperatures in the cities of all the
competing teams. Will a team be flying into warmer or colder weather to play their game? Will
you do this one or five times a week?
8. Identify those States. From the weather page, select 10-15 cities from around the nation that have
their high and low temperatures listed. Make sure the selected cities are in different states.
Calculate the difference between the high and low temperature in each city. On an outline map
of the U.S., write the difference within the appropriate state.
9. Math practice with the Population. Supply the students with the population table provided in the
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PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY packet, and let them determine the difference in the size of the cities of
the competing teams. For other cities, see THE WORLD ALMANAC, 2007, pages 596 - 598.
10. Population movement from the Rust Belt to the Sun Belt. Draw a rectangle from Boston to
Minneapolis to St. Louis to Baltimore. This is the Rust Belt. During the course of the NFL
season, clip newspaper articles related to population and employment movement away from the
Rust Belt and toward the Sun Belt. Assign a couple of students to be demographers and clip any
articles related to trends in population shifts in the U.S. Indianapolis is the “Cinderella of the Rust
Belt,” or the “Shining buckle on the Rust Belt.”
There will be declining population in Alabama, Mississippi, North Dakota, West Virginia and
Wyoming. Increasing population in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Nevada, North Carolina and
Texas. These states are being called the “New Sun Belt”.
11. Headline Vocabulary. Select two or three headlines from the newspaper that have a challenging
vocabulary word in them. Using a dictionary or thesaurus, replace the selected word in each
headline with a simpler synonym. Make sure the synonym fits in context. “Emaciated dogs die”,
“Coaches’ rancor keeps escalating.” Rewrite this headline so it’s singular possessive.
12. Pronouns from the Lovelorn. Read Dear Abby on any day, and pick out the pronouns to discuss
their usage. Find pronouns in the comics.
13. Contractions with the Comics. Everyone reads the comics. Did you ever think about the many
contractions used each day? Identify 10 - 12, and have the students write the two words each
contraction stands for.
14. Homonyms and Headlines. Look at headlines and subheadlines on just the front page. How
many words can you identify for which you know homonyms?
15. Weekly ranking of the football teams in the NCAA. The Associated Press, CNN or Coaches
ranking of the top college football teams will appear in your newspaper every Monday or
Tuesday. The total number of votes each team received will be listed from high to low. How
many more points/votes did #1 get than #2, #2 than #3, #3 than #4, etc.? Do 10 subtraction
problems one day, and 10 the next. Write the votes each team received in Roman Numerals.
16. Non-native ecological problems in the United States. Have students research the threat to our
ecosystem caused by these non-native specimens. Nutria, zebra mussels, fire ants, kudzu,
Africanized bees, Asian carp, wild(feral) hogs, phragmites, Formosan termites, Sea Lamprey,
African frogs, tamarisk(salt cedar)bush, Indo-Pacific lionfish, emerald ash borers(a g r i l u s
p l a n n i p e n n i s ) , hydrilla, soy bean rust, Atlantic cordgrass(spartina alterniflora) and sea
squirts. In July of 2006, it was reported that an aphid type insect brought here from Japan in the
1920s on ornamental plants is destroying hemlock trees in the Great Smoky Mountains.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, Great Smoky Mountains, “Season of Smoke”, August
2006, pages 90 - 107. Article is all about scenery, not about problems in the park.
On Nov. 4, 2005, the Diaprepes root weevil, a pest native to the Caribbean, caused an area of
Long Beach, CA, to be quarantined. The weevil threatens more than 270 species of plants,
including many citrus plants of Southern California.
From what country did they come? When did they first appear in the United States?
Did they come into the United States intentionally or by accident?
If intentional, what was their intended purpose?
If intentional, how long did it take to realize the idea, theory or concept was not
working and had gone awry?
continued
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These specimens have no natural enemies or controls in the United States.
What were the natural enemies or controls in the originating country?
See: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, “Attack of the alien Invaders”, March 2005,
pages 92 - 117.
17. Ethanol. Clip newspaper articles to study the pros and cons of the ethanol debate in the United
States during the NFL season. Is the American public being scammed? See notes on page 55.
18. Honey Bees. What is causing the demise of the honey bees? People in the agricultural industry
depend on bees for pollination, and if this doesn’t happen farmers stand to lose billions of dollars.
American Beekeeping Federation(www.abfnet.org)(www.americanhoneyproducers.org)
(Texas Apiary Inspection Service) (www.beesurvey.com) Discuss “colony collapse disorder”.
Where do the bees go? The hives are shunned by other bees and insect scavengers.
Researchers have found the parasite Nosema ceranea in dead bees.
The workers fly away, leaving the queen and her eggs, larvae and pupae to die. CCD is now in
24 states. Almonds, cucumbers, apples, peaches and more than 80 other American crops rely
on commercial honeybee pollination. 80% of the world’s almonds are grown in California, and
almond growers depend on the bee. One man said, “Without bees, we don’t eat.”
Beekeepers produce $200 million worth of honey annually.
19. Five themes of Geography. Divide a bulletin board into five equal parts, and use one of the Five
Themes of Geography as a heading for each section of the board.
LOCATION
PLACE
HUMANENVIRONMENTAL
INTERACTIONS
MOVEMENT
REGIONS
Clip articles from your newspaper that would pertain to each section or illustrate each theme.
LOCATION: Clip pictures of things that you know exactly where they are. Liberty Bell, Gateway
Arch, Mt. Rushmore, Time Square, exact street intersections (Hollywood & Vine), precise latitude
and longitude coordinates of hurricanes.
PLACE: Cable cars make you think of San Francisco, mountains of Colorado, corn fields of
Iowa. Cape Hatteras. Locate a few datelines each day. Where is it happening?
HUMAN-ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTIONS: Too many people in south Florida! How is the
area being affected? How are cities changing? Find articles about urban decay or downtown
revitalization. Rural areas change as suburbs grow. How is the Hispanic immigrant movement
affecting cities, schools, hospitals, governmental agencies, etc.?
MOVEMENT: People, goods and ideas move. People moving to the Sun Belt or from cities to
suburbs. However, cities are being renewed as people are tired of traffic congestion and high
gas prices. People are moving where there is public transportation. Via computers and
satellites, ideas are communicated across the nation and around the world in seconds.
REGIONS: Physical regions are easy to identify, but human regions are not. Have students
thinking about ethnic, language and social regions within their own state or city.
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY is a powerful framework for students to understand the people, places,
and environments of the United States and the connections to the students’ own lives.
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PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Addition-Subtraction, Graphing Instructions
Dear Teacher:
Students will enjoy the Addition and Subtraction Exercise in connection with PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY.
There are usually 15 games played on Sunday in the National Football League, and the scores of these
games will be reported in the sport section of your Monday's newspaper. However, be reminded that there
are some open dates for all teams, and only 13 games will be played on certain Sundays.
This exercise sheet is completed by simply taking the scores of the first two competing teams and adding to
determine the total number of points scored in the game; then subtracting the same scores to determine the
margin of victory. Repeat the process with the second set of scores, etc. until all 15 games are calculated.
This is a practical and meaningful math assignment for 1st through 6th graders. It should NOT be a timed
exercise for grades 1-3, but can be for grades 4 and above. The ability of your class should determine the
time allotted for completion, but it is generally recommended that 6th graders be given four(4) minutes to
complete the drill, 5th graders five(5) minutes, and 4th graders six(6) minutes. Reduce the time allowed to
complete the drill by 10-15 seconds when the weekend schedule is reduced to 13 games on Sunday.
Now graph the results of the addition and subtraction assignment. This is a project probably best suited for
6th graders and above, but you must be the one to determine how appropriate this may be for your class.
Your students are being timed as they work with the NFL results on Monday, and they raise their hand to
signal they are finished. Their time is quickly called to them when they raise their hand, and they note this
exact time on their exercise sheet. For example, you call 3:19. This means they completed the exercise in
3-minutes and 19-seconds.
Round-off the time to the nearest three seconds(3:18), and graph the results as a bar graph for that
particular week of the football season. The bars should be colored in RED in the weeks the exercise is not
completed with 100% accuracy, and colored in GREEN when it is done with 100% accuracy. When there
are less than 14 scheduled games, add 10 seconds to a student's time for each game not played. This will
make the graph present a more realistic picture of consistent improvement from week to week, instead of so
much weekly fluctuation when there are open dates.
What you hope to see as the weeks pass it that more and more of the bars are becoming green, and there
is a stair step pattern downward to the right as computational speed increases.
The results might more appropriately be graphed with a line graph, but experience has shown that students
are more enthused about making bar graphs than line graphs.
Enjoy!
14
15
16
17
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
September 9, 2007 - Week #1
Sunday, the 9th, is NATIONAL GRANDPARENTS DAY. Look for some ideas in your newspaper to
recognize this day. Perhaps some art/card making projects in class.
Looking a week ahead. September 11th is Patriot Day in commemoration of the terrorist attacks on the
United States on 9-11, 2001. Plan a moment of silence to honor those who lost their lives in the attacks.
For junior high and high schools, assign 2-4 students to be “class reporters” throughout the football
season to discuss every issue in the Patriot Act. Several candidates are vying for the presidential
nomination of their political party. Will the candidates’ position on national security be observed more
closely? Where will each student draw the line between security and tyranny? Follow the debates in
your newspaper. BOSTON HERALD students, Patriots Day is not for the team.
1. Miami Dolphins
2. Cincinnati. The Ohio River Sternwheel Festival is going on in Marietta, OH. American history
teachers, relive the history of our developing nation. www.mariettaohio.org. Sternwheelers
reflect what time period in American history? Any CINCINNATI ENQUIRER students going to
Covington for Oktoberfest?
3. St. Louis, Minneapolis (MN)
4. Cleveland, Buffalo are located on Lake Erie. State Geography Standards = SGS
5. Indianapolis
6. San Francisco, Minneapolis, Buffalo, Jacksonville, NY Jets *
Appreciate the reading comprehension skills that are required to answer the questions.
Make sure you get the correct response when students are asked for the “will be visited” or
“will visit” team(s) as in questions #1 and #6. Don’t blame me if it drives you nuts. You have
been warned.
7. California
8. Texas, New York, Ohio
9. Boston(N.E.) Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Phoenix(AZ) Cardinals
10. San Diego, Seattle, San Francisco, Green Bay, Oakland
SGS
11. Seattle on Elliott Bay visited by Tampa Bay
12
Denver Broncos over
Miami Dolphins near
NY Giants near
Nashville(TN) Titans over
 Lansing, MI 
 Richmond, VA 
 Little Rock, AR 
 Atlanta, GA 
SGS
13. New York, NY. First Labor Day parade was in NYC in 1882. Oregon made it a legal holiday in 1887,
and President Cleveland made it a national holiday in 1894. **
Destroying a myth related to Labor Day and New York City. The New York post office opened to
the public on Labor Day, Sept. 7, 1914. Common belief has it that the inscription on the front of
the building is the motto of the postal service: Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night
stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. The post office has no
official motto, but the legend remains.
continued
18
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
September 9, 2007 - Week #1
14. Hope this question will be a practical writing assignment for you. The SAT test now requires
more essay type writing. Your first chance to see the compositional skills of your students.
15. Or you may settle for an interesting class discussion on what memories this day evokes for the
students.
* Be advised, in case some student tries to “wise you up”, that the NY Giants and NY Jets play in the
Meadowlands in New Jersey. However, they will be from NYC as long as they have New York in
their name. As a point of reference for measuring direction or distance in the future, The location
of New York City will be considered as the tip of Manhattan.
** Questions identified as Beyond the 10, 20, 30, or 40, are more difficult, and indicate the students
will have to consult some reference source. This source may be some type of reference book,
or mom, dad, grandma or grandpa. Strive to get the family involved. As in kicking field goals, a
40-yarder is more difficult than a 10-yarder, so more extra credit should be given for this extra
effort. Some of you may choose to ignore these questions.
Bonus points!
Perhaps for anyone bringing in a picture or article of the Labor Day
walk across the Mackinac Bridge connecting the two peninsulas of Michigan. An event that only
happens once a year. Objective: Develop awareness of Great Lakes. Teach concepts of
peninsula and strait. Strait will be discussed in later lessons. www.stignace.com or
www.mackinacbridge.org. Click on Labor Day walk. Look at the back of the Michigan quarter.
Who’s up next? Names of Atlantic hurricanes in 2007: Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dean, Erin, Felix,
Gabrielle, Humberto, Ingrid, Jerry, Karen, Lorenzo, Melissa, Noel, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah,
Sebastien, Tanya, Van and Wendy.. On May 23, 2007, 13-17 tropical storms were forecast for
2007, of which nine(9) will be hurricanes, five(5) of them major. How is this prediction coming
along? The prediction of 17 in 2006 was missed when there were only 10 named storms, and
the prediction of 2005 was missed where there were 28 named storms. The word hurricane
comes from the Caribbean word Huracon, who was the god of evil.
The hurricane season for 2007 began on an odd note. Andrea occurred a week before the
hurricane season officially began on June 1st. The hurricane forecast was revised on July 24, to
14 named storms, 9 hurricanes and 3 majors due to cooler than normal ocean temperatures.
As of August 1st, three named storms had occurred with no kind of a threat to any area.
If you want, have a few students or the class keeping the PASSES ATTEMPTED/PASSES
COMPLETED GRAPH. THIS GRAPH WILL ALLOW YOUR STUDENTS TO GRAPH THE PASSING
SUCCESS OF THEIR FAVORITE QUARTERBACK FOR THE 17 WEEKS OF THE NFL SEASON. The
QB graph is on page 21. Objective for math: Figuring percentages by converting common fractions to
their decimal equivalent.
MAYBE JUST FOR PACKER FANS In which week will Brett Favre break Dan Marino’s all-time record
of 420 TD passes? Why don’t you teachers in Wisconsin set up a contest for your students by having
them guess the week and in which quarter of the game Favre will break the record?
SPECIAL SCIENCE/GEOGRAPHY PROJECT Does your newspaper provide time of sunrise and sunset
on the weather page? Start an HOURS OF DAYLIGHT graph on Monday, the 10th to plot the
descending hours of daylight leading to the autumnal equinox. www.almanac.com/rise/rise.html. Fall
arrives at 5:51 a.m. EDT on September 23rd. Do this if studying the changing seasons, rotation and
continued
19
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
September 9, 2007 - Week #1
revolution of the Earth, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn and Equator are part of your curriculum.
Figure the hours of daylight even if you don’t graph them.
September is National Honey Month. Did you DAILY TIMES-CALL students know the National Honey
Board is in Longmont, CO? That’s why Ms. Piller is so sweet.
www.honey.com
What do you HOUSTON CHRONICLE readers know about the infamous Galveston hurricane of
September 8, 1900? Brief report anyone? Made Katrina look like a wimp.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, “Killer Hurricanes. New Orleans: Home No More”, August 2006,
pages, 42 - 77.
Are you students in Torrance, Pasadena and Long Beach recognizing the founding of Los Angeles this
week? Los Angeles was founded September 4, 1781, and incorporated on April 4, 1850.
Jesse James was born on September 5, 1847. I guess you students in St. Joseph, MO, only care
about his death on April 3, 1882.
Don’t you TIMES UNION students party too much at Saturday’s Jazz Festival.
NEXT WEEK:
September 17th is CONSTITUTION/CITIZENSHIP DAY. Perhaps a writing
assignment on what it means to be a citizen in this great country of ours.
9/11 has just passed. LET US NEVER FORGET!!
www.americanpromise.com www.celebrationusa.org
www.National-Education-Project.org www.constitutioncenter.org
Cities located on the Atlantic Ocean
Gulf of Mexico
Okefenokee Swamp
Identifying Great Lakes
Golden color of the leaves of an aspen tree
Intermediate directions
Identifying states of the United States
Will LaDainian Tomlinson set a touchdown scoring record this year? Goals to surpass:
S. Alexander(Seattle, 2005)--28; P. Holmes(Kansas City, 2003)--27; M. Faulk(St. Louis, 2000)--26
20
21
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
September 16, 2007 - Week #2
Hope you begin calculating the hours of daylight from your weather page as we go from summer to fall.
1. Phoenix, Boston, Nashville, Denver
2. Nashville. Roy Acuff was born on Sept. 15, 1903. Think the Titans will give some recognition to
the “King of Country Music”? Have a student make a one-minute report on Roy Acuff. On
Saturday, a Hankfest is going on in Chicago to honor the life of Hank Williams, Sr. It is Hank
Williams, Jr. that asked, “Are you ready for some football?” www.hankfest.com Any of you
DAILY HERALD students in Arlington Heights going to the Hankfest?
3. Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Chicago
4. Cincinnati Bengals. Would CINCINNATI ENQUIRER students want to research and find
what is causing the dramatic drop in the Bengal tiger population in India? National Geographic
says there may be between 5,000 and 7,000 in the wild, but some people think there may be
fewer than 2,000. Tell Ms. Garrison at THE ENQUIRER what you found in your research.
5. Florida
6. Pennsylvania
7. Jacksonville, Miami, Boston, New York
8. Boston. Too early to introduce the term transcontinental.
9. Gulf of Mexico
SGS
10. Okefenokee Swamp *
11. Baltimore
12. Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie
SGS
13. Golden color of the aspen trees. Don’t you DAILY TIMES-CALL students in Longmont and you
DAILY SENTINEL students in Grand Junction laugh at this question.
14. Cincinnati
New Orleans
= N.E.
= S.E.
15. TX, LA, MS, AL, GA, SC, NC. **
NY Jets
Kansas City
= S.W.
= N.E.
SGS
SGS
* Last April 16, the largest wildfire in Georgia’s history started in the Okefenokee Swamp area. Can
anyone find out how much damage it did to the area? Because of smoke, highway 1 between
Waycross and Jacksonville was closed, and I-10 was closed frequently.
** OBJECTIVE: To teach state identification. Be flexible on grading these questions as cartographers
will tell you all maps are not the same. If a student can prove that by the map he/she is using
that the corner of a state is or is not touched, allow the answer. Some students will realize that
airplanes fly the “Great Circle Route” above the Earth’s surface, but for these questions they will
be considered to fly in a straight line, or the “Crow Flight” route. IDEA! Challenge your students
to be able to point out and name each of the 50 states on an outline map of the U.S. in one(1)
minute by the 12th week of the NFL season. This will be a great public relations activity for you.
Parents will love what their child is learning and accomplishing.
To facilitate grading, demand the states be listed in the order they are traversed en route to a
city. This is good mental discipline for the students. The state of departure and the state of
arrival will always be the first and last, respectively. State Geography Standards
continued
22
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
September 16, 2007 - Week #2
How many French fries will you GRAND FORKS HERALD students eat at the Potato Bowl this week?
Ms. Lindlauf said you give free taters to out-of-staters. Is this true?
Did any of you GRAND FORKS HERALD students have a bad experience with the June flood? Did the
Red River reach a predicted record crest of 41 feet? The record was 40.11 ft. set in 2005.
All of you JOURNAL GAZETTE and NEWS-SENTINEL students in Ft. Wayne had better be enjoying
the Johnny Appleseed Festival.
Are all you HERALD-WHIG readers in Quincy, IL, frolicking at the Riverfest?
Just for you ANN ARBOR NEWS students. Famous track star Jesse Owens was born on September 12,
1913. How many world records did he break at a track meet in Ann Arbor on May 25, 1935? He broke
three records and tied one other. If he had done that today, do you think Domino’s would have treated
him to pizza?
NEXT WEEK:
Are your plans in order to recognize Constitution Day next Monday?
Four Corners region of the United States
Studying American history along the Natchez Trace
A horse beat Tom Thumb, the “Iron Horse” in a race in Baltimore
River cities in the NFL
With so much negative news going on in the sports world, how about a breath of fresh air? Have a
student read and report on “It’s How You Play the Game”, by Brian Kilmeade. The book profiles 100
celebrities and examines how the discipline and rules learned on the field prepared them to handle their
lives with sportsmanship and dignity.
Students might be interested in knowing that the National Football League was formed on September 17,
1920 in Canton, Ohio. The NFL Hall of Fame is in Canton.
The first Monday Night Football game was played on September 21, 1970.
September 23, 1779, is the date of a famous naval battle in American history. John Paul Jones, captain
of the Bonhomme Richard, reportedly said to the British captain of the Serapis, “Sir, I have not yet begun
to fight.”
Have a couple of students monitor the scores of the coming Sunday games to see which team overcame
the greatest half-time deficit to win the game. Perhaps this team said at half-time, “We have not yet
begun to fight.”
23
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
September 23, 2007 - Week #3
1. NY Giants
2. Atlanta, Boston, Denver
3. Pennsylvania
4. Charlotte (CAR) Panthers, Buffalo Bills
5. Baltimore, Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Oakland, Seattle. Any POST-CRESCENT students going up to
the game? How many TD passes does Favre have now? SGS
6. Green Bay
7. Miami Dolphins
8. Mississippi River = New Orleans. Ohio River = Pittsburgh. Missouri River = Kansas City SGS
9. UT, AZ, CO, NM
10. Times will vary with the city you are in and the day’s newspaper you are using. SGS
11. Accept any reasonable answer. The Natchez Trace was an important commercial and military route
between Natchez, MS, and Nashville, TN, in the early 1800’s. Pioneers, farmers and merchants
floated their goods down the Mississippi River to New Orleans then returned via the Trace. The
Natchez Trace was well known, well used and infamous. A report anyone? You might not want
the students to report on Natchez “under the hill”. www.nps.gov/natr
Students might like to know the Natchez Fall Pilgrimage runs from September 30 – October 14.
This is a tour of 18 antebellum mansions. www.natchezpilgrimage.com
12. Cleveland Browns over Cheyenne, WY
Buffalo Bills over Albany, NY
Cincinnati Bengals over Indianapolis, IN, and over Helena, MT.
13. FL, NC, VA, MD, DE, NJ, NY. Be generous in scoring this. Wanted the students exposed to the
small states.
14. Baltimore
NEXT WEEK:
September 24th is National Punctuation Day. Teacher, this may interest
you. www.nationalpunctuationday.com
“Life” of Paul Bunyan for English and literature teachers
Cruising on the Erie Canal
California and Florida are the leading orange producing states
Location of the Grand Canyon and the Everglades
Traveling the Santa Fe Trail
Salton Sea and Chocolate Mountains in so. California
Cartoons of Thomas Nast
Look ahead at the City, State, Team Name exercise on page 56. Decide if you want to give this quiz
after the 4th, 5th or 6th week.
Are all you POST-CRESCENT students in Appleton, WI, going to Octoberfest?
24
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
September 30, 2007 - Week #4
1. Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles
2. Atlanta, Indianapolis, Phoenix
3. Indianapolis
4. Harvest Moon *
5. Many answers. Have English, reading, literature teachers and parents help.
www.paulbunyancamp.org Do you LEADER-TELEGRAM students get to the camp often?
6. NY Jets. A bucket of water was brought from the Atlantic Ocean and poured into Lake Erie to
signify the meeting of the waters. At that time, Buffalo was called the “Gateway to the West.”
See: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, “The Erie Canal: Living Link to Our Past”,
November 1990, pages 38 – 65. BUFFALO NEWS and TIMES UNION students don’t have to
answer this question. SGS Examine the back of a New York quarter carefully. Perhaps with a
magnifying glass.
7. Oakland Raiders vs. Miami Dolphins
8. Arizona has the Grand Canyon. Did one of Babe’s horns really dig the Grand Canyon?
Florida has the Everglades
9. Kansas City Chiefs. Santa-Cali-Gon Days in Independence, MO, are celebrated over the Labor Day
weekend, but the website will give you the information. Have the students realize that
Independence is where the Santa Fe, California Trail and Oregon Trail all began. SGS Any of
you KANSAS CITY STAR students attend? See: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine,
“Along the Santa Fe Trail”, March 1991, pages 98 - 123. ** Great American history lesson.
10. Salton Sea and the Chocolate Mountains. The Salton is not a sea at all, it’s a 365 sq. mile lake.
What are the natural chemical reactions that sap oxygen from the water each July and cause
fish to die? Millions of tilapia died over the weekend of July 21-22, 2007.
11. The editorial, opinion or viewpoint page. Students may not care much about Nast’s political
cartoons, but they will want to know that it was Nast that gave us our image of Santa Claus as
we see him today. You students in New York will want to study Nast and Boss Tweed.
* Some answers are written on solid lines like this: __________. Other answers are to be written on
broken lines like this: _ _ _ _ _. The solid lines are used for very general answers. The
broken line is a way of being more helpful to the student with the number of spaces matching the
number of letters in the correct answer.
** Students must understand that the Oregon, California and Mormon trails were pioneer trails.
The Santa Fe Trail was a commercial trail.
NEXT WEEK:
Panhandle states, and West Virginia has two panhandles
Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri – Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia
London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, AZ
Sailing from Miami to Houston. Straits, gulf, bay, channel
Directions, intermediate and cardinal
Door Peninsula and Green Bay – “Rip Van Winkle” in the Catskill Mts.
Hudson River and the boroughs of New York City
Works of Frederic S. Remington - Writer Damon Runyan and sports
Any WICHITA EAGLE students going to Woofstock next week? What kind of mutt will you strut?
25
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
October 7, 2007 - Week #5
1. Green Bay, Nashville. Any POST-CRESCENT students going up to the game? Have your
cheesehead?
2. Charlotte(CAR) Panthers near
Baltimore Ravens over
Montgomery, AL
Lincoln, NE
3. Texas, Oklahoma SGS
4. Idaho
5. West Virginia
6. Lake of the Ozarks. When the Erie Canal was completed, Buffalo was the “Gateway to the West”.
St. Louis is now the “Gateway to the West” because the Lewis & Clark Expedition was launched
from nearby Hartford, IL, directly across from the mouth of the Missouri River. See the back of a
Missouri quarter. SGS
7. London Bridge was disassembled, shipped to the U.S. and reassembled at Lake Havasu City. It
was dedicated on October 10, 1971, and it isn’t falling down. See: www.golakehavasu.com
8. WA, ID, MT, ND, SD, MN, WI, MI, OH, PA
9. Straits of Florida; across the Gulf of Mexico; into Galveston Bay; and up the Houston Ship Channel.
10. Phoenix(AZ) Cardinals
11. Phoenix(AZ)
Seattle
= N.E.
= S.E.
Charlotte(CAR)
Jacksonville
= S.W.
= N.W.
12. West
13. Lake Michigan, around the tip of the Door Peninsula, and south on Green Bay. SGS
14. Jacksonville Jaguars
15. Hudson River
16. Holland and Lincoln tunnels. Newark students, remember when the truck was stuck in the Lincoln?
17. Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island.
18. Catskill Mts. Any copies of “Rip” in the library? Any TIMES UNION students have friends or family
involved in the June flash flooding in the southern part of the Catskills? If so, tell Mr. Stapleton.
19. Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans,
Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers.
www.fredericremington.org
20. Sports section. Mr. Runyan was born in Manhattan, KS. Do you think he was a Wildcat fan?
From Manhattan, it would be heretical if he were a Jayhawk fan.
NEXT WEEK:
Questions followed by a hyphen or dash(-) are easier questions
Columbus Day. Columbia, SC, Columbus, OH, and Columbus, GA
Madison, WI, is on an isthmus
Peninsulas, peninsulas and peninsulas
Latitude of Cincinnati and Kansas City
Food: Chili in Cincinnati, BBQ in Kansas City
Appalachian, Rocky and Cascade Mountains – Hike the Appalachian Trail
Leif Erikson Day and Viking history
Location of the U.S. Naval Academy
26
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
October 14, 2007 - Week #6
1- Columbus Day *
2- Columbia, SC. The Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland.
3- Columbus, OH. **
See: www.santamaria.org
4- Columbus, GA
5- Name the state capital these teams will fly over or near going to their game.
Charlotte(CAR) Panthers over
Oklahoma City, OK
Philadelphia Eagles over
Trenton, NJ
Minneapolis(MN) Vikings near
Madison, WI
Boston(N.E.) Patriots over
Frankfort, KY
Houston Texans over
Tallahassee, FL
6. A narrow strip of land surrounded by water on two sides. SGS
7. Lake Mendota and Lake Monona
8- Cincinnati Bengals. http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/dictionary.html
SGS
A good glossary of terms.
9- NC, TN, AR, OK, TX, NM, AZ. Expect argument on SC, and allow it if you want.
10- Chicago, Cleveland
11- Florida. Yes.
12- Delmarva Peninsula. Hope all the students are using the Study Hint Sheet. SGS
13. Olympic Peninsula
14. Baja California. Hope you students in Long Beach never go to Tijuana.
15- Door Peninsula.
16. West. 39 degrees N. latitude.
17. Cincinnati known for chili. Kansas City is known for BBQ. KANSAS CITY STAR students had better
not miss this question. If you STAR students do well, Mr. Sajevic might buy you a slab.
Do any of you KANSAS CITY STAR readers ever go to the Boulevard Drive-in theatre?
18. Appalachian Mountains. Tell the students the Appalachians form the eastern Continental Divide,
but no questions will ever be asked about it. A sign near mile-marker 54 on I-26 near
Hendersonville, NC, advises that you are crossing the Eastern Continental Divide at 2,130 ft.
19. Springer Mountain, GA, to Mount Katahdin, ME. Have a couple of students use some yarn to
mark the trail on a map from Springer Mountain, GA; Fontana Dam, NC; Damascus, VA;
Pearisburg, VA; Waynesboro, VA; Harpers Ferry, WV; Wind Gap, PA; Danbury, CT; Great
Barrington, MA; Hanover, NH; Monson, ME; Mount Katahdin, ME.
www.appalachiantrail.org. Many websites about the “AT”. See www.museumofappalachia.com
20. Charlotte(CAR) Panthers, New Orleans Saints
21. Cascade Mountain Range SGS
22. Chicago. Do you students in Wisconsin know about the disastrous Peshtigo fire?
23. Minneapolis(MN) Vikings. *** www.vikingship.org www.havhingsten.dk/index www.seastallion.ie
Do you agree with this, Ms. Jenko?
24. Hagar the Horrible
25. Baltimore
continued
27
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
October 14, 2007 - Week #6
* On this and succeeding quizzes, when the number of a question is followed by a hyphen or dash(-),
this denotes the easy, repetitive questions about information most students should have acquired
by now; especially if it is information coming directly from the "Study Hint Sheet". Some teachers
may have their students answer only the questions followed by the hyphen or dash.
** Eight states of the U.S. have Columbia counties. At least 11 states have towns named Columbia,
and at least 12 states have towns named Columbus. Have students determine if there is one or
the other in your state. Students in Cincinnati, Toledo, Youngstown and Elyria don’t have to
answer this.
*** In July, the Sea Stallion Viking ship with a crew of 65 was re-creating a trip from Denmark to Ireland
taken 1,000 years ago. Google Sea Stallion of Glendalough. Also in July, it was announced that
a father and son in England found one of the biggest Viking treasures ever. The find on January
6, 2007, included coins, jewelry and items from Ireland, France, Russia and Scandinavia that had
been hidden after the year 927. Can you find any reference to this in the British Museum?
October 13th is INTERNATIONAL NEWSPAPER CARRIER DAY. Please acknowledge the boy, the girl,
the man, the woman that delivers your newspaper each day. www.naa.org
NEXT WEEK:
Cape Cod Peninsula. Michigan and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Lots of information on the Great Lakes
Vidalia onions from Georgia
Vieux Carre of New Orleans and the Underground of Atlanta
Cape Hatteras and Outer Banks of North Carolina, plus lots of information
for the American history teacher.
Interstate highway map needed. Capital cities along I-35
Capital cities along I-80 and the infamous Donner Pass
Source and mouth of the Missouri River
West and east extreme cities of the Mississippi River drainage basin
www.greatriver.com
www.greatriver.com/tribs.htm
The Allegheny and Monongahela rivers form the Ohio River
Leadville, CO, (Lake County) is near the source of the Arkansas River
Source of Tennessee River near Knoxville, TN
Soap Box Derby is run in Akron, OH
Latitude and longitude
Be sure to share the interesting comment with your students about Atlanta being on the eastern
Continental Divide and to where the rainfall runs.
How many of you DAYTONA BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL students are planning to attend Biketoberfest
next week?
Students living on or near a Great Lake, try to obtain information about viral hemorrhagic septicemia
(VHS). See notes related to this destructive virus on page 31.
Try to obtain as much information as you can regarding Lake Superior and why it is so low and why it is
cooling. Scientists are mystified by the extremes. It’s as low as it has been in 80 years, and this is
costing the shipping industry millions of dollars.
28
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
October 21, 2007 - Week #7
1- New York, Florida, Texas
2- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3- Cape Cod Peninsula BOSTON HERALD and CAPE COD TIMES students don’t have to answer
this. Students in New Bedford do.
4- Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie. Look at the back of a Michigan quarter.
Since Lake Ontario doesn’t touch the state, many people are of the opinion that it shouldn’t be
shown. What do you students in Pontiac, Flint, Ann Arbor and Saginaw think? *
Waters are low on the lakes this year costing shipping companies millions of dollars in revenue.
5- Buffalo. Hope this isn’t NEWS to students in Buffalo.
6- 1,463,281 – 550,521 = 912,760
7- 75,192 – 68,756 = 6,434 Practice subtraction with the population of competing cities or the stadium
sizes as much as necessary to master the skill.
No more population or capacity questions will be asked.
8. Sweet Vidalia onions are an herb-vegetable belonging to the lily family. You students in Longmont
probably know about onions, too. Find out about the “1015” onion developed in Texas.
9. Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints. Discuss the future of New Orleans with your students.
Seek opinions from the students’ parents. See: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, “Should
New Orleans Rebuild?”, August 2007, pages 32 – 67.
10- Miami
11. New Orleans
12. Boston(N.E.) Patriots
13. Cape Hatteras is part of the Outer Banks that extend for 30 miles from the North Carolina shore.
These shoals and chain of islands are very dangerous to ships. Lighthouses and other offshore
lights warn ships away. This is part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Dangerous winds,
treacherous currents, shallow waters have all combined to cause more than 500 ships to sink
here. The ironclad, the Monitor, sank somewhere off Hatteras. A native of the Outer Banks said,
"The sea at Hatteras is enigmatic and sometimes seemingly sorcerous, a place where winds and
currents stir the ghosts of time." Discuss the Outer Banks being a great vacation destination.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, “Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Makes Tracks”, May 2000, page 98
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, “North Carolina’s Outer Banks”, October 1987, pages
484 - 513.
Did you get to the Outer Banks this year, Mr. Eck?
14. The Monitor. Is it deja vu or a retroship? ** They brought the Monitor’s turret to the surface on
August 5, 2002. This is a must see site for all history teachers.
www.monitor.noaa.gov
www.history.navy.mil/index.html http://home.att.net/~iron.clad/2/legacy_of_the_uss_monitor.htm
15. Minneapolis(MN) Vikings. Glad the Vikes didn’t have to cross that Mississippi River bridge.
16. I - 35 through Des Moines, IA, and Oklahoma City, OK. Check out Bricktown in OKC..
17. I - 80. Sacramento, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; Cheyenne, WY; Lincoln, NE; Des Moines, IA. SGS
Be sure to stop at The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument over I-80 in Kearney, NE!!
A lot of pioneer history here!! www.archway.org I-80 follows much of the original Lincoln
Highway in many states. BEAVER COUNTY TIMES students should know something about
this original highway. www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org
continued
29
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
October 21, 2007 - Week #7
18. Donner Pass Named from the Donner family and group that died here in a winter storm in 1846-47.
A short report anyone? It would be a gory report. Do you remember this Lake Tahoe area was
devastated by forest fires this past July.
19. Missouri River
20. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Denver Broncos ***
SGS
21. The Allegheny and Monongahela rivers come together at the Golden Triangle. BEAVER COUNTY
TIMES students had better know this!!! You DAILY SENTINEL students in Grand Junction know
all about confluences. But, compared to Pittsburgh, is it such a grand junction? Marti, be nice
now. SGS How often do you TRIBUNE-REVIEW students get down to the Golden Triangle?
22. Arkansas River You students in Ft. Smith better give the correct answer.
23. Tennessee River
24. Harrisburg, PA
25. Soap Box Derby. A young man from St. Johns, Michigan, won the Derby this year. Did any of you
Michigan students enter locally or go to the national?
26. Lake Tahoe
This area was devastated by forest fires this past summer.
* H-O-M-E-S is an acronym to remember the names of the Great Lakes. Four lakes have a common
border with Canada. Lake Michigan does not.
SGS
Lake Superior, 1,333 ft. deep, is the largest body of fresh water in the world.
Lake Michigan, 923 ft. deep, is the only one wholly within the U.S.
Lake Ontario, 802 ft. deep, is the smallest.
Lake Huron, 750 ft. deep.
Lake Erie, 210 ft. deep, has its waters plunge 193 ft. over Niagara Falls to feed Lake Ontario.
Ships get around Niagara Falls by going through the 27 mile Welland Canal.
Lake Erie is 326 ft. higher than Lake Ontario, so eight locks take ships from one lake to the other.
Is this trivia or facts you need? Lake Huron is the second-largest in area, but Lake Michigan is
second in volume.
www.cruisingthegreatlakes.org
You students living in the Great Lakes watershed must be informed about the Great Lakes
Water Resource Compact.
continued
30
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
October 21, 2007 - Week #7
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, “Down the Drain?-The Incredible Shrinking Great Lakes”,
September 2002, pages 34 - 51.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, “The Great Lakes’ Troubled Waters”, July 1987, pages 2 - 31.
Viral hemorrhagic septicemia(VHS), a deadly virus, is killing fish in the St. Lawrence Seaway, Lake
Ontario, Lake, Erie and Lake Huron. The virus was unexpectedly found in the Great Lakes in 2005. It
causes fish to hemorrhage like the Ebola virus does to humans in Africa.
Did the virus return in May of 2007, when waters warm to the temperature in which the virus thrives?
40-59 degrees. Might get information from: Great Lakes Fish Health Committee
Disease could be catastrophic to a $4.5 billion commercial and sports fishing industry. Scientists are not
sure how VHS entered the Great Lakes, but most suspect it was the dumping of water from an
international cargo ship.
** On July 4, 2000, the Navy announced the development of a new generation of destroyers, the
DD-21. Thirty-two are to be built, and the first three are to be delivered in 2010. “In appearance,
it hearkens back to the USS Monitor--the ironclad ‘cheesebox on a raft’ of the Civil War.” History
teachers--see NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, July 2002, pages 82-101, on raising the
H.L. Hunley,(Secret Weapon of the Confederacy), a submarine used during the Civil War.
www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0207
*** It has been said there is a street in Atlanta where the rainfall that runs down one side of the street
goes to the Atlantic, and the water that runs down the other side goes to the Gulf. Look closely at
a map of Atlanta and/or Georgia. From the way the streams flow, it’s easy to see it is on the
Eastern Continental Divide. In the Five Points area of Atlanta, water on the east side goes to the
Atlantic and west side goes to the Gulf. Source: Street and Sewer Department--City of Atlanta.
Go to www.epa.gov/adopt. Type in your zip code and you will see the watershed for the area in
which you live. Students will find it interesting.
NEXT WEEK:
Ohio River forms natural boundary between five states
Unique “Y” bridge in Zanesville, OH
Sonoran Desert of Arizona and Imperial Valley of California
NY Giants and Miami Dolphins going to London
First oil well at Titusville, PA
Liberty dedicated in 1886
Cereal grain producing states
Latitude and longitude An exercise if you want to use it.
Find out if any students or parents are into geocaching for a hobby
Time zones
Harvard University located in Cambridge, MA
Royal Gorge Bridge and the Arkansas River
Sierra Nevada Mountain Range
Half Dome in Yosemite National Park shown on the California quarter
In preparation for Halloween, students might like to read “Carving Cues from a Pumpkin Pro”, THE OLD
FARMER’S ALMANAC-2007, pages 44-50. Pictures of the carvings are impressive.
31
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
October 28, 2007 - Week #8
1- New York, Tampa Hope you St. Augustine and Daytona Beach students answer correctly.
2- California
3- Cincinnati Any ENQUIRER students take part in the Purple People Bridge Climb before it closed?
4- WV, KY, OH, IN, IL. Do you students in Maysville know much about the island erosion in the river
going on for the 362 miles between Maysville and the Pennsylvania state line? * SGS
5. The unique “Y” bridge is there over the confluence of the Licking and Muskingum rivers. You might
tell students to call the C of C at 800-743-2303 or contact cvb@zanesville.com It’s the only
place where you can cross a bridge and still be on the same side of the river. Students should
know that Zane Grey was from here. Wonder how he was named? Discuss some Zane Grey
stories in an English or literature class.
6- NY Giants and Miami Dolphins
7. Sonoran Desert of Arizona and Imperial Valley ** NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazines of
September 1994 and October 2000, have articles about the Sonoran Desert. SGS
Talk to your produce man about what we get from the Imperial Valley
8. Edward L. Drake hit the first oil well in the United States in Titusville.
Do you BEAVER COUNTY TIMES students get to Titusville often?
9. Quaker State and Pennzoil. Wonder where Texaco had its start? On May 27, 1889, the South Penn
Oil Co. was founded, and this later became the Pennzoil Co. Quaker State moved from Oil City,
PA, to Irving, TX, in 1995. They then merged with Pennzoil in 1998, and moved headquarters to
Houston, TX. On March 26, 2002, it was announced that Shell Oil would purchase PennzoilQuaker State for $1.8 billion. Most of the Texaco stations in Texas have become Shell stations.
10. Buffalo Bills Do you BUFFALO NEWS students acknowledge October 26th in any way?
11. I-94. Corn, wheat, oats, rice, barley.
w w w . k e l l o g g s c e r e a l c i t y u s a . o r g SGS
The word cereal is from Cerealia, the name of ancient Roman ceremonies that
honored Ceres, the goddess of grain.
12.
The leading ____corn_______
producing state is ___Iowa_________.
The leading ____wheat______
producing state is ___Kansas_______.
The leading ____rice________
producing state is ___Arkansas_____.
The leading ____oats_______
producing state is ___N. Dakota_____.
The leading ____barley_____
producing state is ___Alaska, but ND in the 48 states. ***
Have the students talk to mom and dad, or to the grocer. With so much corn going into ethanol
production, by what percentage has the price of your cereal increased in the last 6-12 months?
13- 1886 - Buffalo Bills – 1886 is the year Coca-Cola was invented in Atlanta, and the Daisy BB/airgun
was invented. The Daisy Airgun Museum is in Rogers, AR. www.daisymuseum.com
14. 1:00 in Cleveland ****
15. 10:00 a.m. in Oakland
16. 3:00 in Houston SGS
17. Boston. The university is in Cambridge, but several schools of the university are in Boston. Hope
none of you NIE students in Massachusetts missed this.
continued
32
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
October 28, 2007 - Week #8
18. Oakland Raiders. Arkansas River SGS
19. World's highest suspension bridge soars 1,053 ft. above the Arkansas River.
20- CA , NV, UT, CO, KS, MO, KY, TN. The Raiders are flying over Springfield, MO, but this is not the
Springfield in which the Simpsons live.
21. Sierra Nevada Now you have studied the Sierras, Cascades, Rockies & Appalachians. SGS
22. Half Dome
23. San Diego One almost never hears about the swallows leaving Capistrano because a song was
never written about it. Asked this question to launch a discussion on migration. The purple
martin is a type of swallow, and in the week of July 23, 2007, en route to Brazil, they descended
upon the Dallas-Ft. Worth area in such numbers that restaurants could not allow patio dining.
24. To be determined
* Students should know the difference between natural and political boundaries. Students should
understand man makes political boundaries, and Mother Nature makes natural boundaries.
Discuss the types of boundaries students know but never think much about. School boundaries,
family property lines, boundaries used in sports(foul lines, end zone, lane markers). Are there
any official or unofficial(unstated)boundaries in your city? For example, railroad tracks, wide
streets, rivers, creeks, economic or ethnic boundaries. An example of an unofficial boundary is
this quote stating, “Elvis was born on the wrong side of the tracks in Tupelo.”
** Much of the iceberg lettuce you will eat this winter comes from the Imperial Valley and the Gila
River around Yuma, AZ. Carrots, too. The Imperial Valley is irrigated by the Colorado. Too much
demand, too little water. Are you aware of the recent agreements between cities in CA & AZ, and
Imperial Valley farmers over rights to water from the Colorado River? Information on
www.doi.gov/water2025 www.r5.fs.fed.us/water_resources. Good site for students in California.
The Colorado River is in deep trouble. Teachers and students in Las Vegas and Grand Junction
should tell us more. They are experimenting with de-salting sea water in Yuma, AZ, and
Brownsville, TX, but it is not yet economical to do so. Time will tell. SGS
See: NAT’L GEOG. magazine, “The Colorado: A River Drained Dry”, June 1991, pages 4-34.
*** Have you read “The Breakfast Cereal Gourmet” by David Hoffman? The Trix rabbit is the longest
running ad campaign in TV history---since 1960. Grape Nuts are neither grapes or nuts. They
are made from wheat and barley. Lou Gehrig was the first athlete on a Wheaties box. Michael
Jordan has appeared more than any athlete---18 times on a Wheaties box.
**** Asked the time zone question because of the game in London. We would consider Greenwich a
suburb of London. On September 25, 1676, Greenwich Mean Time became the standard for
England. On November 1, 1884, a 25 nation meeting in Washington, D.C. made it the standard
for the world. You might want to use this as an opportunity to inform the students that a.m. is an
abbreviation for ante meridian, and p.m. means post meridian as measured from the Greenwich
Meridian or prime meridian. Greenwich time is sometime referred to as zulu time.
NEXT WEEK:
Mason-Dixon Line - Interstate highways – Florida’s white sand beaches
Permian Basin of Texas – Lake Mead - Diamonds in Arkansas and are igneous
Be a horologist next Saturday with DST ending
33
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Enjoy this cereal character quiz!
1. Toucan Sam
a. Lucky Charms
2. Dig ‘em
b. Cocoa Puffs
3. Snap! Crackle! & Pop!
c. Frosted Flakes
4. The Rabbit
d. Smacks
5. L.C. Leprechaun
e. Cookie Crisp
6. Tony the Tiger
f. Rice Krispies
7. Cornelius the Rooster
g. Trix
8. The Baker
h. Honey Nut Cherrios
9. Sonny,--Cuckoo Bird
I. Corn Flakes
10. The Cookie Hound
j. Cinnamon Toast Crunch
11. BuzzBee
k. Froot Loops
12. Sugar Bear
l. Golden Crisp
1-k, 2-d, 3-f, 4-g, 5-a, 6-c, 7-I, 8-j, 9-b, 10-e, 11-h, 12-L
34
Latitude and Longitude Exercise
ANSWER KEY
Note: Students might enjoy working with www.hometownlocator.com
LATITUDE
LONGITUDE
Atlanta
33 degrees
45' N = 34
84 degrees
23' W = 84
Baltimore
39
"
17' N = 39
76
"
36' W = 77
Boston(N.E.)
42
"
21' N = 42
71
"
04' W = 71
Buffalo
42
"
53' N = 43
78
"
53' W = 79
Charlotte(CAR)
35
"
13' N = 35
80
"
50' W = 81
Chicago
41
"
53' N = 42
87
"
38' W = 88
Cincinnati
39
"
06' N = 39
84
"
31' W = 85
Cleveland
41
“
29’ N = 41
81
“
41’ W = 82
Dallas
32
"
47' N = 33
96
"
49' W = 97
Denver
39
"
44' N = 40
104
"
59' W = 105
Detroit
42
"
20' N = 42
83
"
03' W = 83
Green Bay
44
"
31' N = 45
88
"
00' W = 88
Houston
29
“
45’ N = 30
95
“
21’ W = 95
Indianapolis
39
"
46' N = 40
86
"
09' W = 86
Jacksonville
30
"
19' N = 30
81
"
39' W = 82
Kansas City
39
"
03' N = 39
94
"
30' W = 95
Miami
24
"
47' N = 25
80
"
11' W = 80
Minneapolis(MN)
44
“
58’ N = 45
93
“
15’ W = 93
Nashville(TN)
36
“
09’ N = 36
86
“
46’ W
New Orleans
29
"
58' N = 30
90
"
04' W = 90
New York
40
"
43' N = 41
74
"
00' W = 74
Oakland
37
"
48' N = 38
122
"
15' W = 122
Philadelphia
39
"
57' N = 40
75
"
09' W = 75
Phoenix(AZ)
33
"
27' N = 33
112
“
04' W = 112
Pittsburgh
40
"
26' N = 40
79
"
59' W = 80
St. Louis
38
"
37' N = 39
90
"
12' W = 90
San Diego
32
"
43' N = 33
117
"
09' W = 117
San Francisco
37
"
47' N = 38
122
"
25' W = 122
Seattle
47
"
36' N = 48
122
"
20' W = 122
Tampa
27
"
57' N = 28
82
"
27' W = 82
Washington
38
"
55' N = 39
77
"
00' W = 77
35
= 87
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
November 4, 2007 - Week #9
1- Indianapolis
2- Charlotte(CAR) Panthers, Baltimore Ravens
3. Ravens going to Pittsburgh *
4- New York, Pennsylvania
5. Seattle on I-90. Jacksonville on I-10. Washington on I-95. I-90 is the longest Interstate highway in
the United States running from Boston to Seattle. ** La CROSSE TRIBUNE students had better
not miss this I-90 question.
6. White sand
You NEWS HERALD students in Panama City can skip this question.
7. Largest man-made lake in the U.S., and one of the largest man-made lakes in the world. Do you
REVIEW-JOURNAL students party down there much?
Oddity: As big as Texas is, there is only one natural lake in the state. SGS
A geography book stated that the Grand Canyon and Lake Mead are at the confluence of three
of the four desert ecosystems in North America: Great Basin, Sonoran and Mojave. Know the
fourth one is the Chihuahuan Desert around the Big Bend region of Texas. See: NATIONAL
GEOGRAPHIC magazine, “Lush Life in the Sonoran Desert”, September 2006, pages 124-148.
The Chihuahuan Desert is home to one-fourth of the 1,500 cactus species known to science,
including many species found nowhere else.
8. Accept Midland, Odessa, Big Springs or any city along I -20 in that area. FYI The area around
Sweetwater and Snyder, TX, is the leading windpower energy producer in America. SGS
On June 22, 2007, there were 1,771 drilling rigs in the United States.
9. You can dig for diamonds. Murfreesboro is where the only public mine in the world is found. ***
Diamonds are igneous. Diamonds found in Africa and Arkansas come from a rock called
peridotite, and this type of rock is igneous. On March 10, 2007, 8-year-old twins from Houston,
TX, found a 2 1/2 carat diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park.
10. Little Rock, AR, Charleston, WV
11. It is a pedestrian and bicycle bridge across the Arkansas River claiming to be the longest bridge in
the world serving this sole recreational purpose. www.bigdambridge.com/party/about.aspx
12. “Rubber Capital of the World” Firestone and Goodyear tire companies began here. Every NASCAR
fan should know where Goodyear tires come from.
13. Horology is the science of measuring time and making clocks. You are in charge of setting the
clocks back one hour. Standard time will return. Phoenix will be right with its time zones now.
http://tycho.usno.navy.mil Europe has horology stores; in the U.S. we have jewelry shops.
* A boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania. It was popularly known as the dividing line
between the free and slave states, but this was not its purpose. It was the result of a dispute
between the Penns of Pennsylvania and the Calverts of Maryland. Milestones brought from
England were set along the line. Referred to as “crown stones,” every fifth stone bore the arms of
the Baltimore family on one side and the Penn family on the other. This 233-mile line does not
extend west of the Ohio River. Can they still be seen anywhere? This line was later used in the
continued
36
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
November 4, 2007 - Week #9
Missouri Compromise to settle an issue of free and slave states, and the term is generically used
to mean a line between the North and the South.
** There are about 46,726 miles of interstate highway in the United States. They are America's
circulatory system, the modern Main Street. How do you remember how mile-markers count on
Interstate highways? The sun comes UP in the east and goes DOWN in the west. Markers count
mileage UP as you travel east, and DOWN as you travel west. On a map, north is always UP and
south is always DOWN. Mile-markers count UP as you travel north, & DOWN as you go south.
*** About 85,000 tourists a year come to Crater of Diamonds State Park to scrounge for the stones, and
2006 was the 100th anniversary of the finding of the first diamond there. About 20% of the
diamonds are of gem quality. What design do you see on the Arkansas state flag? What do you
see on the back of the Arkansas quarter?
It is the world's only public site where anybody can lay down $4.50 and sift the soil for diamonds.
During the peak summer season, an average of seven diamonds are found at the park every day.
Other semi-precious gemstones also can be found among them amethyst, opal, quartz and
jasper. www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com
See: “ZipUSA: Murfreesboro, AR, U-Dig Diamonds”,
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, March 2002, Page 118
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, “Diamonds: The Real Story”, March 2002, Pages 2-35.
How diamonds are mined in Africa and eventually get to your jewelry shop through a secretive
network. These precious gems carry a huge cost in human suffering.
Saturday, November 3rd is Sadie Hawkins Day. Tell the boys in your class to go hide.
NEXT WEEK:
Rivers running from Denver to Kansas City
French heritage of St. Louis and New Orleans
Carpet (Georgia) & furniture (North Carolina)
Kudzu vines
Pony Express originated in St. Joseph, MO, and why they put holes in
doughnuts. Do you believe it?
Ft. Sumter in South Carolina
Cruising from San Francisco to Seattle
Redwood Empire in northwestern California
Crater Lake and the caldera within
Honoring Veterans’ Day---Honoring WWII
ww w. d d a ym u s e u m . o r g
w w w. d d a y. o r g
ww w. w wI I m e m or i a l . c om
Becoming a little bit of a vexillologist
37
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
November 11, 2007 - Week #10
1- Charlotte, Pittsburgh, Green Bay Will some students say Kansas City? Well, Arrowhead Stadium is
in Missouri, but give them credit for good thinking.
The Vikings are going over Eau Claire. Any other Paul Bunyan stories? Any TRIBUNE-REVIEW
students going to the game? You VINDICATOR readers, watch the Browns go over.
2- St. Louis Rams
3. Clear mountain streams flow into the South Platte River in Denver. This river becomes the Platte
River at N. Platte, NE. This river flows into the Missouri River at Plattsmouth, NE, (Get It? Platt’s
mouth) and onto Kansas City where THE STAR readers will be there to see if the water is still
Eau Claire. SGS
4. French heritage of New Orleans and St. Louis. St. Louis was named for King Louis IX. Discuss the
heritage of your city or town. SGS
5- California
6. Atlanta Falcons vs. Charlotte(CAR) Panthers A study reported in May of 2005 that the use of
kudzu pills may curb binge drinking. Glad they found kudzu useful for something. This is an
invasive species from Japan that was brought here with good intentions that went wrong.
7. Foot of the mountain
8- I-85 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, “North Carolina’s Piedmont: On a Fast Break”, March
1995, pages 114-138.
9- _2_ Arkansas, _5_ Delaware, _3_ Mississippi, _1_ Red, _4_ Tennessee
10. Pony Express www.xphomestation.com www.nps.gov/poex Have some student(s) plot the route
of the Pony Express from the websites given. *
11. Atlanta Falcons vs. Charlotte(CAR) Panthers Accept Georgia & North Carolina.
Most of the carpet in the U.S. is made in a 50 mile radius of Dalton, GA. Mother probably knows
that North Carolina is the leading furniture manufacturing state in the nation. SGS
12- Buffalo Bills
13. Civil War began Margaret Mitchell’s birthday is November 8th. She wrote Gone with the Wind, the
most famous romantic novel about the Civil War and reconstruction.
14. San Francisco Bay, through the Golden Gate Strait, north on the Pacific Ocean, into the
Strait of Juan de Fuca, across Puget Sound, and into Elliott Bay. SGS
15. Redwood Empire Redwood trees can grow 350 ft. tall and be 2,000 years old. SGS
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER, “Into the Garden of the Giants”, July 2005, page 42.
16. At 1,932 ft., it is the deepest lake in the United States. Wizard Island in Crater Lake is an extinct
volcano, too. SGS
17. Caldera. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER, “Oregon’s Crater Lake”, Jan/Feb ’05 pages 53-56.
18. A vexillologist is a person who studies the science and history of flags, so you would be studying and
trying to learn about the history of our flag. Something you might learn. Myth has it that Betsy
Ross sewed our first flag, but she didn’t. Francis Hopkinson probably designed the first flag.
“God Bless American” was written especially for Kate Smith. She first sang it on Nov. 11, 1938.
continued
38
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
November 11, 2007 - Week #10
19- I-70 through Topeka, KS
20- I-55 through Jackson, MS
21- 5:00
22- 11:00
23- Eight (8)
24- IN IL, MO, KS, CO, NM, AZ, CA
Are any of you ANN ARBOR NEWS readers going to the Winter Art Fair on Saturday?
For you BOSTON HERALD students, is there any recognition of the Boston fire of November 9, 1872?
It is ironic that the Boston fire came one year, one month and one day after the Great Chicago Fire of
November 8, 1871.
* How did doughnut holes originate? This story was told during a tour of the Pony Express Museum
in St. Joseph. One rider was a handsome young man that captured the eyes of the local young
ladies, and they baked various pastries for him as he rode through town. One young lady
conceived the idea of putting holes in the pastries so he could string them on his fingers,
therefore, able to carry more “goodies”. Did all you NEWS-PRESS students know this?
Ms. Goold thinks it’s true.
NEXT WEEK:
Children’s Book Week, November 12-18. Try to encourage everyone to
read a book or two next week. www.cbcbooks.org
Transcontinental flight
Interstate highways
Monument Circle in Indianapolis to honor Veterans’ Day
Robert Fulton sailing the Clermont on the Hudson. Good American history.
Finger Lakes of western New York
Presidents on Mt. Rushmore
Free ice water at Wall Drug in Wall, SD
Butterfield Stagecoach Line
Chesapeake Bay is largest estuary
More on peninsulas
Atchafalaya Swamp in Louisiana
Great Salt Lake in Utah
Population center of the United States
Copper mines in eastern Arizona
Try to obtain more information as to what is causing the whirling disease in fish in Maryland, Chesapeake
Bay and the Potomac River.
To get Christmas cards and letters postmarked from North Pole, Alaska, put addressed & stamped
envelop(s) in a larger envelop or box and send to:
North Pole Christmas Cancellation, Postmaster
5400 Mail Trail
Fairbanks, Alaska 99709-9999
39
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
November 18, 2007 - Week #11
1- New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2- San Diego Chargers
3- The Bears on I- 90. The Buccaneers on I- 75. The Chiefs on I- 70. The Saints on I- 10.
The Patriots on I- 90
4. Free ice water NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, “Good Things in the Badlands--Reefs in a
Prairie Sea”, April 2004, pages 78-97.
5. G. Washington, A. Lincoln, T. Jefferson, T. Roosevelt. The presidents were given SGS
a “facial” in July of 2005 to remove decades of damaging dirt, grime & lichens.
Washington = Liberty/Independence; Lincoln = Unity/Preservation; Jefferson =
Growth/Expansion; Roosevelt =Courage/bravery/conservation. www.nps.gov/moru
6. Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. However, it was a political cartoonist who captured the moment and
made the Teddy Bear popular. President Roosevelt could not kill a bear cub when he was
hunting in Mississippi. Clifford Berryman, a political cartoonist, witnessed the incident and drew
the president along side the cub, and this was the beginning of the craze.
7. Indianapolis, IN. Monument Circle is why Indianapolis is called “Circle City”.
8. Hudson River. Clermont
9. Boston(N.E.) Patriots Glaciers made the Finger Lakes. *
www.visitfingerlakes.com and
www.fingerlakes.org
SGS
10- It’s ironic that the KC Chiefs will fly near Arcola, IL, where the 18th annual Raggedy Ann and Andy
Festival was held last June. The group is lobbying to have Andy put into the National Toy Hall of
Fame. They say it’s not fair to have just Ann there. Students might write to nominate and lobby.
www.museumofplay.org is toy museum in Rochester, NY. 585-263-2700 is telephone number.
11. St. Louis Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers. A historical marker in front of the Daisy Airgun Museum in
Rogers, AR, recounts that Rogers was a changing station for the teams of horses on the
Butterfield Stagecoach route.
12- Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay.
13. Where a river flows into a bay to mix with ocean water. ** SGS
See: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine “Why can’t we save Chesapeake Bay?”, June
2005, pages 22-49. The bay is losing oxygen & aquatic life. The algae Karlodinium micrum is
increasing. Look for reports from the EPA and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
H.L. Mencken, the Sage of Baltimore, called the Chesapeake an “immense protein factory.”
See: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, “Our Coasts in Crisis”, July 2006, pages 60-87.
This article is about the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts, and estuarine poor conditions.
14. San Francisco is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Golden Gate Strait and San Francisco Bay.
15- Green Bay Packers
16- Detroit Lions
17. Atchafalaya Basin/Swamp *** THE ADVOCATE students don’t have to answer this. Hello, Ms. Lowe.
18. Great Salt Lake
19. 45 degrees N. latitude Students should understand the concept that at 45 degrees N. latitude,
continued
40
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
November 18, 2007 - Week #11
Minneapolis is exactly half way between the Equator & North Pole, and on August 1st, some in
Minneapolis were exactly half way between the highway and the river.
20. Nashville(TN) Titans Have a student(s) plot the shifts in the center of population on a map from
1790 to 2000 by consulting THE WORLD ALMANAC-2007, page 595. On April 23, 2001, a brass
marker was placed in concrete at Edgar Springs, MO, to commemorate it being the population
center of the United States based on the 2000 census. This new center is 12.1 miles south and
32.5 miles west of the 1990 center which was 9.7 miles southeast of Steelville. The new center is
bases on a population count of 281,421,906. We now have over 300, 000, 000 people.
21. CA, AZ, NM, TX, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL
22. Copper. Students might like to see about riding in one of the HUGE trucks. How big are they?
www.phelpsdodge.com/Community-Environment/MorenciMineTour.htm. Click on the education
link to learn about Copper in the Classroom.
The Mickey Mouse graphic was used because it was November 18, 1928, when Mickey made his first
screen appearance at the Colony Theater in NYC in Disney’s film “Steamboat Willie”.
* The area is made up of 11 finger-shaped lakes of different sizes, running lengthwise in a north-south
direction. The region is within a “box” of a line drawn from Rochester to Syracuse to Binghamton
to Corning to Rochester.
** An estuary is an extension of a river that flows into a bay where fresh water from the river and salt
water from the ocean mix. There are no problems until the flow of the river is slowed or polluted.
So much of the natural flow from Lake Okeechobee in Florida has been diverted that salt water
comes too far up into streams and kills the native vegetation. Measures to save Chesapeake Bay
are being successful. Estuaries along the Louisiana coast are in trouble. Satellite photos show
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita turned 100 square miles of Louisiana coastline into open water.
*** The Atchafalaya basin is the largest river-basin swamp in North America. Study the basin with the
northern border of I-10 between Baton Rouge and Lafayette running down to the Gulf of Mexico.
It is in trouble of silting because levees have been built 15 miles apart north and south, and oil
companies have built a series of east-west pipeline canals. All this excavation halted the natural
north-south flow of water which replenishes the marshes.
NEXT WEEK:
Better Conversation Week, November 19-25. Develop meaningful
conversation with family, friends & across generations.
www.conversation-matters.com
Cruising the Great Lakes. Detailed map of Detroit area needed
Fall Line cities
Mt. Whitney and Death Valley
Sonoran and Mojave deserts
Helium producing region of the United States. Learn about the helium
monument and history in Amarillo at: www.dhdc.org/helium.html
Great Plains and Great Basin
Cardinal direction and longitude
Identifying rivers
America’s most historic cities
41
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
November 25, 2007 - Week #12
1- Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers. Good to reinforce the concept of the Upper Peninsula.
2- Atlanta
3. North out of Green Bay, across the northern end of Lake Michigan, through the Straits of Mackinac,
south on Lake Huron, down the St. Clair River, across Lake St. Clair, south on the Detroit River to
“Motor City” or is it “Motown”? SGS
Teacher: Point out that the Packers are actually going through three straits. The St. Clair River
and the Detroit River are straits. SGS
4. Yes, it is a strait. Antoine de la Cadillac founded d'etroit, literally "the straits". It is said,
“Cadillac gave us Detroit, and Detroit gave us the Cadillac.”
5- Richmond, VA; Raleigh, NC
6. The Fall Line marks the farthest point inland a ship can go up a river. The Fall Line of the
Eastern United States goes from Newark, NJ, to Alabama, and is a great source of electric
power. The falling water can be used to turn turbines to generate electricity. For these reasons
many important cities are found along the Fall Line. Some of the cities are: Columbus, GA,
Macon, GA, Columbia, SC, Raleigh, NC, Richmond, VA, Fredericksburg, VA, Washington, DC,
Baltimore, MD, Philadelphia, PA, and Newark, NJ, and into southern New York. Have two
students connect these cities with push-pins and yarn on a map. * SGS
Just 12 miles from the heart of Washington, D.C., you’ll find Great Falls National Park where a
series of waterfalls drops the Potomac 76 feet over a granite escarpment in a distance of 3,500
feet. A wonderful illustration of the Fall Line. www.nps.gov/gwmp/grfa/falls/falls.htm SGS
Students at Liberty High School are raising money to restore a 19th century gristmill on
Monocracy Creek in Bethlehem, PA. For information on how this project is coming along,
contact:
Karen Dolan
Liberty High School
1115 Linden Street
Bethlehem, PA 18018
www.illicksmill.org
Students in Newark, Harrisburg and Hanover should check out their website and see if you can
provide some moral or financial support. You’ll feel better this Thanksgiving week. EVENING
SUN students could send pretzels to snack on while they work on the mill.
7. Teacher, you may hear that Death Valley is:
A. 282 feet below sea level, lowest point in Western Hemisphere.
B. Highest temperature ever recorded in United States of 134 degrees on July 10, 1913.
Temperatures of 125 degrees are common.
C. Borax discovered here in 1873. Are students aware of the 20-mule teams?
D. Death Valley is a national monument.
See: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER-issue of Sept./Oct. 1998.
Mt. Whitney, at 14,494 feet above sea level, and Death Valley at 282 feet below sea level,
are the highest and lowest points in the 48 states; and they are only about 80 miles apart.
Mt. McKinley in Alaska is the highest point in the U.S. at 20,320 ft.
If you care--Death Valley is a rift valley formed by a geological feature called a graben. A graben
continued
42
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
November 25, 2007 - Week #12
is a down-dropped block of the earth crust which forms when pressure is released on the faults
on either side of the block.
8. Sonoran Desert of Arizona and the Mojave Desert of California. SGS
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine of September 1994 is about the Sonoran Desert.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine of May 1996 is about the Mojave Desert.
9. The panhandles of TX & OK, and the corners of KS, NM, & CO. Some high school student might
like to report on the excess of our helium reserve and the politics of keeping it in place instead of
eliminating it and saving millions of dollars. In politics it’s called PORK, or “you scratch my back
and I’ll scratch yours.” However, helium balloons are now being used to lift heavy loads.
10. Great Basin, Great Plains A basin because there is no exterior drainage. That’s why the Great Salt
Lake is so salty. www.nps.gov/grba SGS
11. North. 80 degrees W. longitude
12- _4_ Arkansas, _5_ Colorado, _2_ Mississippi, _3_ Missouri, _1_ Ohio. Hope your map shows the
Ravens barely touch the Missouri. WICHITA EAGLE students should watch them go over.
13. Philadelphia and Boston. You might like to assign the research exercise on page 44. Hope you will
consider making it a fun, family activity. SGS
* Tell your students to "keep their noses to the grind stone." Falling water was a source of power for
turning millstones to grind corn and wheat. If the stones became too close the friction would burn
the grain. Therefore, keeping your nose to the grind stone made it possible to smell if the finely
ground grain was being scorched. The Fall Line cities are on the eastern side of the Appalachian
Mts. in the Piedmont or hilly section. The Fall Line marks the dividing line between the
Piedmont and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Piedmont means "foot of the mountain."
On December 16, 2006, a fire destroyed the last waterpowered gristmill in Lancaster County, PA.
Newspaper records show a mill had stood at this site since 1760, and this latest mill was believed
to date to 1852.
Hope you OMAHA WORLD-HERALD students are going to Christmas at Union Station.
Hope you KANSAS CITY STAR students are going to the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting.
The 100-foot tree in Crown Center Square Is supposed to be the tallest in the nation.
The Michael Vick trial begins on November 26th. Do the students have much interest in this sordid affair?
NEXT WEEK:
Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley and the Tennessee Valley Authority
Mouth or delta of the Mississippi River - Mormons in Nauvoo, IL
Wheat growing states. (winter wheat and spring wheat)
Rain shadow of mountains. A good science lesson.
Gold in California, Colorado & North Carolina. Good American history
The 59ers going to the land of the 49ers
Mark Twain and “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”
Charles Schulz born in Minneapolis, MN
43
Philadelphia and Boston
Boston--the birthplace of the Revolutionary War.
Philadelphia--the birthplace of the United States. Write “B” or “P” on the line of the term, name, item you
associate with each city.
___ Alcott, Louisa May born here
___ Beacon Hill
___ “Beantown”
___ Bunker Hill
___ Chamberlain, Wilt “The Stilt”
___ Charles River
___ Cheesesteak
___ “City of Brotherly Love”
___ “City with an Emerald Necklace”
___ Clam Chowder
___ Declaration of Independence
___ Faneuil Hall
___ Fenway Park
___ Franklin, Benjamin
___ Franklin, Benjamin born here
___ Frazer, Joe
___ Freedom Trail
___ Gen. Washington crossing the Delaware
___ Harvard University
___ “Hub of the Universe”
___ Independence Hall
___ Liberty Bell
___ Logan Airport
___ Marciano, Rocky
___ Mummer’s Parade
___ “Old Ironsides” USS Constitution
___ Old North Church
___ Revere, Paul
___ Ross, Betsy
___ Ruth, Babe
___ Schuylkill River
___ “Shot heard around the World” fired here
___ Tea Party
___ Valley Forge
___ Williams, Ted
44
Philadelphia and Boston
Answer Key
_B_ Alcott, Louisa May born here
_B_ Beacon Hill
_B_ “Beantown”
_B_ Bunker Hill
_P_ Chamberlain, Wilt “The Stilt”
_B_ Charles River
_P_ Cheesesteak
_P_ “City of Brotherly Love”
_B_ “City with an Emerald Necklace”
_B_ Clam Chowder
_P_ Declaration of Independence
_B_ Faneuil Hall
_B_ Fenway Park
_P_ Franklin, Benjamin
_B_ Franklin, Benjamin born here
_P_ Frazer, Joe
_B_ Freedom Trail
_P_ Gen. Washington crossing the Delaware
_B_ Harvard University
_B_ “Hub of the Universe”
_P_ Independence Hall
_P_ Liberty Bell
_B_ Logan Airport
_B_ Marciano, Rocky
_P_ Mummer’s Parade
_B_ “Old Ironsides” USS Constitution
_B_ Old North Church
_B_ Revere, Paul
_P_ Ross, Betsy
_B_ Ruth, Babe
_P_ Schuylkill River
_B_ “Shot heard around the World” fired here
_B_ Tea Party
_P_ Valley Forge
_B_ Williams, Ted
You might share this activity with the American history teacher. A new Bunker Hill Museum opened this
past summer. Details of this gruesome battle at: www.nps.gov/bost/historyculture/bhm.htm
45
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
December 2, 2007 - Week #13
1- Minneapolis, St. Louis, New Orleans SGS
2- Eastern border(west side of the river). MN, IA, MO, AR, LA
Western border(east side of the river). WI, IL, KY, TN, MS
3- Cincinnati Bengals
4- Pennsylvania, Missouri
5- Miami. Speaking of oceans, do you students in Boston, New Bedford, Providence and Long Beach
know where the ocean murals are on buildings there?
www.wylandfoundation.org
6- Out of Tampa Bay, across the Gulf of Mexico and into the mouth or delta of the Mississippi River.
7. This land is between what lakes? Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley
The Tennessee River was dammed to form Kentucky Lake.
The Cumberland River was dammed to form Lake Barkley. Point out that at this point these
rivers flow north, different than most rivers of the United States.
8. Tennessee Valley Authority
9. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Accept Mormon
10. Kansas is the leading wheat growing state in the nation. How will Kansas rank in 2007? SGS
Winter wheat, as grown in KS, MO, IL, etc., is planted in the fall and harvested in the late spring
or early summer. Planted seeds could not stand the severe ground freezing and winters of the
north. www.kswheat.com Spring wheat is planted in northern states in the spring and
harvested in late summer.
Western Kansas is fine, but heavy flooding in May and June has wiped out much of the wheat
crop in eastern Kansas. How have you fared in Wichita and Hutchinson? A good snow cover
and a moist spring have been perfect for wheat in Colorado. A record harvest is expected.
11- It’s on a great bend in the Arkansas River.
12. “Tornado Alley” Make sure the students remember Enterprise, AL, and Greensburg, KS. *
13. As clouds rise and cool to get over the Cascades, they drop their moisture on the west side. The
Great Plains are divided into the short grass prairie to the west and the wetter tall grass prairie to
the east. Things are drier just east of a mountain because of the rain shadow. ** You students in
Kansas know about the Tall Grass Prairie around Emporia.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, “Tallgrass Prairie”, April 2007, pages 120- 141
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, “The American Prairie--Roots of the Sky”, October 1993,
pages 90-117. Great map of grasslands on page 100. www.nps.gov/tapr is tallgrass prairie.
14. San Francisco 49ers going to Charlotte. The name 49ers should make this answer obvious. ***
Maybe conflicting stories, but the cry, “There’s gold in them thar hills.” was said in North Carolina
to encourage the miners to stay and not run off to California.
15. Denver Broncos vs. Oakland Raiders **** www.museumca.org/goldrush Curriculum on this site.
16. Oakland, CA. Going to Oakland, the Broncos will fly right over Calaveras County. Wow!!!!
17. Minneapolis, St. Louis, New Orleans. Clemens & Twain, did the students make the connection?
You HERALD-WHIG students in Quincy and Hannibal need not answer.
continued
46
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
December 2, 2007 - Week #13
18. Mt. Mitchell is the tallest peak in the United States east of the Mississippi River. Mt. Washington gets
all the publicity, but Mt. Mitchell is the tallest.
19. WA, ID, MT, NC, SD, MN, WI, MI, OH, PA. Was there any argument about Ohio?
20. Minneapolis(MN) Vikings. I hope they have the “Pillsbury Doughboy” there, too.
* The five deadliest U.S. tornadoes: April 1936, Gainesville, GA. (203 killed); April 1936, Tupelo, MS.
(216); May 1896, St. Louis, MO. (255); May 1840, Natchez, MS. (317); March 1925, MO-IL-IN
(695) Source NOAA. These disaster dates make you appreciate our warning systems today.
The tornado in Enterprise, AL, killed eight students. Ten people were killed in Greensburg, KS,
as winds reached 205 mph and the storm cut a path 1.7 miles wide and 22 miles long.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, June 2005, shows inside a tornado on pages 110-113.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, “Chasing Tornadoes”, April 2004, pages 4-37
** The Olympic Mountains, on the western peninsula of Washington, are not very high, but they rise
almost from the water’s edge and intercept moisture-rich air masses that move in from the
Pacific. As the air is forced over the mountains, it cools and releases moisture in the form of rain
or snow in a process called adiabatic cooling. The mountains wring precipitation out of the air so
effectively that areas on the northeast corner of the peninsula experience a rain shadow and get
very little rain. The town of Sequim gets only 17 inches a year. Twelve miles from Forks on the
western side of the peninsula is the Hoh Rain Forest, and this rain forest receives 140 inches of
rainfall a year. Sequim and Forks are about 70 miles apart.
The Great Plains has short grass, mid-grass and tall grass prairies. Climatologists usually
consider the line of 100 degrees W. longitude to be the mid-point between the short grass to the
west and the tall grass to the east.
*** American history. There was a Federal Mint in Charlotte from 1837 to 1913, when it was a gold
mining center. The 49ers are named because of the California Gold Rush of 1849. Coincidence
that the 49ers will fly over Knoxville, TN, named after General Frank Knox for whom Ft. Knox is
named, where most of the nation’s gold is kept.
**** Gold was discovered in Colorado along Cherry Creek, now Denver, in 1858 and the rush was at
its peak in 1859. "Pike's Peak or Bust" was the slogan of the "59ers" as they rushed to Colorado.
Zebulon Pike sighted the peak that bears his name on November 15, 1806. The largest silver
nugget ever found in North America was found near Aspen in 1894. Gold and silver mining gave
the Denver Nuggets, the basketball team, their name.
NEXT WEEK:
Landlocked cities - Mouth or delta of the Mississippi River
Interior Uplands is the Ozark Plateau, but just the Ozarks to the locals.
The economic boom in northwest Arkansas
Visiting historic Greenfield Village
Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin
Well known landmarks in America
The winter solstice will occur at 1:08 a.m. EST on December 22nd. Do you want to start a Hours of
Daylight graph on Monday, Dec. 10? Consult the weather page in your newspaper daily to figure
the hours of daylight and graph the descending hours to Friday, Dec. 21st. Please have some
activity to make students aware of the rotation and revolution of the Earth and changing seasons.
SGS
47
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
December 9, 2007 - Week #14
1- Boston, Nashville, Denver, Atlanta
2- Denver, Atlanta Denver is on a river, but the South Platte is not navigable. You students in
Penfield, NY, understand about navigable rivers and know the Trinity in Dallas is not.
3- 11:00. At one time, the newspaper building in Oakland was located on Jack London Square.
4- 5:00 SGS
5. Arkansas If students in Ft. Smith miss this, Mr. Pendleton will be mad.
6. Bentonville, AR, the home of Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. Lowell is the home of J.B Hunt, & you see
those trucks everywhere. (J.B. Hunt died in Nov. 2006) Tyson Chicken & HoneySuckle White
are in Springdale. University of Arkansas is in Fayetteville. Daisy BB Guns used to be made in
Rogers, but now are made nearby in Missouri. The Daisy museum is still in Rogers. Belle Vista
Village is nice. Branson is near. Eureka Springs is called “Little Switzerland of the Ozarks.”
Students might enjoy this site if they ever owned a Daisy BB gun. www.daisymuseum.com
7. Delta or mouth. Accept either answer.
8. Houston Ship Channel. See Study Hint Sheet. Source: The World Almanac-2007, page 77
9. Greenfield Village, in Dearborn, where students would find 92 restored buildings. Thomas A.
Edison's Menlo Park laboratory is there. Memorials to Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Foster, William
H. McGuffey and many other famous Americans are on display. Henry Ford Museum is near by.
www.thehenryford.org for more information. Will you OAKLAND PRESS readers tell us more
about it? Search the web for Greenfield Village. Tons of sites. Compile a long, interesting list.
10. Whitney invented the cotton gin and made cotton growing profitable. Without the gin to separate the
seed from the fiber, cotton would not have become the “King of Fiber”. Separating the seeds was
too labor intensive, but the gin could do the work of 50 men in a day. By coincidence, the cotton
gin was invented in Savannah, GA, and the Panthers will be flying near going to Jacksonville.
11. The “Bootheel” of Missouri
12. 36 degrees N. latitude
13.
A. Boston
B. Buffalo
C. Nashville
D. New York
E. Philadelphia
F. San Francisco
G. Seattle
_D_ Empire State Building *
_F_ Golden Gate Bridge
_E_ Independence Hall
_B_ Niagara Falls
_A_ Old North Church
_C_ Parthenon
_G_ Space Needle
* To celebrate its 150th anniversary, In February the American Institute of Architects selected
their top 150 structures in the U.S. Have students look at the list at:
www.favoritearchitecture.org/afa150.php Then slide the green bar at the top across the screen.
NEXT WEEK:
Wettest and most arid NFL cities
Geographic center of the contiguous 48 states
Old World Heritage in the New World
Cumberland Gap - Interstate highways
Calculating mileage between cities
Sailing from Nashville to Kansas City
48
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
December 16, 2007 - Week #15
1- California
2- Texas, Florida, Missouri
3- NY Jets, Atlanta Falcons
4- Minneapolis, St. Louis, New Orleans. All ST. CLOUD TIMES students better get this correct.
5- Buffalo Bills
6. Phoenix(AZ) Cardinals going to New Orleans. Phoenix averages 8.29 inches of rainfall per year.
New Orleans averages 64.16 inches of precipitation per year. Mobile, AL, averages 66.29 inches
per year, but New Orleans is the leading NFL city. SGS
7-To be determined
8. Cincinnati Bengals
Many websites show markers at the geographic center of the 48.
9. New England = English. New York = English. New Orleans = French. New York was first
named New Amsterdam, and this = Dutch. Ask the TIMES UNION students in Albany, NY, about
the Dutch heritage. Who named the Hudson River? You students in Guilderland know.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, “Heart of the Hudson River”, March 1996, pages 72 – 95
10- Seattle Seahawks The Cumberland Gap is a natural pass in the Appalachian Mountains. Pioneers
used the gap as a passage to the west. Daniel Boone blazed the Wilderness Road via the gap.
11. 1,315 miles + or - * SGS
12. Chicago Bears on I - 94; Buffalo Bills on I - 90; Atlanta Falcons on I - 75; Baltimore Ravens on I - 95;
Phoenix(AZ) Cardinals on I - 10. If the Cardinals were driving, it’s interesting to note that from
El Paso to Orange it is 880 miles across Texas on I-10.
It is believed that I-95 is the busiest Interstate in the United States. The Santa Monica Freeway (I
- 10) is the busiest small stretch of Interstate in the U.S., but over all, honors go to I - 95.
13. The Nashville(TN) Titans could sail to their game by cruising up the Cumberland River to
confluence with the Tennessee River then on to the Ohio River. The Titans would then sail on to
Cairo, IL, at the confluence with the Mississippi River then to the Missouri River north of St. Louis.
Note: The Cumberland does flow to the Ohio, too, but ships go from Barkley Lake (Cumberland
River) to Kentucky Lake (Tennessee River) through a three-mile canal to the Kentucky Dam.
www.kentuckylake.com/usace.htm
14. To be determined
* You will always be given a plus or minus figure with the mileage. How many miles allowed "+" or "-"
the figure given will depend upon the ability of your class. Sixth to 12th graders that can measure
to the 1/16th of an inch and divide fractions and/or decimals should only given about 10 miles
leeway. 4th and 5th graders or other students who have to use the edge of a paper marked with
the scale of miles may be given 40-50 miles.
IT IS INTENDED THE STUDENTS LEARN TO USE THE SCALE OF MILES ON THE MAP TO
CALCULATE THE MILEAGE. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A REFERENCE QUESTION WHERE
THEY GO TO AN ATLAS OR SOME INTERNET SOURCE FOR THE ANSWER.
Determine the distance between competing cities as frequently as needed until the
concept of measuring and calculating is mastered. Reading and using a map scale is a state
geography standard, and also a state math standard.
continued
49
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
December 16, 2007 - Week #15
Indiana was admitted to the Union on December 11, 1816. Do all you students in the Hoosier State
recognize this date?
Frank Sinatra was born on December 12, 1915. Any STAR-LEDGER students going to Hoboken to
celebrate?
GONE WITH THE WIND premiered on December 15, 1939. Students everywhere should be aware of
issues of this great movie.
The Boston Tea Party occurred on December 16, 1773. Boston patriots boarded a British vessel in
Boston Harbor and tossed nearly 350 chests of tea. Are BOSTON HERALD readers and other
students in the Boston area acknowledging this date? Then patriots plundered a ship. Today the
Patriots may plunder Jets.
NEXT WEEK:
Names of world cities in Ohio
American history lesson on General Sherman and Atlanta in the Civil War
Elevations of Phoenix and Atlanta
Outer Banks of North Carolina and Wright Bros
Florida oranges for juice. California oranges for table fruit
Florida and California has teams reciprocating
Stuttgart, AR, is “Duck Hunting Capital of the United States”
Mouth and source of rivers
Texarkana, TX, and Texarkana, AR
Huntsville, AL, is “Rocket City, U.S.A.”
Time zones
Calculating mileage
Latitude and longitude
An ornithologist is a bird lover, but not “someone for the birds”
Richmond, VA, is a Federal Reserve city, but not a NFL city.
A many question quiz next week. Providing a lot that’s new and a lot for review. Please be selective with
the questions.
50
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
December 23, 2007 - Week #16
1- Cincinnati, Buffalo *
2- Atlanta Falcons
3- Pittsburgh Steelers Have students look at the back of a Missouri quarter.
4- Oakland Raiders
5- 1,090 – 1,050 = 40ft. **
6. In Greek mythology, the phoenix burned itself every 500 years only to rise again from the ashes.
Atlanta rose after being burned by General Sherman. On December 21, 1864, Sherman
captured Savannah. By marching from Atlanta to the coast at Savannah, Sherman had cut the
lower South off from the center.
7- Miami Dolphins
8. Kill Devil Hills
9. The Wright Brothers ran a bicycle shop in Dayton, OH, where they built the first airplane. They took
it to Kitty Hawk, NC, to fly it. So, they are both telling the truth. Look at the back of the new
quarters for North Carolina and Ohio. Ohio protested the design of North Carolina, but North
Carolina, in so many words said, “We were here first, so shove it.” Having Wright-Patterson Air
Force base in Dayton makes sense, too. The Uni. of Dayton’s mascot name is the Flyers.
10. Florida and California.
Most of the oranges from Florida are squeezed for juice.
Most of the oranges from California are used as table fruit. *** SGS
11. California and Florida
12. Duck Hunting Capital
Look at the back of an Arkansas quarter.
13. Rosedale, MS. Give credit if you think students know generally where the river’s mouth is.
14. Washington Redskins going to Minneapolis, most near the source of the Mississippi SGS
Philadelphia Eagles going to New Orleans, most near the mouth of the Mississippi.
15. Texarkana. The main street between Texarkana, TX, and Texarkana, AR, is State Line Avenue.
The name comes from a combination of TEXas, ARKansas and LouisiANA.
Kansas City, KS & MO; Bristol, VA & TN; Union City, IN & OH.
The post office is located on State Line Avenue, and the border runs right through the middle of
the post office. It is one post office with two zip codes.
16. The Redstone Arsenal, the rocket and guided-missile center of the U.S. Army is here. Wernher von
Braun and other scientists developed the nation’s first guided missiles here during the 1950s.
www.spacecamp.com/museum
continued
51
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
December 23, 2007 - Week #16
17- Seattle, San Francisco
18- Philadelphia Eagles
19- 12:00
20- 6:05
21. 1,580 miles + or 22. 635 miles + or –
23. Washington Redskins
24. NY Jets
25. Ornithologists are bird lovers, so they would want to watch the Atlanta Falcons vs. Arizona Cardinals
or Baltimore Ravens vs. Seattle Seahawks. Do you think any feathers will fly?
26. MD, PA, OH, MI, WI, MN, SD, ND, MT, ID, WA
27. Richmond, VA
Enjoy the beautiful full moon on Sunday night.
The transistor was unveiled on December 23rd 1947, and our lives were changed forever.
* You can make a world tour within Ohio by visiting Amsterdam, Antwerp, Athens, Berlin, Calcutta,
Cambridge, Dover, Dresden, Dublin, Elba, Essex, Ghent, Geneva, Glandorf, Greenwich,
Macedonia, Malta, Mesopotamia, Paris, Parma, Rome, Sparta, Stratford, Syracuse, Toledo,
Toronto, Troy, Venice, Vienna, Warsaw, Waterloo and Yorkshire. If you don’t like finding all these
cities, then just forget about it and go to Utopia. Ms. Swin, are all your students shaping up?
Do this activity with your own state. How many world city names can the students find? Work on
it over the holidays and compile the list in class after the Christmas break.
** Of course there is going to be discussion of Denver’s elevation of 5,260 ft. instead of 5,280. You
may allow 5,280 ft. or stay with the authority of The World Almanac-2007, pages 708-709, and
say 5,260 ft. It was stated at one time if you were on the 15th step of the Denver capitol, you
were exactly 5,280 above sea level. Wonder what they are saying now?
The difference comes from the accuracy of Global Positioning Systems being used, so elevation
of cities and mountains is being constantly revised. The information a students obtains will
depend on how old or how new their reference sources are.
*** Freezing weather in California did $800 million damage to the navel and Valencia orange crop, and
totally destroyed the tangerine harvest. Prices are increasing, and 12,000 workers have nothing
to harvest. You FRESNO BEE students probably know all about this.
Florida orange production dipped only 1% from the 130.7 million boxes of oranges expected, but
this is going to be one of Florida’s worst years due to sparse rain, hurricanes, fruit disease and
cold weather. If you ask your grocer, you will probably hear orange juice has increased 20%
NEXT WEEK:
Metropolis, IL, is “Superman City”
Corn Belt of the United States
Rust Belt of the United States
Everglades(“River of Grass”), Lake Okeechobee, Okefenokee Swamp
San Andreas Fault - San Joaquin Valley
Produce and products states are known for
General Washington crossing the Delaware near Philadelphia
52
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
December 30, 2007 - Week #17
1- Boston(N.E.) Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions
2- Carolina Panthers
over
 Columbia, SC 
San Francisco 49ers over
 Cheyenne, WY 
Kansas City Chiefs over
 Springfield, IL 
3- Lake Pontchartrain
Pontchartrain isn’t really a lake, it’s an estuary.
4- “Superman” AKA Clark Kent was a reporter in “Metropolis.” Superman is 59-years-old. Trivia
for you: Metropolis is the only city in the United States so named. There is a Superman
Celebration in Metropolis each June. Google Metropolis, Illinois for lots of information.
5. NE, IA, IL, IN, OH are the main Corn Belt states, but allow any combination from these states. SGS
Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, western Ohio, Nebraska, southern Minnesota, eastern South Dakota,
Kansas; and northern Missouri. (Did you remember the team name for the University of
Nebraska is Cornhuskers?) University of Nebraska fans eat huskerburgers. *
Did we have a record corn harvest in 2007? It was announced last July that farmers planted a
record amount of corn, 93 million acres, the most since 1944. This surge is fueled by the high
demand for corn as food and fuel.
Between now and the end of school, have your class become very knowledgeable about
every issue in the controversial ethanol debate. Is it a hoax on America like MTBE? **
The high price of corn is affecting the price of other products. How much more are you paying for
Cereal? Eggs are up 18.6% this year; chicken 7%; bread 6% and beef 5.5%. Source: USDA
6. Seven(7) Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Green Bay, Indianapolis, New York, St. Louis,
Is Washington, D.C. close enough to be counted? SGS
Clip newspaper articles related to population and employment movement away from the Rust Belt
and toward the Sun Belt. *** In February 2007, Allied Van Lines reported in their annual report
that Texas was the #1 state they moved people to, and in this order, followed by North Carolina,
Arizona and Georgia. The van line reported the leading states the people are fleeing are
California, New Jersey and Michigan. In 2006, Atlas Van Lines reported that Texas was the # 1
state for immigration and # 3 state for emigration. A paradox. Atlas reported the Sun Belt is
growing, but people are moving away from the hurricane prone areas of the Sun Belt.
However, be aware of this trend in cities. Young professionals, retired elderly, empty nesters
and baby boomers are moving back into the cities. They don’t need the traditional familial setting
with a big yard. Traffic congestion and high gasoline prices have people seeking housing closer
to jobs and public transportation.
7. Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins
8. The Bengals will fly over the Okefenokee Swamp on the S.E. corner of Georgia, then over
Lake Okeechobee and will be peering down on the Everglades descending into the city of their
game. www.nps.gov/ever SGS
The Everglades is also called the “River of Grass”. Drought in Florida has caused Lake
Okeechobee to be at record low levels, and it is the waters from this lake that supplies the flow
for the Everglades. Okeechobee is the second-largest freshwater lake wholly within the U.S.
Trivia: The Everglades is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles are found
existing side by side.
continued
53
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
December 30, 2007 - Week #17
9. Seattle Seahawks against the Atlanta Falcons. Georgia is the “Peach State”, but it ranks 3rd in
production behind California, South Carolina. Sometimes it’s 4th behind New Jersey.
10.
1. Georgia
2. Idaho
3. Kansas
4. Nebraska
5. Washington
6. Wyoming
_5_ apples SGS
_6_ coal
_4_ corn
_1_ pecans & peanuts
_2_ potatoes
_3_ wheat
11. Philadelphia
12. San Andreas Fault and San Joaquin Valley.
13.
1. Castroville
2. Fallbrook
3. Fresno
4. Gilroy
5. Indio
6. Lompoc
7. Napa Valley
8. Oxnard
9. Richvale
10. Sacramento
11. Salinas
12. Stockton
13. Tulare County
14. Tulelake
15. Ventura County
16. Watsonville
17. Yuba City
SGS
_10__ almonds & pears
__1__ artichokes
_12__ asparagus
__2__ avocados
__5__ dates
__6__ flowers
__8__ fruit & vegetable seeds
__4__ garlic
__7__ grapes
_13__ horseradish
_14__ lemon festival in September
_13__ “milk it for all it’s worth”
_17__ prunes
__3__ raisins
__9__ rice
_11__ spinach
_16__ strawberries
www.artichoke-festival.org
www.asparagusfest.com
www.gilroygarlicfestival.com
www.mbsf.com
NOTE: You may not choose to do the above matching activity with your students as they may know and
care little about California. If this is the case, you are encouraged to have your students do
research and come up with the same type of activity for cities within YOUR STATE. It doesn’t
have to be about produce. Let it be about whatever a city in your state is noted for. Just an
example of what you might do with the state of Illinois.
1. Belleville
2. Bloomington
3. Carbondale
4. Chicago
5. Collinsville
6. Granite City
7. Moline
8. Peoria
_8_ Caterpillar
_2_ Insurance
_7_ John Deere Co.
_4_ John Hancock Building
_1_ Scott Air Force Base
_3_ Southern Illinois University
_6_ Steel mills
_5_ World’s largest catsup bottle
www.catsupbottle.com
This would be an interesting and practical exercise for students to research and develop in states
where the teaching of that state’s history is required. For example, TX, SC, and who knows how
many more. If you use this suggestion, be sure to share the results with your NIE coordinator.
continued
54
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
December 30, 2007 - Week #17
* Is this true? Huskerburgers are hamburgers shaped like the state of Nebraska. It is considered
improper etiquette to consume it without first squirting ketchup in a meandering line down the
meat’s middle to symbolize the great Platte River.
** Some maintain ethanol production is a waste of food, time, soil and water. Does it take 1,500
gallons of water to make one gallon of ethanol? By how much does it reduce your gas mileage?
20-25%? Latest figures indicate it costs $1.29 to make a dollars worth of ethanol in the United
States. This isn’t true in Brazil where it’s efficiently made from sugar cane.
Ethanol is causing sludge to fall off the side of fuel storage tanks which is being pumped into
automobiles. How’s your carburetor? We have heard of fiberglass storage tanks leaking because
ethanol eats through them. Is ethanol messing up small engines and engines in older cars? Get
positive sides of this issue from the National Corn Growers Association. Term paper anyone?
*** Assign a couple of students to be demographers and clip and collect any articles related to trends in
population shifts in the U.S. from now to May 31. Your population table shows seven of the top 10
cities in the U.S. are in the Sun Belt. New census estimates for the nation came out in June of
2007. www.census.gov SGS
Look at THE WORLD ALMANAC 2007, page 591, and see the 10 largest counties in the U.S.
You can see that seven of them are in the Sun Belt, and the large ones in the Rust Belt have little
growth or negative growth.
55
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
City, State, Team Name
Matching Exercise
1. Atlanta
2. Baltimore
3. Boston(N.E.)
4. Buffalo
5. Charlotte(CAR)
6. Chicago
7. Cincinnati
8. Cleveland
9. Dallas
10. Denver
11. Detroit
12. Green Bay
13. Houston
14. Indianapolis
15. Jacksonville
16. Kansas City
17. Miami
18. Minneapolis(MN)
19. Nashville(TN)
20. New Orleans
21. New York
22. New York
23. Oakland
24. Philadelphia
25. Phoenix(AZ)
26. Pittsburgh
27. St. Louis
28. San Diego
29. San Francisco
____Arizona
____California
____California
____California
____Colorado
____District of Columbia
____Florida
____Florida
____Florida
____Georgia
____Illinois
____Indiana
____Louisiana
____Maryland
____Massachusetts
____Michigan
____Minnesota
____Missouri
____Missouri
____New York
____New York
____New York
____North Carolina
____Ohio
____Ohio
____Pennsylvania
____Pennsylvania
____Tennessee
____Texas
____Bears
____Bengals
____Bills
____Broncos
____Browns
____Buccaneers
____Cardinals
____Chargers
____Chiefs
____Colts
____Cowboys
____Dolphins
____Eagles
____Falcons
____Forty-Niners
____Giants
____Jaguars
____Jets
____Lions
____Packers
____Panthers
____Patriots
____Raiders
____Rams
____Ravens
____Redskins
____Saints
____Seahawks
____Steelers
30. Seattle
31. Tampa
32. Washington
____Texas
____Washington
____Wisconsin
____Texans
____Titans
____Vikings
Note: The numbers of the cities may be interchanged in the STATES that have two or three teams. The numerical order of the
CITIES may be interchanged with the matching team NAMES for the two teams from New York City.
56
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
Answer Key
This will be a fun quiz to give the students about the 4th or 5th week of the season.
City, State, Team Name
1. Atlanta
25__Arizona
6__Bears
2. Baltimore
23/28/29__California
7__Bengals
3. Boston(N.E.)
29/23/28__California
4__Bills
4. Buffalo
28/29/23__California
5. Charlotte(CAR)
10__Colorado
6. Chicago
32__District of Columbia
10__Broncos
8__Browns
31__Buccaneers
7. Cincinnati
15/17/31__Florida
25__Cardinals
8. Cleveland
17/15/31__Florida
28__Chargers
9. Dallas
31/17/15__Florida
16__Chiefs
10. Denver
1__Georgia
11. Detroit
6__Illinois
14__Colts
9__Cowboys
12. Green Bay
14__Indiana
17__Dolphins
13. Houston
20__Louisiana
24__Eagles
14. Indianapolis
2__Maryland
15. Jacksonville
3__Massachusetts
16. Kansas City
11__Michigan
17. Miami
18__Minnesota
1__Falcons
29__Forty-Niners
21/22__Giants
15__Jaguars
18. Minneapolis(MN)
16/27__Missouri
19. Nashville(TN)
27/16__Missouri
20. New Orleans
4/21/22__New York
21. New York
22/4/21__New York
5__Panthers
22. New York
21/22/4__New York
3__Patriots
23. Oakland
5__North Carolina
24. Philadelphia
7/8__Ohio
25. Phoenix(AZ)
8/7__Ohio
22/21__Jets
11__Lions
12__Packers
23__Raiders
27__Rams
2__Ravens
26. Pittsburgh
24/26__Pennsylvania
32__Redskins
27. St. Louis
26/24__Pennsylvania
20__Saints
28. San Diego
19__Tennessee
30__Seahawks
29. San Francisco
9/13__Texas
26__Steelers
30. Seattle
13/9__Texas
13__Texans
31. Tampa
30__Washington
19__Titans
32. Washington
12__Wisconsin
18__Vikings
57
PIGSKIN GEOGRAPHY®
V ER B S a n d t h e S P O RTS P AG E
S t u d e nt R ef e r e n c e I nf or m at i o n
Listed are verbs you might want to utilize with the sports page in your NIE program. Most headlines on
the sports page are written with interesting, exciting verbs, but many are not. Many results are reported
as Buffalo 21, Minnesota 20; Detroit 27, Green Bay 13; Raiders 16, Seattle 14; etc.
Rewrite the headline game results with the verb of their choice inserted. For example, Buffalo edges
Minnesota 21-20; Lions rip Packers 27-13; Raiders nip Seattle 16-14. Make sure appropriate verbs are
used. Do not use a verb like "edge" in a game won by a wide margin, or "clobber" in a close game.
Picking verbs to match the team name is a mental exercise you may enjoy. Examples are: Flames
singe Hawks; Stars outshine Blues; Sabres stab Bruins; Pistons churn past Nets; Blue Jays peck
Angels; Pirates master Cards, Lightning bolts to first Stanley Cup. See if you can select a verb to go with
the name of each NFL team. Lions roar by, Giants stomp, Cowboys lasso, Bears maul, Redskins scalp,
etc.
Be creative with some game results as: Magic make Kings look like jesters. Celtics make Wizards look
like dunces.
VERB LIST
batter
blank
bolt
breeze past
burn
chill
churn past
claw
clip
clobber
club
crush
dazzle
derail
dismantle
down
ease by
edge
explode on
foil
kick
nip
nudge
outdraw
outlast
outshine
outslug
paste
peck
pluck
rally past
repel
riddle
rip
roll past
romps by
romps past
rout
saddle
sear
singe
sink
slam
slap
slash
slaughter
slip past
smite
sneak past
squeeze past
stab
Find more verbs to augment this list.
58
stifle
stun
stymie
subdue
suppress
swamp
thump
top
topple
torpedo
trim
trip
trounce
tumble
whip
wipe out
zap