Letters from the Middle West
The fourth graders travel the regions of the United States in their Social Studies curriculum. In their study, they look at the climate and physical features of a region as well as important landmarks, industries, and the region's natural resources. The students examine the history of the area, too. After studying a region, each student writes a friendly letter to a family member describing what he/she has learned about that region as if from personal experience (for example, his/her visit to Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota). They put the letter into an envelope and decorate the envelope with pictures representing that region. The envelopes from each region are then bound together to create a book keepsake.
The following are a few examples of student letters from the study of the Middle West: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.
| 601 Fourth Street Canby, Minnesota May 15, 2007 Dear Mom and Dad, My class and I just visited the Middle West. The states in the Middle West are North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. The climate is warm in the summer and cold in the winter. Some physical features are the Mississippi River, the Missouri River, the Ohio River, and the Arkansas River. They also have Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie. One place I visited was Minnesota. There were three very interesting things I learned about Minnesota while I was visiting. First, I learned that the Mississippi River starts here and the source of it is Lake Itasca. Second, Minnesota has a baseball team called the Minnesota Twins. Their number one pitcher is Johann Santana. The last thing I learned about Minnesota is the capital is in St. Paul and the Governor's name is Tim Pawlenty. Have you ever been in the Middle West? If you have, please write back. Your loving son, Kyler |
| 601 Fourth Street Canby, Minnesota May 15, 2007 Dear Grandma, My class and I took a field trip to the Midwest. The climate is warm in the summer and many storms hit. In winter it is very cold and a blizzard may hit. The states in this region are Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa. There are lots of trees, mining, and two Great Lakes! One place I visited was the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. In 1927, Gutzon Borglum began to work on Mount Rushmore. There are heads of four presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. The faces are from 50 to a7- feet tall. Have you ever been to Mount Rushmore? Write back and tell me what you saw. Love, Alayna |
| 601 Fourth Street Canby, Minnesota May 14, 2007 Dear Midnite, My class and I went on a field trip to the Middle West and learned some interesting facts about it. The states in the Middle West are Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Missouri. The climate of the Middle West is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Some of the physical features are: Great Plains, Central Plains, Lake Erie, Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Mount Rushmore, and the Mississippi River. One place I visited was Lake Itasca on the Mississippi River. Three things I learned about this place are: Lake Itasca is the beginning of the Mississippi. The length of the Mississippi is 2,522 miles long. Wild rice grows at the banks of Lake Itaska. Have you seen the Mississippi River? If you have, write me. I would like to know if you've seen Mount Rushmore also. Yours truly, Alexis |
Back to Student Work Table
Back to Mrs. Hoyme's Home Page