Arizona

Name: Jaida
Teacher: Saffell
State: Arizona

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. People in Arizona like the same food that we have in Tennessee, but Mexican food is a favorite.
2. The sun is warm in Arizona most of the year, but sometimes it’s cold in the mountains.
3. In Arizona football, hockey, and golf are popular.

If I went to visit Arizona, I would want to go with my daddy. I would travel by a plane because it’s faster. If I travel with a car I will run out of gas. If I don’t have money I’m going to be stuck on the interstate, so that’s why I using a plane.

Where I got my information: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/arizona/
Friends and Family

Hawaii

Name: Kendal
Teacher: Tucker/ Bruno
State: Hawaii

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. They did not have McDonald’s or Burger King when the person who wrote to us was growing up.
2. During the Summer; especially in August; it can be very warm[high 80’s/ low 90’s] and humid.
3. Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959.

If I went to visit Hawaii I would want to go with Michaya I would travel by cruise ship because it’s fun!

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/hawaii/
Family and friends

Deleware

Name: Richard
Teacher: Ms.Saffell
State: Delaware

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. It contains 1,982 square miles. It is 96 miles long and varies from 9 to 35 miles in width.
2. It is snowy and cold in winter but hot in summer.
3. They like banking.

If I went to visit Delaware I would want to go with my friend Joe. I would travel by an airplane because I would like to live there.

Where I got my information: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/delaware/
Friends and family

Wisconsin

Name: Ja’Irah
Teacher: Ms.Appleton
State: Wisconsin

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. People really like to go bowling in Wisconsin.
2. Tennessee is a wide state, but Wisconsin is a tall state.
3. People in Wisconsin like football. Their team just won the Super Bowl!


If I went to visit Wisconsin
I would want to go with my family. I would travel by airplane because it is faster.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/wisconsin
friends and family

Mississippi

Name: Sa’Nia
Teacher: Mrs. Appleton
State: Mississippi

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. Mrs. Hartley has a lot of neat friends there.
2. They have a lot of cold days there in Mississippi.
3. They also have a lot of good food there.

If I went to visit Mississippi I would want to go with my family I would travel by airplane because it is much quicker and faster.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/mississippi/
and from other friends and family including Mrs. Hartley who used to teach at CLEM.

Oregon

Name: Clarissa
Teacher: Tucker
State: Oregon

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. It is about 2,300 miles from Nashville to Portland, Oregon.
2. Salomon is a favorite food there.
3. Oregon is on the Pacific Ocean.

If I went to visit Oregon I would want to go with my dad. I would travel by train, so for just one time I could hear the train the train go Choo-Choo!


Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/oregon/
Friends and family

Illinois

Name: Uchechukwu
Teacher: Ms. Little
State: Illinois

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. They eat pizza and hotdogs.
2. Illinois is beautiful, and it has tall buildings.
3. The schools are nice.

If I went to visit Illinois, I would want to go with my friends. I would travel by airplane because it is faster.


Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/illinois/
friends and family

Deleware

Name: Jyavion
Teacher: Tucker
State: Delaware

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. They eat crabs and fish.
2. They eat cheese steaks.
3. They go to beaches in the summer time.

If I went to visit Delaware I would want to go with my dad in a plane because I don`t want it to take long if I use a car.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/delaware/
friends and family

Wyoming

Name: Natalya
Teacher: Mrs.Saffell
State: Wyoming

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. Some places are way out in the desert and you can see lots of stars.
2. People like to ski there.
3. It has lots of geysers, mud pots, hiking trails, lakes and waterfalls. Yellowstone National Park, Grand Tetons Parks, Devils Tower, and Cowboys are all in Wyoming.

If I went to visit Wyoming I would want to go with Dominka. I would travel by plane because I can see the clouds

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/wyoming/
Friends and Family

Georgia

Name: Sopulu
Teacher: Ms. Saffell
State: Georgia

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. The weather is very much like Nashville.
2. There are beaches and mountains.
3. It is a lot of fun and there is sunshine.

If I went to visit Georgia I would want to go with my dad. I would travel by car because it is a lot of fun.


Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/georgia/
Friends and family

Michigan

Name: Deontay
Teacher: Saffell
State: Michigan

Here are 3 facts about my state
1. Michigan is famous for blueberries
2. The person we wrote to thinks Michigan is lots of fun.
3. Mackinac Island It’s a little island just off the top of the mitten part of lower Michigan

If I went to visit Michigan I would want to go with go my friend. I would travel by airplane because I am high in the sky and I get to see everything.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/michigan/http://www.
Friends and Family

Wisconsin

Name: Cornel
Teacher: Ms. Saffell
State: Wisconsin

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. Tennessee is a wide state, but Wisconsin is a tall state with a part on the side that looks like a skinny thumb.
2. They like to play softball and golf.
3. On Groundhog Day they got many inches of snow at one time, but that was different than most of the times snow falls.

If I went to visit Wisconsin I would want to go with William. I would travel by car because it would take a week.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/wisconsin/
Friends and Family

Oregon

Name: Azariah
Teacher: Ms. Little
State: Oregon
Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. They can go to the beach or hiking.
2. It is about 2,300 miles from Nashville to Portland, Oregon.
3. Salmon is a favorite food there.

If I went to visit Oregon I would want to go with mom. I would travel by train because it is fun.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/oregon/
Friends and family

Indiana

Name: NaEisha
Teacher Bruno/Tucker
State: Indiana

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. It is safe there.
2. Their houses are all kinds of sizes.
3. They eat a lot of the same things we eat.

If I went to visit Indiana I would want to go with my sister and cousin. I would travel by car because you can get there in hours and it’s fun.

Where I got my information: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/indiana/
Friends and Family

Pennsylvania

Name: Michaya
Teacher: Bruno/Tucker
State: Pennsylvania

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. The last time the US Government counted the number of people here in Pennsylvania, they counted over 12 million people.
2. There are foods here that we like to eat in Nashville, like spaghetti and meatballs, pizza, icecream and cake.
3. Because there is also a lot of snow there, people go to Pennsylvania just to ski down the mountains.

If I went to visit Pennsylvania I would want to go with Kendal. I would travel by plane because it’s faster.


Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/pennsylvania
friends and family

Pennsylvania

Name: Olivia
Teacher: Tucker/Cotton
State: Pennsylvania

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. Some people in Pennsylvania grow gardens on their rooftops.
2. Some schools are famous because of their teaching.
3. Philadelphia has over 40 colleges and universities in the city and in the surrounding area.

If I went to visit Pennsylvania I would want to go with family. I would travel by airplane because it is quicker.


Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/pennsylvania/
friends and family

Virginia

Name: Preston
Teacher: MS.Little
State: Virginia

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. The schools are top notch and cool according to Ms. Reynolds cousin.
2. Southern Virginia looks different than northern Virginia.
3. It is close to Washington D.C.


If I went to visit Virginia I would want to go with my mom. I would travel by plane because it is faster.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/virgini/
friends and family

Georgia

Name: Perryona
Teacher: Ms.Little
State: Georgia

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. The weather is very much like Nashville.
2. There are 9,687,653 people in the state of Georgia. There are only 8 other states that have more people.
3. The whole east coast is full of beaches.

If I went to visit Georgia I would go with my momma. I would travel by a plane because it is faster.


Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/georgia/
friends and family

New York

Name: Nyia
Teacher: Ms.Little
State: New York

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. In New York City you can walk for a long time without seeing many trees.
2. They have lots of book stores.
3. It about 15 hours to drive from Nashville to New York.

If I went to visit New York I would want to go with mom. I would travel by car because it is fast, and it does not waste gas.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/newyork/
friends and family

Florida

Name: Micah
Teacher: Ms.Little
State: Florida

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. Kids in Florida like to play outside and go surfing in the ocean.
2. They like to make sandcastles.
3. Florida is known for lightning storms and hurricanes

If I went to visit Florida would want to go with my Granddaddy. I would travel by car because it is faster.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/florida/
friends and family

Maryland

Name: Lidya
Teacher: Ms.Little
State: Maryland

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. The weather gets really hot in the summer and kind of cold in the winter. It snows in Maryland during the winter, but not lot. Fall and Spring are really nice because the weather is cool.
2. There are lots of trees and a lot of wildlife like deer.
3. There are a lot of museums in Washington, DC which is near Maryland.

If I went to visit Maryland I would want to go with Hanna. I would travel by plane because it is far away from Tennessee.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/maryland/
friends and family

South Carolina

Name: Kenneth
Teacher: Ms.Little
State: South Carolina

Here are 4 facts about my state:
1. There are a lot of schools to choose from in South Carolina.
2. There are about 4 and a half million people living in South Carolina.
3. Most people speak English.
4. They have lots of beaches.

If I went to visit South Carolina I would want to go with my mom. I would travel by plane because it is far.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/southcarolina/
friends and family

Washington

Name: Breanna
Teacher: Ms.Little
State:Washington

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. Food in Seattle is probably not too different from the food in Nashville, except they eat a lot of seafood.
2. Many of the houses in Seattle were built between the first world war 1918 and the 1930’s because that’s when the was growing a lot.
3. They have lots of parks. They have hiking trails.

If I went to visit Washington I would want to go with my family and friends. I would travel by plane because it’s far away from Tennessee.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/washington/
Friends and family

Kentucky

Name: Timera
Teacher: MS.COTTON
State: Kentucky

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. They have cool days in the spring.
2. Basketball and football are both popular sports.
3. It can be cold in the winter. They get snow like we do.

If I went to visit Kentucky I would want to go with my uncles. I would travel by car.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/kentucky/
Friends and family

New York

Name Jamandis
Mrs. Cotton
State: New York

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. You can go see the state Empire State Building and the museums.
2. They travel by subway, walk, and drive.
3. There are mountains and people go skiing.

If I went to New York I would want to go with my mom and my dad. I would travel by car because my dad has a car.

Where I got my information
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/newyork/
friends and family

Maryland

Name: Connor
Teacher: Mrs. Cotton
State: Maryland

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. It snows in Maryland during the winter, but not a lot.
2. The person I wrote to said everyone who lives there is very nice.
3. Maryland also has a lot of Universities.

If I went to visit Maryland I would want to go with Lidya and my dad. I would travel by plane because it has snacks.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/maryland/
friends and family

North Carolina

Name: Carlos
Teacher: Ms. Cotton
State: North Carolina

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. There are tons of stores, restaurants, museums, and historic buildings.
2. The summers in NC can get really hot.
3. There are almost 27,000 people in Salisbury, North Carolina

If I went to visit North Carolina I would want to go with my family. I would travel by walking because so I can see a great view.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/northcarolina/
friends and family

Halfway done...

I've posted about 2 1/2 classes worth of blog posts. Some children were not given permission to post on the blog, so theirs won't be appearing here.

I've had a couple of people ask exactly what the process was for what I did with the kids. Here's what we did:
1. Students chose a state you've never been to that you want to visit.
2. They wrote 3 or more questions about their state.
3. I emailed those questions to friends and family around the country.
4. Each student looked at websites about their state while waiting for answers.
5. They went through the answers to pick out the facts that were most important to them. Sometimes those facts weren't really the most important about the state, but they were ones that were important to the kids. (They did read everything that was sent to us even if all of the information doesn't appear here.)
6. They wrote their blog posts and chose a picture of their state to post as well.

South Carolina

Name: Siyanne
Teacher: Tucker/Cotton
State: South Carolina

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. There are about 4 and a half million people that live there.
2. In the winter it is cold, but not as cold as most states.
3. Most people speak English and go to public schools.


If I went to visit South Carolina I would want to go with my mom. I would travel by train because it is too far.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/southcarolina/
friends and family

Alaska

Name: Toni
Teacher: Mrs.Cotton
State: Alaska

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. The hottest Alaska really gets is in the low 80’s and that is only for a very short period of time--maybe a month.
2. Alaska’s so big it can reach from coast to coast.
3. Canada is on the right and the Siberia is on the left.

If I went to visit Alaska I would want to go with my whole family. I would travel by plane because it’s far.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/alaska/
friends and family

Arizona

NAME: Jamicheal
Teacher: Cotton
State: ARIZONA

Here are 4 facts about my state:
1. The Grand Canyon and Camel Back mountain are there.
2. They also have the Biosphere and Tombstone.
3. They like same kind of food we have in Tennessee, but Mexican food is a favorite.
4. They have football teams like The NFL Arizona Cardinals and Arizona State Sundevils.

If I went to visit Arizona I would go with my family. I would travel by a car because it is fast.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/arizona/
friends and family

Colorado

Name: Deya
Teacher: Mrs. Cotton
State: Colorado

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. Colorado became a state August 1, 1878.
2. There are 5,024,748 people in Colorado.
3. It is a safe place to live.

If I went to visit Colorado I would want to go with my family. I would travel by airplane because it`s far.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/colorado/
friends and family

Virginia

Name: Yonathan
Teacher: Tucker
State: Virginia

Here are 4 facts about my state:
1. Northern Virginia is very close to the big city of Washington DC.
2. If you go there you can go to the National Mall that is fun and has lots of places to see.
3. You can see natural history at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.
4. You can climb inside a rocket and pretend to blast off into space in the Air and Space Museum.

If I went to visit Virginia I would want to go with my family. I would travel by an airplane because it has food that is good.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/virginia/
friends and family

Illinois

Name:William
Teacher:Miss Tucker
State: Illinois

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. They eat dish pizza that is Chicago style and hot dogs.
2. It snows a lot!
3. There are very tall buildings

If I went to visit Illinois I would want to go with my dad. I would travel by airplane because it will be so fun.

Where I got my information
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/illinois/
friends and family

Florida

Name: Maya
Teacher: Miss Tucker
State: Florida

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. There is lots of good food in Florida like sea food.
2. We do lots of art in Florida.
3. Mr. Helms who was here last year now teaches elementary art to grades K-5 in Florida.

If I went to visit Florida I would want to go with my dad. I would travel by plane because it fun.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/florida/
friends and family

Georgia

Name Kamillah
Teacher: Tucker
State: Georgia
Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. There are 9,687,653 people in the state of Georgia.
2. The person we wrote too has not seen a fight in Georgia, but she says not everyone expresses their feelings with words so she is sure people do fight there sometimes.
3. Georgia has beaches, lakes, and mountains.

If I went to visit Georgia i would want to go with my family would travel by a plane because it takes about 5 hours to get there

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/georgia/
friends and Family

Mississippi

Name: Kamari
Teacher: Miss Tucker
State: Mississippi

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. Mississippians eat mashed potatoes, fried catfish, and fried dill pickles just like we do.
2. Mississippi is known for its hospitality.
3. The winters are cold but it doesn’t snow very much.

If I went to visit Mississippi I would want to go with my mother. I would travel by airplane because it takes 3 hours to get from where I live.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/mississippi/
Friends and family

Washington

Name: Jada
Teacher:Tucker/Bruno
State: Washington

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. It doesn’t snow very often in Seattle because it’s too warm in the winter--not really warm, but just warm enough to not snow.
2. Lots of people ski. And because there is so much water in Seattle, lots of people sail or row.
3. The food in Seattle is probably not too different from the food you have in Nashville, except for they eat more seafood.

If I went to visit Washington I would want to go with my family and Kendal I would travel by airplane because it’s faster.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/washington/
Friends and family

Texas

Name: Cayden
Teacher: Tucker
State: Texas

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. Texas is the second largest state in the country.
2. They eat fish and Mexican food just like me.
3. Texas is awesome because it is so big.

If I went to visit Texas I would want to go with Mommy. I would travel by airplane because it is too long to take a car.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/texas/
Friends and family

Colorado

Name: Brayden
Teacher: Tucker
State: Colorado

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. Colorado became a state on August 1, 1878.
2. Colorado has more than 5,024,748 people.
3. Colorado has more than 300 sunny days every year.


If I went to visit Colorado I would want to go with my mom and dad. I would travel by airplane because you use less gas.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/colorado/
Friends and Family

Wyoming

Name: Ledeya
Teacher: Mrs.Appleton
State: Wyoming
Here are 4 facts about my state:
1. They have good food like bison burgers.
2. It is nice there, and Yellowstone is there.
3. They have lots of stores.
4. It gets both hot and cold there.

If I went to visit Wyoming I would want to go with my friend and family. I would travel by airplane because it is fun and nice in there. If I drove in a car it will take hours.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/wyoming/
friends and family

Kentucky

Name: Joanna
Teacher: Mrs. Appleton
State: Kentucky

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. The thing they most like about living in Kentucky is that it’s very pretty and peaceful.
2. It doesn’t really snow too much there.
3. Kentucky is very close to Tennessee.

If I went to visit Kentucky I would want to go with my friends. I would travel by car because it’s faster.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/kentucky/
other friends and family

Hawaii

Name: Emily
Teacher: Mrs.Appleton
State: Hawaii

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. In August, it can be very warm [high 80’s/ low 90’s] and humid.
2. Temperatures in the winter can drop into the low 60’s with highs in the 70’s.
3. Many things have changed in Hawaii in the last 50 years. There are more buildings and businesses.

If I went to visit Hawaii I would want to go with my family. I would travel by a airplane because I can see stuff from the window.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/hawaii/
friends and family

Florida

Name: Leilani
Teacher: Mrs. Appleton
State: FLORIDA

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. Mostly it is warm and sunny in Florida. The worst weather they deal with is hurricanes.
2. People in Florida like to swim, especially in the ocean.
3. Most schools where Mr. Helms works now have outside halls meaning they have no inside halls. To change classes they go outside.

If I went to visit Florida I would want to go with my dad. I would travel by an airplane because we won’t have to get gas every 4 hours.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/florida/
friends, family, and Mr. Helms!

Utah

Name: Lamia
Teacher: Mrs. Appleton
State: Utah

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. It takes a couple of days to drive to Utah from Tennessee. It’s over 1500 miles away.
2. People who like skiing love living here
3. There’s lots of beautiful things there

If I went to go visit Utah I would want to with my family. I would travel by car because it is slower.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/utah/
friends and family

Washington

Name: Iyanna
Teacher: Mrs.Appleton
State: Washington

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. For fun they ride bikes and go to the movies.
2. It doesn’t snow often.
3. Washington has some BIG mountains.

If I went to visit Washington I would want to go with my family. I would travel by airplane because I want to see up high.

Where I got my information: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/washington/
other friends and family

California

Name: Atlantis
Teacher: Mrs. Appleton
State: California

Here are 3 facts about my state:
1. Many healthy foods are available such as fresh fruit and vegetables.
2. California is 163,707 square miles.
3. You can drive all day and never get out of California.

If I went to visit California I would want to go with family. I would travel by car because I can look at stuff.

Where I got my information:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/california/
friends and family of my classmates

Exploring the USA with 2nd Graders

Our 2nd graders are getting ready to write their first blog posts. They each picked a state they've never been to that they wanted to learn about. They also brought in names and email addresses of friends and family from around the country who volunteered to tell us about their state. I added some friends and family of my own. When it was done we had 64 people who volunteered to help. Students wrote questions, and we emailed them all over the country.

The most popular questions were:
1. What do you do for fun in your state?
2. What kind of food do you eat?
3. What is the weather like?
4. Do you like living there? Why?

They also asked about sports, snow, books, family, how far it was from Nashville, houses, schools, libraries, and playgrounds.

This week they've been reading the answers and picking out what they thought were the most important facts.

My goal is for them to get their blog posts written and edited before spring break.