Illinois Learning Standards for Geography

The full standard is available on the state website for the Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Learning Standards (ILS). This web page provides some activities to help meet some of the key ideas in Geography adopted in 1985. We only list the performance indicators for which we have helpful activities. See the standard for the full list of indicators.

Early Elementary
Late Elementary
Middle/Junior High School

Early Elementary

Standards

17.A.1b Identify the characteristics and purposes of geographic representations including maps, globes, graphs, photographs, software, digital images and be able to locate specific places using each.

Activities

Suggest our iPhone and iPod Touch map game to your parents. They can find it on the AppStore by searching for "JigsawGeo".
Print out our free USA map. It has two pages (one with the state names, the other without). You may photocopy it freely to use in your class.

Use it for a quiz (have your students find Illinois and a few other states)
Use it as a coloring page -- have your students color in Illinois and each state where they have a relative.

Late Elementary

Standards

17.A.2b Use maps and other geographic representations and instruments to gather information about people, places and environments.

Activities

Suggest our iPhone and iPod Touch map game to your parents. They can find it on the AppStore by searching for "JigsawGeo".
Print out our free USA map. It has two pages (one with the state names, the other without). You may photocopy it freely to use in your class.

Use it for a quiz (have your students find Illinois and label the states in each region)

Middle/Junior High School

Standards

17.A.3b Explain how to make and use geo-graphic representations to provide and enhance spatial information including maps, graphs, charts, models, aerial photographs, satellite images.

Activities

Suggest our iPhone and iPod Touch map game to your parents. The Easy level challenges them to place all 50 states in their correct positions in the lowest time. The Difficult level gives the name of the capital instead of the name of the state! Parents can find it on the AppStore by searching for "JigsawGeo".
Use our USA Fifty States Flash Cards to learn the name of each state along with its capital.
Print out our free USA map. It has two pages (one with the state names, the other without). You may photocopy it freely to use in your class.

Hand out the labeled page as a study aid.
Use it for a quiz (have your students label each state properly).
Color in each state using color pencils to illustrate population or other characteristics (e.g., blue for low population through red for high population)

For full list of features, check it out on the iTunes Store!