Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Geography

The full standard is available on the state website for Content Standards . This page provides some activities to help meet Chapter 113. Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills of the Texas Education Code (adopted 1998).

Grade 1

Standards

§113.3. Social Studies, Grade 1. (5) (B) locate places of significance on maps and globes such as the local community, Texas, and the United States.

Activities

Use our JigsawGeo iOS game with the United States map. The Easy level challenges them to place all 50 states in their correct positions in the lowest time. For children that cannot yet spell, the app includes a voice-over narrative that says the name of each state as they play. The easy level also helps them by slowly zooming in on the correct location for each state. Higher levels challenge them to find states by their capital, or by the state flag.
Print out our free USA map. It has multiple sheets to support various learning outcomes related to the geography of the United States. You may photocopy it freely to use in your class.

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

Grade 2

Standards

§113.3. Social Studies, Grade 2.

(6) Geography

(B) locate the community, Texas, the United States, and selected countries on maps and globes

Activities

Use our JigsawGeo iOS game with the United States map. The Easy level challenges them to place all 50 states in their correct positions in the lowest time. For children that cannot yet spell, the app includes a voice-over narrative that says the name of each state as they play. The easy level also helps them by slowly zooming in on the correct location for each state. Higher levels challenge them to find states by their capital, or by the state flag.
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 Texas and a few other states)
Use it as a coloring page -- have your students color in Texas and each state where they have a relative.

Grade 3

Standards

§113.3. Social Studies, Grade 3.

(5) Geography.

(A) use cardinal and intermediate directions to locate places such as the Amazon River, Himalayan Mountains, and Washington D.C. on maps and globes

Activities

Use our JigsawGeo iOS game with the United States map. The Easy level challenges them to place all 50 states in their correct positions in the lowest time. For children that cannot yet spell, the app includes a voice-over narrative that says the name of each state as they play. The easy level also helps them by slowly zooming in on the correct location for each state. Higher levels challenge them to find states by their capital, or by the state flag.
Print out our free USA map. It has multiple sheets to support various learning outcomes related to the geography of the United States. You may photocopy it freely to use in your class.

Use it for a quiz (have your students find Texas, a few other states, and Washington, D.C. )

Grade 8

Standards

§113.24. Social Studies, Grade 8.

(10) Geography. The student uses geographic tools to collect, analyze, and interpret data. The student is expected to:

(A) create thematic maps, graphs, charts, models, and databases representing various aspects of the United States;

(11) Geography. The student understands the location and characteristics of places and regions of the United States, past and present. The student is expected to:

(B) compare places and regions of the United States in terms of physical and human characteristics; and

Activities

Use our JigsawGeo iOS game with the United States map. The Easy level challenges them to place all 50 states in their correct positions in the lowest time. For children that cannot yet spell, the app includes a voice-over narrative that says the name of each state as they play. The easy level also helps them by slowly zooming in on the correct location for each state. Higher levels challenge them to find states by their capital, or by the state flag.
Print out our free USA map. It has multiple sheets to support various learning outcomes related to the geography of the United States. You may photocopy it freely to use in your class.

Use it for a quiz (have your students find Texas and all other states of the USA)
Have them each state using colored pencils to show various physical or population characteristics using a color scale (e.g., blue for low population up to red for high population).

Print out our USA Flash cards handout for them to create their own flash cards.