Geography Twister

Return to Fifty States, Five Lessons

Subjects Physical Education and Health Games Social Studies Geography

Grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, Advanced

Brief Description

Students exercise while they play this fun geography game based on Twister.

Objective

Students practice geography skills by playing a fun game.

Keywords

capital, compass, continents, countries, country, direction, exercise, game, geography, map, oceans, provinces, region, states

Materials Needed

• outline map of the United States (See below.)
• transparency film -- one sheet
• shower curtain liner (clear or colored)
• permanent marker
• game cards

Lesson Plan

This activity can be adapted to teach countries, states, provinces, regions -- almost any geographic unit. Whatever location students are studying, simply acquire an outline map of the area. For the purpose of this activity, we will focus on teaching about the U.S. states.

Locate a blank outline map of the United States.

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2 (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

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Photocopy the map onto a transparency. Place the transparency on an overhead projector and trace the map onto the shower curtain liner.

When you have traced the entire map, you are ready to play a game of Geography Twister! The game is played much like the game Twister, except that instead of placing a right foot on a blue circle and a left hand on a green circle, students are instructed to place a right foot on Kansas or a left foot on the state in which the capital is Tallahassee. All that remains is creating a spinner (You could use one from the actual Twister game!) and a set of clues or commands.

You can omit the spinner by creating a set of game cards that combine commands and clues appropriate for your grade level. For example, clues for a fourth grade might include

• Put your right hand on Minnesota.
• Put your left hand on the largest state in the United States. (Alaska)
• Put your right foot on the state that borders Arizona to the east. (New Mexico)
• Put your left foot on the state in which the capital is Albany. (New York).

This is a game that students will be sure to take out during rainy day recesses -- and they'll be learning while they play!

Assessment

Students place their hands and feet on the correct geographic locations as they play.

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Gary Hopkins

National Standards

PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH: Physical Education

• GRADES K - 12
  NPH.K-12.3 Physical Activity

SOCIAL SCIENCES: Geography

• GRADES K - 12
  NSS-G.K-12.1 The World in Spatial Terms
  NSS-G.K-12.2 Places and Regions

See more geography lesson ideas on the Education World Geography page. Click to return to the Fifty States lesson plan page.