Fifth-Grade Students Culminate Research Through State Fair

There are many adults of a certain age who have fond memories of an old board game entitled “Game of the States,” in which they sat around their kitchens, or on back porches in the summer, having fun with friends while learning about the states and their products.

The teachers, fifth-grade students and members of the PTA at McMurray Elementary took part in their own interactive version of the game last week, as they held their annual “State Fair” in the  school gymnasium, which not only reinforced the curriculum the students learned during the year, but gave all of the students the opportunity to actually “visit” the states they had learned about.

“It kind of culminates the whole year of learning and all the interdisciplinary skills that they have learned,” said Linda Lanham, fifth-grade teacher and event co-coordinator. 

Lanham said each of the 13 fifth-grade classrooms was assigned four states to feature in a display, which depict the state capital and the product or industry that is significant to that state. Teams of students in each classroom are then assigned their own state to develop a display for each of the four states that have been assigned.

Lanham said students work in teams for several weeks to develop ideas on how best to tell the story of the individual state.

All 50 states are represented at the McMurray Elementary State Fair, in addition to the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands.

“The fun part is when each of the teams is charged with coming up with a carnival game that represents what makes their state unique,” Lanham said.

For example, students who were assigned Arizona developed a mining game.

“The unique thing is that before the students get to play the game, they have to answer a question about that particular state,” she said. “There are also posters at each of the booths that tell of the state’s geography, its capital, and some interesting information about the state.”

The two-hour state fair allows each student an opportunity to visit all of the displays and have an opportunity to play a carnival game at the booth.

Lanham said parent volunteers also help to make the day a success.

“They come in early and help set up the booths and hang posters on the walls,” she said. “But the students are so much involved in their own displays, they take a very active role themselves.”

Lanham said when students win a particular game at a booth, they are given the opportunity to fill out a ticket for a prize, which consists of products that are produced there. For instance, winners of the Pennsylvania games won Hershey’s candies or Heinz products.

“It’s really a testament to the students’ hard work that their games are so engaging and fun,” Lanham said. “The kids really stay interested, and it’s a fun way to reinforce what they’ve learned about the state and geography during the year.”