Kansas State Symbols
What are the state symbols?
Why are they important to
Kansas?
Spring Sellars, Contributor
4 th grade
Goals
Students will learn the Kansas State
symbols and some information about each
one.
Students will be able to tell why these
symbols were chosen and are important to
Kansas.
Related Standards:
History Standard: The student uses a working
knowledge and understanding of significant individuals,
groups, ideas, events, eras, and developments in the
history of Kansas, the United States, and the world,
utilizing essential analytical and research skills.
Benchmark 3: The student understands the
significance of events, holidays, documents, and symbols
that are important to Kansas, United States and World
history.
Vocabulary Terms
American Bison Great Seal of the
Meadowlark State of Kansas
Jayhawk Salamander
Cottonwood Tree Honeybee
Sunflower Ornate Box Turtle
Amphibian Reptile
“Home on the Range”
A pre-test may be given prior to
the lesson to assess prior
knowledge of Kansas state
symbols.
Pre-test
What is the Kansas state flower?
What is the Kansas state bird?
What is the Kansas state animal?
What is the Kansas state tree?
What is the Kansas state song?
What is the Kansas state insect?
What is the Kansas state reptile?
What is the Kansas state Amphibian?
What pictures are found on the Great Seal of the State
of Kansas?
Answers to pretest:
Flower: Sunflower
Bird: Meadowlark
Animal: American Buffalo or Bison
Tree: Cottonwood Tree
Song: “Home on the Range”
Insect: Honeybee
Reptile: Ornate Box Turtle
Amphibian: Salamander
State Seal: answer may include various objects.
Activities:
Students are given coloring pages of the different Kansas state
symbols. Students are told to decorate them anyway they choose
using creativity. These are kept in a binder or folder in which notes
on each symbol may be added.
Students may be divided into groups of 2 or 3 and assigned one
symbol per group. Names may also be picked out of a hat and
students allowed to pick their symbol when their names are called.
Each symbol will be chosen only once. Each group will make an
informative poster with their symbol drawn and colored on it. The
poster will include information about the Kansas symbol assigned.
Teacher will check to see that important information has been
selected for the poster by the group. (Information will be found
from handout teacher prints off the internet or research done by
students.
Research/ poster making days will be given to allow students to
complete their projects.
Activities cont’d….
Students will be expected to give a presentation to the class about
their poster and hold a question/answer session over their symbol.
Each group will provide a typed list of three important facts that
they want their classmates to remember about their symbol. These
will be given to students to put in their folders or binders with their
decorated coloring pages.
Students will display their posters around the classroom. After
having time to review their notes, they will be quizzed over the
important facts gathered by students.
Students will be given a post-test (same as the pre-test) to assess
their knowledge of the Kansas state symbols after the unit.
Activities cont’d…
As a fun wrap up activity, students will be asked
to draw and write a proposal proposing that a
new state symbol be added. The student may
choose anything they want for their proposed
symbol, but must tell why they think it would be
a good symbol to represent Kansas. They are
encouraged to have fun with this assignment.
Resources
Websites:
http://www.kidskonnect.com/Kansas/KansasHome.html
http://www.gpnc.org/ornate.htm
http://www.gpnc.org/western.htm
http://www.gpnc.org/barred.htm
http://www.gpnc.org/bison.htm
http://www.gpnc.org/sunflower.htm
http://www.gpnc.org/honeybee.htm
http://www.gpnc.org/cottonwood.htm
http://www.governor.ks.gov/Facts/kansasseal.htm
http://www.50states.com/songs/kansas.htm
Assessment
Pre-test
Post-test
Student-made posters
Student presentations
Quiz over information picked by students