Counties of Maryland

SOCIAL STUDIES PROJECT FOR 4TH GRADE TAG

Dear Parents,

Today your child was given a long-term Social Studies project to enhance our study of Maryland history, civics, economy, and geography. This project consists of three parts and is due on Monday, October 1. We encourage the students to start on the project right away and do the assignment in small pieces so it will not be overwhelming.

Each student will be researching an individual Maryland county. Your child’s research county is __________________________________.

Although we will be learning about Maryland’s history, civics, economy, and geography throughout the year, this research project is to be completed at home. The three parts of the project are described below:

(1) Complete the packet provided by the teacher in a neat and attractive way. Feel free to add other pages about your Maryland county if you wish. Put the completed packet in an attractive cover designed by the student (i.e. - folder, binder, construction paper, etc.).

(2) Make a poster about the features of your county. Include the name of your county and pictures of any landmarks or physical features people might want to visit. Include pictures such of the county flag, seal, and map. You might also want to include pictures of famous people who came from your county.

(3) Prepare a 5-minute presentation about your county to give to the class. Please do not read word-for-word from your packet. However, you may refer to the packet and show your illustrations to the class. (Hint: you may want to use notes or index cards to help you prepare your speech).

We hope this project will be rewarding and instructional for each student. Thank you for your assistance in our study of the great state of Maryland!

Mrs. Gould

Mr. Etheredge

TAG Social Studies

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I understand that my child ____________________ has been assigned a long-term social studies project on the state of Maryland that consists of a packet, a poster, and on oral report. This project is due on Monday, Oct. 1.

PARENT SIGNATURE:_____________________________

The project has 9 components that each cover an area of social studies relating to our state of Maryland and it's counties:

1) the county's Geography; 2) the county's Economy; 3) the county's Government; 4) the county's Seal; 5) the county's Map; 6) the county's Flag; 7) the county's Communities and Towns; 8) the county's Recreation and Tourism; 9) the county's Notable People.

Below are laid out the 9 components of the project, each covering an aspect of social studies:

GEOGRAPHY OF _________________________ COUNTY

Location: Where is your county located in the state of Maryland? (Use cardinal directions such as north, south, east, and west). Which other counties border your county?

Size: How big is your county? What is the total number of square miles of your county? How many of those miles are land? How many miles are water?

Square miles of land:_________________

Square miles of water: _________________

Total square miles: __________________

Landforms and Waterways: What landforms (valleys, plains, mountains, hills, plateaus, marshes, etc.) can be found in your county? What waterways (lakes, rivers, bays, canals, oceans, etc.) can be found in your county?

Landforms:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Waterways:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ECONOMY OF ______________________ COUNTY

What kind of jobs do people do in your county? Where do most of the people who live there work? Fill in the following charts with information about the top 10 private-sector employers and public-sector employers for your county:

TOP 10 PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYERS

10.

TOP 10 PUBLIC-SECTOR EMPLOYERS

10.

GOVERNMENT OF _____________________ COUNTY

DIRECTIONS: Complete the following chart with information about your county’s government:

County Seat: __________________________________

County Executive:_______________________________

County Council Chair: ___________________________

County Sheriff: _________________________________

County Fire Chief: _______________________________

County School Chief Executive Officer/Superintendent: ________________________________________________

State’s Attorney: _________________________________

SEAL OF _________________________________ COUNTY

Each county has its own official county seal, which represents that county on all official county government buildings, documents, vehicles, flags, and other items. What does your county’s seal look like? Draw or cut and paste a picture of your county’s official seal in the space below:

MAP OF ___________________________ COUNTY

What does a map of your county look like? Draw or copy, cut, and paste a map of your county in the space below. Be sure to include a compass rose, a key, and a title with your map.

FLAG OF __________________________ COUNTY

Each county has its own official flag, which is flown at all official county government ceremonies and in all county buildings. What does your county’s flag look like? Draw or copy, cut, and paste a picture of your county’s flag in the space below:

COMMUNITIES AND CITIES OF ______________________ COUNTY

Counties are made of cities and towns. Complete the charts below by filling in the names of the cities and towns in your county:

CITIES OF THIS COUNTY

TOWNS OF THIS COUNTY

RECREATION AND TOURISM IN ___________________________ COUNTY

What are some of the attractions people like to see and visit in your county? Describe three different places of interest people might want to visit if they came to vacation in your county. Be sure to use precise details so that the reader can imagine an exciting adventure in this place.

ATTRACTION #1:

ATTRACTION #2:

ATTRACTION #3:

NOTABLE PEOPLE OF ____________________ COUNTY

Many notable people were born or lived in the state of Maryland. Name some of the notable people who came from your county on the lines below. Then tell what they did to achieve this accomplishment:

FAMOUS PERSON

ACCOMPLISHMENT

Now choose one person that you admire the most from your county. Write a paragraph about that person’s life explaining what they did and why you think they made a great contribution to your county and to the state of Maryland.

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