Grades 3–5
Mountains and Rivers of the U.S.
Read 6 facts about the Rocky and Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi, Missouri, Colorado and Rio Grande rivers, then answer 6 questions.
Social studies worksheet · U.S. states and capitals
The Great Lakes
Read 5 facts about the Great Lakes (HOMES, Lake Superior, the only all-American lake, the 8 lake states and Niagara Falls) and answer 6 questions.
- Grade level
- Grades 3–5
- Time
- About 20 minutes
- Answer key
- Yes, page 2 of the PDF
- Kids practice
- U.S. states and capitals, Regions, Map reading
What kids do
“Read the facts about the five Great Lakes, then answer the questions.”
Printed on the sheet:
- The five Great Lakes are Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior. The word HOMES helps you remember them.
- Lake Superior is the biggest. No freshwater lake in the world covers more area.
- Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake that is all inside the United States. The other four are shared with Canada.
- 8 states touch the Great Lakes: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio,
- Pennsylvania and New York.
- Niagara Falls is on the river that flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.
- 1. Which Great Lake is the biggest?
- 2. Which Great Lake is all inside the
Teacher tip
Teach HOMES to remember the five lakes.
How to use it
- Find your own state on a U.S. map before the sheet.
- Learn a few states at a time instead of all fifty.
- Read the sheet aloud for early readers and let them answer with drawings.
Watch for
Kids who mix up capitals and big cities. Point out tricky ones like New York and Albany.
Talk about it
- Why do you think capitals are not always the biggest city?
- How does this connect to where we live?
Take it further
Play a state guessing game with shape cards.
US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.
More u.s. states and capitals worksheets
Grades 3–5
National Parks: Which State?
Match 8 national parks, from Yellowstone (the first one, in 1872) and Yosemite to the Everglades, Acadia and Denali, to their states.
Grades 3–5
Plan a Road Trip
Kids plan a road trip through 4 neighboring states: draw the route on a labeled U.S. map and list each state’s capital and something to see there.
Grades 3–5
State Capitals Word Search
A 12 by 12 word search of 12 state capitals, from Austin and Boston to Juneau and Boise, then name the state for each one.
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