WASHINGTON — The United States Mint has posted its new set of 50 State Quarters Program lesson plans for 2005.
Click here to download the plans for free from the United States Mint website. The plans feature the California, Minnesota, Kansas, Oregon and West Virginia commemorative quarter–dollar coins to be released this year.
The 50 State Quarters series of lesson plans has been used by thousands of teachers across the country since the popular initiative began in 1999.
“When coins are used to teach not only addition and subtraction, but also art, history, geography and financial literacy, they become keys to a broader world,” said United States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore. “Coins are a great teaching tool, and our lesson plans reinforce their educational value.”
The United States Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change™ website at www.usmint.gov/kids originally featured lesson plans that were designed for grades K through 6. The plans were recently expanded to include grades 7 through 12. The site also offers many other educational resources, such as Teacher Features (classroom activities designed to support games and other features on the site) and the Time Machine (animated, interactive trips to important events in American history).
Created and reviewed by teachers to meet national curricular standards, the United States Mint lesson plans draw upon the reverse designs of the 50 State Quarters coins to inspire students to learn about the culture, geography, and unique heritage of each state. Each set of lesson plans blends clear instructions with student–friendly reproducible worksheets, background information and answer keys to help make instruction easier for educators.
Also, watch the site for the new Westward Journey Nickel Series™ lesson plans as the coins are released during 2005. These plans will join the nickel lesson plans already available for the 2004 designs.
For more information, free educational resources, games, and lesson plans from previous years, visit www.usmint.gov/kids.