MICHIGAN UNIT STUDY
Compiled by Kathi Rodgers





This study is web-based, which means that all the information you'll study is online. There are 12 sections, which can be done one per day, or you can combine some of the shorter ones. Each consists of a location, working geographically around the state (more or less), and information about that location. You are welcome to visit any or all of the links provided. Because each family contains children of different ages, I've tried to put together resources that would appeal to a variety of interests, so you are welcome to skip the ones that don't look appealing to you. Also you are encouraged to follow any rabbit trails that you might happen upon along the way -- you know how it is when you begin surfing the internet, and find something that looks interesting which leads to another link that looks interesting... and on and on. Also, we all know the nature of the internet: links that are fine for families to view today might be gone tomorrow, or replaced with something of lesser moral value. Please do be cautious.

Included are copywork resources, geographic information, math ideas, maps and so on, as well as some activities and crafts that can be done offline, and some things that are just plain fun. It's up to you what you do with this information. You might just want to read it aloud and look at the pictures. That's fine. (By the way, some of the locations have live web cams. It works better if you visit these during the day, rather than after dark, for obvious reasons!)

You might want your child to begin a weather chart, with the current weather of each place you visit, and/or a listing of the high and low temperatures. "Journal entries" can be fun too; you can type them for a younger child, or do them together as a family. If you keep a school log, you can print out your journal entries and include them in your record book or bind them into a folder. It's fun to re-read them later.

I realize that if you don't have access to a printer, you won't be able to print out the coloring pages and some of the activities that are suggested, but you can probably think of some alternate activities that don't require a printer.

This unit study is written as though we are "traveling" through the state of Michigan. Put on your "imagination cap" (it's like a thinking cap, only better), and join in! Since it's web-based, broken links are a big concern to me. Please email me if you run across any problems.

Resources and background information:

I've found a couple very nice picture books that you might want to look for at the library, or order through interlibrary loan, if you think they might be fun for your family.

M Is for Mitten: A Michigan Alphabet, (Discover America State by State Alphabet Series) by Annie Appleford, Michael Monroe (Illustrator), Kathy-Jo Wargin

The Michigan Counting Book, by Kathy-Jo Wargin, Michael Glenn Monroe

The Michigan Reader, again by Kathy-Jo Wargin, for older children

Here's a Crayola coloring page to print out. We've used the coloring pages from this site as title pages for our state notebook. It's a nice way to begin a study of any state.

Here are some general resources that you can keep handy during the study:

Michigan facts and trivia

The geography of Michigan

Map of Michigan's physical features

Annual rainfall map



Contents:

Detroit
Port Austin
Wildflowers
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Bridge and Copper Harbor
Soo Locks
Oden Fish Hatchery
West Coast
Battle Creek and Breakfast Cereal
Lansing
Lower Michigan
Frankenmuth
Wrap-Up
Going Deeper


Detroit

We'll begin our tour of Michigan in Detroit. Perhaps you'll want to pretend that you traveled here by airplane and landed at Detroit Metro Airport. You can take a virtual tour of the airport if you like.

Here's the weather in Detroit today. You can write down the high and low temperatures and/or the current weather conditions on your weather chart.

Take a look at the Detroit skyline. (Click on the webcam link at the top left of the page. It will be a pop-up box.)

You might be amazed to find out how close you are to Canada right now. Look at a map to see what I mean. You could take either the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel or the Ambassador Bridge to get to Windsor, Ontario, in just a few minutes. Here's an aerial view of the bridge.

Detroit is famous for cars, right? Let's learn about Michigan's automobile history. The Factory Gallery's pages also have quotes you can use for copywork, and images that would work well for timelines.

Early roads in Michigan were often made of wood. You can learn about these roads here.

Build a model plank road.

A poem about plank roads, for copywork.

Traveling in Michigan in "the old days" was a great adventure. There's a fun activity in the article that you might want to do.

This year, Ford celebrates 100 years of manufacturing history. The horseless carriage has come a long way, hasn't it?

Read a brief biography of Henry Ford.

Here are some 1950's cars to color.

Send a free ecard to those you've left behind!

When you're ready, we'll leave for our next destination, Port Austin.



Port Austin

When you meet someone from Michigan, it's fun to hold up your right hand with your fingers together like a mitten, palm facing the person you're talking to, and ask them to show you where they're from. One of Michigan's nicknames is "The Mitten," and residents point to a spot on their hands to show others what part of Michigan they call home.

Our next stop, Port Austin, is at the very tip of Michigan's "Thumb". Here the sun both rises and sets on the water and the shoreline has uniquely formed rocks which add to the picturesque views. We'll stop here for a picnic lunch, at Lighthouse County Park.

Now to the harbor town. Let's look at a map to see where Port Austin is located. Let's learn about here.

Here is today's weather. Add it to your weather chart.

If you'd like, you can take a fishing charter out on Lake Huron. You might try this charter company. You'll also find links to lake weather, which fish are biting, and other interesting tidbits, if you have time to explore.



Wildflowers

We'll continue on now to our next stop, but on the way, let's notice the wildflowers at the side of the road. Aren't they pretty? There is a constant succession of wildflowers blooming in Michigan from spring to fall. You can look them up here OR here.

If you'd like, you can color pictures of them. You'll need to know the "proper name" of the plant to find it in the coloring book, so be sure to make a note of it at the other sites.

If you find the first two too overwhelming, you can use this smaller guide to wildflowers of disturbed areas.

At this page you'll find a poem you can use for copywork.



Mackinac Island

Today we will enjoy the beauty of Michigan's Mackinac Island, between the upper and lower peninsulas in Lake Huron. (By the way, Mackinac is pronounced "Mackinaw". Also, you'll notice that Michiganders refer to the upper peninsula simply as the "U.P.")

Here is some information to get you started.

Motor driven vehicles of any kind are not allowed on the island. Instead, we'll take a ferry across to the island. In just 16 minutes we'll zip across the Straits of Mackinac, at the same time being transported back in time to a quieter, more peaceful time. (There's a nice picture of the ferry here. You can add up the ticket cost for your family; there is a printable coupon if you click the "online coupon" link at the bottom of the page; subtract this from your ticket cost.

Maps of Mackinac Island can be found here:
Map of Michigan including the Island
Full color map of the Island

Now that we're here, let's check into our hotel. You can choose between:

The Island House, originally built in 1852. This was the first summer hotel on Mackinac Island.

The Grand Hotel has the world's longest front porch. Here's another link. The Grand Hotel has been featured in several films. Do be aware that there is a dress code after 6:00 PM. You can click on the Dining link for more information.

Use the links at the bottom of this page to learn about Mackinac's famous fudge. You can tour Ryba's Fudge Shop and learn about fudge here. You might want to make fudge at home. You can find several supposedly "foolproof" recipes here.

Would you prefer to ride a bicycle along the eight-mile island trail, or take a horsedrawn carriage ride around town? Please cross streets carefully, and be aware of horses, bikes and people stepping off of carriages.

You can visit the Wings of Mackinac Butterfly Conservatory.

Our next stop today is Historic Fort Mackinac. In which war was this fort used, and by which country?

Mackinac Island is the home of the Lilac Festival. Aren't the flowers are beautiful? And they smell lovely! The oldest lilacs on American soil are found on Mackinac Island.

Here is a poem by Walt Whitman that mentions lilacs, which you can use as copywork. (The poem is quite long. You might want to use the third verse only.)

This site will give you some history of the island, as well as links to lighthouses.

Here's an island webcam.

Up-to-the-minute weather for your weather chart.

Photo gallery

Have a great stay on Mackinac!



Mackinac Bridge and Copper Harbor

Today we'll drive across the Mackinac Bridge and up to Copper Harbor at the very top of the Upper Peninsula.

"Mighty Mac" is the third longest suspension bridge in the world. The idea of a bridge to connect the upper and lower parts of Michigan was born in 1884; the bridge was opened to traffic in 1957. Take a look.

Here we can see the bridge from land, sea and air.

Learn how the bridge was built.

Check the bridge conditions here, and see how much it will cost to cross the bridge

Some nice pictures of the bridge.

Some interesting facts and figures about the Mackinac Bridge.

More about its history.

Next we'll travel across the U.P. to the northernmost part of Michigan, Copper Harbor.

Here's a live cam. What is Copper Harbor famous for?

An aerial view of the Copper Harbor lighthouse.

Check the weather, and add it to your weather chart.

Maps of Copper Harbor

What would you like to do? We can go birding, biking, berry picking and bear watching!

Let's tour Fort Wilkins and Copper Harbor Lighthouse.

Map of Fort Wilkins

History of the Copper Harbor lighthouse.

We'll stay in Copper Harbor for the night. If we're lucky, we might see the Northern Lights.



Soo Locks

Today we'll visit Soo Locks, near Saulte St Marie, still in the Upper Peninsula. (Saulte is pronounced "Soo".)

Watching the huge 1,000-foot freighters used on the Great Lakes pass through the Soo Locks is a unique experience that cannot be seen anywhere else in the United States. What are Lakers and Salties? Look here and here.

Web cam of the Soo Locks.

How and why were the Locks built?

How do the Locks work?

Aerial view of the Soo Locks.

Map of the Soo area.

Today's weather in Saulte St. Marie. You can add it to your weather chart.



Oden Fish Hatchery

Today's destination is the Oden fish hatchery, near the city of Petoskey, which is famous as a winter sports area. First we'll visit with a fish hatchery technician. This will be fun!

Learn about rainbow trout, and also here.

Let's learn about brown trout too.

If you're really interested in fish, you can learn about fish anatomy here, and check the glossary for copywork or vocabulary words.

Here's a fish chart to color, and a trout coloring page.

We can send a postcard from the hatchery to friends and family back home.

Here's more fish information and a quiz for kids. Find out how fish swim.

Here's today's weather in Petoskey.



West Coast

Today we'll drive down the west coast of Michigan. We'll see some beautiful lighthouses along the way. You might want to learn about lighthouses:

Information and history; but it's all text, no pictures.
Photos of the Great Lakes lighthouses.
How do lighthouses work?
A fun activity to print.

We'll stop in Grand Haven for the rest of the day and explore the town.

Here is today's weather. Enter it in your weather journal.

I hope it's nice enough to go to the beach! Here are today's beach water temperatures.

What is unique about the sand here in Grand Haven?

We have a great view of Lake Michigan from here, don't we? Can you see the lighthouse at the end of the South Pier? We can walk out to the lighthouse from here. Here is an aerial view of the Grand Haven lighthouse.

Flying kites on the beach is a popular pastime here. Let's watch Brian go power-kiting. Learn about kites here. Here's a really simple kite to make.

Grand Haven is the home of the world's largest musical fountain -- well, it was the world's largest until just recently. Created in 1962, the popular summertime attraction is a synchronized light and music show located across the Grand River Channel in downtown Grand Haven. Performances begin at dusk during the spring and summer months, and I know you'll want to be there.



Battle Creek and Breakfast Cereal

Breakfast cereal had its beginnings in Battle Creek, Michigan, when Will Keith Kellogg accidentally made Corn Flakes. Actually, his brother, CW Kellogg, marketed the mistake and made it the giant corporation it is today. But who actually sold the first cereal, Kellogg's or Post? You be the judge.

Visit Kellogg's Cereal City.

Learn the history of cereal.

Michigan's cereal story. (Note: The first section is on the invention of breakfast cereal, but further down it includes paragraphs about tobacco and beer. I chose this site anyway, as it was one of the least objectionable that I could find; just don't scroll down too far. If you choose to investigate the origin of breakfast cereal further, please be careful to preview sites you find without your children present. I wanted to include much more on the subject, but most of the sites I came across were questionable, even those that looked "safe". Who'd have thought you'd have to be careful while learning about cereal?)

Let's make a graph of everyone's favorite breakfast cereal. Ask your family members which cereal is their favorite; you can ask your friends and neighbors too. Use the data you gather to make a graph. Here's today's weather in Battle Creek for your weather journal.



Lansing

Our next stop is Michigan's state capital, Lansing. Here is Lansing's current weather to add to your weather chart.

First let's tour the state capital.

Here are Michigan's state symbols. Michigan's state song is here. You might want to print out the form at about.com and fill it in as you travel today's links.

Lansing summer Sculpture in the Streets. Let's see what we can spot as we walk downtown.

Word Puzzles about Michigan to print. Click on "Puzzle Book".

MI's state motto would make good copywork:

"Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice"
"If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you."

Lansing is the home of the Lansing Lugnuts, the minor league baseball team for the Chicago Cubs.



Lower Michigan

Today we'll wander around the southern part of Michigan, which is where I live. Cindy, my neighbor, asked "what are we going to visit around here?" ~smile~ Admittedly, there aren't a lot of exciting spots in this area. There are flat fields of corn and soybeans dotted by farmhouses and time-ravaged barns. There are small towns and smaller towns, lakes hidden like secret jewels, more farms, and cows.

We'll travel south on Hwy 127, east on Hwy 34 and 223, and finally north on Hwy 23. Here are some sights you're likely to see.


The landscape of lower Michigan is often flat, with fields of corn or soybeans (rotated each year), sometimes wheat or pumpkins, and wooded sections.



As we drive through the area, we'll talk about some local history.

Have you ever heard of the Toledo War? The clash between Ohioans and Michiganians took place in 1835. In your opinion, who won? Here is a more detailed but interesting site, with maps and photos.

South of where we are traveling, the land used to be a huge swamp. Although this area wasn't officially part of the Great Black Swamp, which was just over the border in Ohio, when the Northwest Territory was settled the land was swamp, plain and simple. It makes you wonder why Ohio and Michigan argued over it?

I live in that disputed Toledo Corridor, and in the remnants of the swamp, with abundant mosquitoes to prove it. Our area is criss-crossed by a vast network of drains and ditches and each county has its own Drain Commission. The water table is high, and basements flood (including mine). But now that the swamp has been drained, the remaining land is some of the most fertile in the country.

If you'd like to read about the Great Black Swamp, you can do so here. Although this site is written about a town in Ohio, not far from the Michigan border, it does a great job of telling the story of the Swamp.

Tecumseh, Shawnee warrior and one of the most well-known of all Native American leaders, lived in the Northwest Territories, including the southern part of Michigan. Tecumseh tried, in a prolonged process of diplomacy, to unite the Indian tribes into a grand confederacy. Here is a biography of Tecumseh.

Copywork possibilities

Another biography and links to Tecumseh's speeches, which could be used for copywork.

Before being settled by whites, the site of the town of Tecumseh, Michigan, was an Indian meeting place at the intersection of the LaPlaisance Bay Trail and the Great Sauk Trail. This intersection was a remarkable spot with high, circular earthworks and enclosed by a majestic thicket of trees. Musgrove Evans, who settled the town, named it for the noble Shawnee Indian chief who had died only a dozen years before in the War of 1812.

Here's today's weather in Tecumseh, MI.

Now let's learn about Michigan agriculture...
Southern Michigan has many dairies, both small family-owned farms and large "mega dairies" which are usually owned by Dutch corporations. Let's visit with Rachel at her family's dairy farm.

Here's a fun place to learn about milk and dairies.

Michigan farms

Farm math ... a fun way to practice your skills.

As well as corn and soybeans, Michigan is also famous for apples. This site is a treasure-trove of Michigan apple information, puzzles and more.

Apple crafts, snacks, songs

Coloring page for younger children

Coloring page older children might enjoy. (Enchanted Learning has several pages you can print and color based on famous artists' works. This one is by Rene Magritte.)

Now we'll head back up north via Hwy 23. As we pass through Dundee, let's stop for a bit at the Cabela's store. Our family usually goes here once a year; we call it our "natural history museum field trip." We'll eat dinner at the Tamarack Cache. What will you choose to eat: smoked buffalo, ostrich, or other wild game? Or will you play it safe with a cheeseburger? Be sure to check out the Michigan lake maps on every tabletop.



Frankenmuth

Now we'll travel through Frankenmuth, Michigan's "Little Bavaria". Frankenmuth is approximately where your thumb meets the rest of your hand; you can find it on this map. (I know it looks like the red star says "Lansing", but the red star depicts Frankenmuth; Lansing is the capital, marked by the black star.) Let's take a tour of Frankenmuth. Here's a photo showing the Bavarian influence on the town.

What's the weather today? Write it down in your weather journal.

No visit to Frankenmuth would be complete without stopping at Bronner's, the world's largest Christmas store. Each year, Bronner's welcomes more than two million visitors from around the world. Welcome signs greet visitors in over 75 languages.

Bronner's offers over 50,000 gifts and trims from around the world. Thousands of twinkling lights, shimmering ornaments and sparkling Christmas trees create this spectacular Christmas wonderland, which is the size of 5.5 football fields. Bronner's features a fantastic selection of ornaments, trees, lights, Nativities and collectibles. Year-round each evening, Bronner's half-mile Christmas Lane is aglow with over 100,000 twinkling lights and hundreds of decorations. It's a Christmas wonderland all year long.

While we're here, we'll see Bronner's replica of the Silent Night Memorial Chapel. Perhaps you would like to copy the words to Silent Night as copywork? They are at the bottom of the page -- you can also find an alternate translation and hear the hymn here.

No trip to Frankenmuth would be complete without a meal at Zehnder's. Let's have the fried chicken, shall we?

Frankenmuth is also the home to the annual Bavarian Festival.

Frankenmuth is only 90 miles north of Detroit, and that's where we're headed next: back to Detroit Metro Airport, where we'll catch a plane or retrieve our cars for our trip back home. I hope you had a great time visiting Michigan, and that you've learned a great deal about this great state.



Wrap Up

Here is a quiz to wrap up your unit study.

Print out a certificate of achievement. (If the link doesn't work, go here and click on the "end of the year certificate". It's customizable; ie, it doesn't say "end of the year", but I don't know how long it will be on the Scholastic site.)

Comments? Did you find broken links? Please let me know by signing my guestbook below.



Going Deeper

This site lists books with settings in the state of Michigan, if you'd like to read further. Read Across America States Books

Kids' stuff - links to activities relating to Michigaan's past, and teacher's stuff.

A state unit on Michigan, with some good supplementary ideas.

State web games

Michigan unit study from about.com



Lighthouses:

A marvelous web site developed by 5th grade teacher and lighthouse expert Elinor DeWire.

How Does It Work? -- Lighthouses

Lighthouse songs and poems

Lighthouse Project - Includes lesson plans, gallery, quiz, and more.

Lights Along the Shore - Lesson plans

Teacher's Guide for a unit on lighthouses.

Teacher Resource Guide - For teaching and learning about lighthouses. (Be sure to read the Note* at the top of the page for instructions on printing.)




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