Florida SS.5.G.1.6
The Standard
Locate and identify states, capitals, and United States Territories on a map.
Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students locate all 50 states on a map and name each state capital. They also locate and identify U.S. territories, including those shown in map insets.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students accurately label states, capitals, and territories on blank or numbered maps. They use map position, borders, coastlines, and nearby places rather than relying only on alphabetical lists.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may name a state’s largest city instead of its capital or confuse Washington state with Washington, D.C. They may treat territories as states or overlook Alaska, Hawaii, and places shown in map insets.
How to Assess It
- Give students a map with five numbered states and three numbered territories. Ask them to name each place and write the capital for each state.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Have pairs assemble a cutout U.S. map, then place labeled capital cards and territory cards in the correct locations.
Ask students to explain why a state capital may not be the state’s largest city, using one named example.
Play map relay with teams drawing state, capital, or territory cards and pointing to each location on a wall map.
Plan a mock weather report that names three states, their capitals, and one territory in different U.S. regions.
Keep exploring
Related Standards
- SS.7.G.1.1
Locate the fifty states and their capital cities in addition to the nation's capital on a map.
- SS.7.G.1.2
Locate on a world map the territories and protectorates of the United States of America.
- SS.5.G.1.3
Identify major United States physical features on a map of North America.
- SS.2.G.1.2
Using maps and globes, locate the student’s hometown, Florida, North America, and both the state and national capitals.
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