Indiana Social Studies 5.G.2

Social Studies5th GradeGeography

The Standard

Use maps and globes to locate states, capitals, major cities, major rivers, the Great Lakes, and mountain ranges in the United States.

2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students use maps and globes to find U.S. states, capitals, and major cities. They also locate major rivers, the Great Lakes, and mountain ranges.
What Mastery Looks Like: On a blank U.S. map, students can label places in the right locations. They can match capitals to states and use a map key to check rivers, lakes, and mountains.
Common Misconceptions: Students may name a state's largest city as its capital, such as New York City instead of Albany. They may mix up Lake Michigan and Lake Superior or place the Rocky Mountains on the East Coast.
How to Assess It: On a blank U.S. map, label Colorado, its capital Denver, Chicago, the Mississippi River, Lake Michigan, and the Rocky Mountains.

Lesson moves

Using an atlas, pairs place sticky labels on a wall map for four states, their capitals, two rivers, two lakes, and two mountain ranges.
Have students write two sentences comparing what a physical map and a political map show about Colorado and the Rocky Mountains.
Call out place names while students point to each location on a blank map; award a point for each accurate find.
Give students a road map for a Denver-to-Chicago trip; have them find Colorado, Illinois, Lake Michigan, and the Mississippi River.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 5.G.2, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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