2004 Lesson Plans
Grades Kindergarten and 1
The Greatest Educational Change America Has Ever Seen

This teaching guide includes:
•	 6 teacher-friendly lesson plans that fit easily into your curriculum
•	. Reproducible student worksheets that coincide with each lesson
•	. Fun state facts and information on the new quarter designs
•	. USA map template with state outlines

The United States Mint Has Big Plans for You!

	Kids and coin collecting go hand in hand! By downloading the most recent sets of 50 State Quarters® Program lesson plans, you are able to bring the excitement of America’s quarter craze right into your own classroom.  
	Launched in 1999, the United States Mint 50 State Quarters Program is a 10-year coin initiative commemorating each of the nation’s states in the order that were admitted into the Union. Approximately every ten weeks (five times a year) through 2008, a new limited edition quarter that displays an individual state’s design is released into general circulation.
	As it has every year since the beginning of this program, the United States Mint is offering the public three free sets of lesson plans (for grades K–1, 2–3, and 4–6). This year, we have added two new sets of free plans (for grades 7–8 and 9–12). All are designed to bring life to the history and beauty of our country. Moreover, these plans, created and reviewed by teachers to meet your curricular goals, draw upon the specific designs of the commemorative quarter reverses to help inspire students to learn about the culture, geography, and unique heritage of each state.
	Each set of lesson plans blends clear instructions with kid-friendly reproducible worksheets, background information, and answer keys to help make instruction easier for you!
	Within the 2004 50 State Quarters Program lesson plans, you will also notice a strong connection to the United States Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change™ Web site. Appearing on the cover as well as within the plans themselves, the coin-loving H.I.P. Pocket Change Pals will show you ways to supplement the quarter activities with all of the fun and educational resources available on the site!
	The H.I.P. Pocket Change Web site, located at www.usmint.gov/kids, is dedicated to promoting lifelong pleasure in coins and coin collecting. Through games, informational features, and interactive animated cartoons, the site introduces students to what’s H.I.P. about coins—they’re “History In your Pocket.”
	The United States Mint is proud to be taking such an active role in promoting knowledge about the individual states, their history and geography, and the rich diversity of the national heritage among America’s youth. Take some time to explore all of the high quality educational resources available on the United States Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change Web site, including the materials related to the 50 State Quarters Program! We hope that you find these resources to be an extremely valuable addition to your classroom.

Visit us online at www.usmint.gov/kids

PORTIONS © 2004 U.S. MINT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Lesson plans and other related 50 State Quarters® Program materials are provided solely for teaching purposes.
They may not be commercially distributed or distributed as a premium.
The United States Mint does not endorse any individual provider of goods or services, including authors and publishers.  All text references are merely illustrative and should not be deemed to be recommendations of the United States Mint.

1: A Coin Out of Water (Michigan)
Connections
• Science
• Social Studies
• Language Arts
Groupings
• Whole group
• Individual work
Class Time
One 20- to 30-minute session

2: It’s Time to Rhyme (Florida)
Connections
• Language Arts
• Art
Groupings
• Whole group
• Individual work
Class Time
Two 20- to 30-minute sessions

3: Simple Symbols (Texas)
Connections
• Language Arts
• Mathematics
• Social Studies
• Art
Groupings
• Whole group
• Individual work
Class Time
Two or three20-to 30-minute sessions

4: The Value of Coins (Iowa)
Connections
• Social Studies
• Art
• Language Arts
Groupings
• Whole group
• Individual work
Class Time
Two 20- to 30-minute sessions

5: Goods for You! (Wisconsin)
Connections
• Social Studies
• Language Arts
Groupings
• Whole group
• Individual work
Class Time
One 20- to 30-minute session

6: Looks Aren’t Everything
Connections
• Science
• Mathematics
• Art
Groupings
• Whole group
• Small groups
• Individual work
Class Time
Two 20- to 30-minute sessions

State Information 2004 Quarters
Michigan
The Michigan quarter is the first of 2004, and the 26th in the 50 State Quarters® Program. Michigan became the 26th state
on January 26, 1837. The Michigan quarter depicts the outline of the state and the Great Lakes system. The quarter is
inscribed “Great Lakes State.”

As indicated by the state’s nickname, much of Michigan’s history is tied to the Great Lakes—Superior, Michigan, Huron,
Erie and Ontario—five of the world’s largest lakes. Together, they encompass more than 38,000 square miles and form the
largest body of fresh water in the world. Michigan borders four of these Lakes, all but Ontario—more than any other state. It should come as no surprise, then, that Michigan is the only place in the world with a floating post office: the J.W. Westcott II is the only boat in the world that delivers mail to ships while they are still underway, and has been operating for 125 years.

State Capital:	Lansing
State Bird:	Robin
State Tree:	White Pine
State Flower:	Apple Blossom
State Motto:	“If You See A Pleasant
	Peninsula, Look About You.”
Entered Union (rank):	January 26, 1837 (26)
Nickname(s):	The Wolverine State,
	The Great Lakes State
Origin of Name:	Based on Chippewa Indian word
	“meicigama” meaning “great water,” referring
	to the Great Lakes.
State Song:	Michigan, My Michigan

Florida
The Florida quarter is the second of 2004, and the 27th in the 50 State Quarters® Program. Florida became the 27th state to
be admitted into the Union on March 3, 1845. The design incorporates a 16th-century Spanish galleon, a space shuttle, and the inscription “Gateway to Discovery.” A strip of land with Sabal palm trees is also depicted.

On Easter in 1513, while searching for the legendary Fountain of Youth, Ponce de Leon named the region “Pascua Florida,” meaning “Flowery Easter.” In 1539, Hernando de Soto and other explorers continued the exploration of the New World through the region.

Near Orlando, Cape Canaveral (later renamed Cape Kennedy) has been the starting point for most of the modern era’s most significant scientific space expeditions, from Man’s first moon landing to the Voyager probe currently exploring deep space outside our solar system. From 16th-century Spanish galleons to 21st-century space exploration, Florida has played a continuing role in humanity’s quest for knowledge and discovery. With the highest average temperature of any state and the second longest shoreline, Florida is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations.

State Capital:	Tallahassee
State Bird:	Mockingbird
State Tree:	Sabal Palmetto
State Flower:	Orange Blossom
State Motto:	In God We Trust
Entered Union (rank):	March 3, 1845 (27)
Nickname(s):	Sunshine State
Origin of Name:	Named on Easter 1513 by
	Ponce de Leon for “Pascua de Florida”
	meaning “Flowery Easter”
State Song:	Swanee River

Texas
The Texas quarter is the third of 2004, and the 28th in the 50 State Quarters® Program. Texas became the 28th state to be admitted into the Union on December 29, 1845. The quarter, encircled by a rope-themed design, incorporates an outline of the state with a star superimposed inside the outline with the inscription “The Lone Star State.”

In 1519, Spanish explorer Alonso Alvarez de Pineda was the first European to visit Texas. Myths of the golden “Seven Cities of Cibola” brought many Spaniards from Mexico into Texas. Although these cites were never found, Spain made claims on and began settling the region now known as Texas. 

Over the next few years, the French began moving into the area as well. Though initially part of Mexico, settlers rebelled and declared their independence. At the Battle of San Jacinto on March 2, 1836, Texas triumphed. After nine years as a sovereign republic, Texas entered the Union.

The state’s nickname, the “Lone Star State,” refers to the state flag. It displays a single, five-point white star on a field of blue with an upper white horizontal stripe and a lower red horizontal stripe. Texas is the only state to have had the flags of six different nations fly over it: Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States, and the United States.

State Capital:	Austin
State Bird:	Mockingbird
State Tree:	Pecan
State Flower:	Bluebonnet
State Motto:	Friendship
Entered Union (rank):	December 29, 1845 (28)
Nickname:	Lonestar State
Origin of Name:	Based on a word used by
	Caddo Indians meaning “friends”
State Song:	Texas, Our Texas

Iowa
The Iowa quarter is the fourth of 2004 and the 29th in the 50 State Quarters® Program. Iowa became the 29th state to be admitted into the Union on December 28, 1846. The Iowa quarter design illustrates the state’s commitment to education and honors native Iowan Grant Wood. It is based on “Arbor Day,” one of Wood’s paintings. The design contains a depiction of a one-room schoolhouse and a teacher and students planting a tree, with Grant Wood’s name below. The quarter is inscribed “Foundation in Education.” 

Iowans have had a commitment to education since the state’s earliest days. When Iowa became a state in 1846, it already had a number of rural country schools in each of its counties. Iowa established its first high school in the 1850s though, generally, high schools did not become widespread until after 1900. Private and public colleges also quickly took root in the new state.

Though Iowa has long been a leader in agriculture, the state is unique in being the only one whose east and west borders are completely formed by rivers—the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.

State Capital:	Des Moines
State Bird:	Eastern Goldfinch
State Tree:	Oak
State Flower:	Wild Rose
State Motto:	“Our liberties we prize
	and our rights we will maintain”
Entered Union (rank):	December 28, 1846 (29)
Nickname:	Hawkeye State
Origin of Name:	From “Ioway,” the French word for
	the Bah-kho-je Indian tribe that lived in the area.
State Song:	The Song of Iowa

Wisconsin
The Wisconsin quarter is the fifth of 2004, and the 30th in the 50 State Quarters® Program. Wisconsin became the 30th state to be admitted into the Union on May 29, 1848. The Wisconsin design depicts an agricultural theme featuring the head of a cow, a round of cheese, and an ear of corn. The design also bears an inscription of the state motto, “Forward.” 

Wisconsin is the dairy capital of the world, ranking number one in the number of milk cows and the production of over 15 percent of the nation’s milk—more than any other state. Today, Wisconsin produces over 350 different varieties, types, and styles of award-winning cheeses. Approximately 17,000 dairy farms with just over 1 million cows that produce an average of 17,306 pounds of milk each, per year, continue the reputation for quality milk from Wisconsin.

The state is also a major corn-growing state, ranking 10th in the production of corn for grain, with 363 million bushels produced in 2000. State corn production contributed $690 million to the Wisconsin economy in 2000. Wisconsin is also a leading supplier of mint. In 2000, Wisconsin mint growers provided more than 477,000 pounds of mint oil, including 315,000 pounds of peppermint and 162,000 pounds of spearmint annually. One drum of mint oil will flavor 3.5 million sticks of gum.

Wisconsin adopted the state motto, “Forward,” in 1851, reflecting Wisconsin’s continuous drive to be a national leader.

State Capital:	Madison
State Bird:	Robin
State Tree:	Sugar Maple
State Flower:	Wood Violet
State Motto:	Forward
Entered Union (rank):	May 29, 1848 (30)
Nickname:	Badger State
Origin of Name:	Perhaps from an Algonquian
	word that means “long river” or a Chippewa/
	Ojibwa/Anishinabe word that means
	“grassy place,” or “gathering of the waters.”
State Song:	On, Wisconsin!

Reproducible Overhead Graphics
Image of blank map of the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii.

Four reproducible coins sheets, two for obverse and two for reverse, of all the quarters released through the end of 2004 on one pair of back-to-back sheets and a cent, nickel, dime, and eagle quarter on the other.

The United States Mint 50 State Quarters Program 

Release Year/State	Statehood Date
1999
Delaware	December 7, 1787
Pennsylvania	December 12, 1787
New Jersey	December 18, 1787
Georgia	January 2, 1788
Connecticut	January 9, 1788
2000
Massachusetts	February 6, 1788
Maryland	April 28, 1788
South Carolina	May 23, 1788
New Hampshire	June 21, 1788
Virginia	June 25, 1788
2001
New York	July 26, 1788
North Carolina	November 21, 1789
Rhode Island	May 29, 1790
Vermont	March 4, 1791
Kentucky	June 1, 1792
2002
Tennessee	June 1, 1796
Ohio	March 1, 1803
Louisiana	April 30, 1812
Indiana	December 11, 1816
Mississippi	December 10, 1817
2003
Illinois	December 3, 1818
Alabama	December 14, 1819
Maine	March 15, 1820
Missouri	August 10, 1821
Arkansas	June 15, 1836

2004
Michigan	January 26, 1837
Florida	March 3, 1845
Texas	December 29, 1845
Iowa	December 28, 1846
Wisconsin	May 29, 1848
2005
California	September 9, 1850
Minnesota	May 11, 1858
Oregon	February 14, 1859
Kansas	January 29, 1861
West Virginia	June 20, 1863
2006
Nevada	October 31, 1864
Nebraska	March 1, 1867
Colorado	August 1, 1876
North Dakota	November 2, 1889
South Dakota	November 2, 1889
2007
Montana	November 8, 1889
Washington	November 11, 1889
Idaho	July 3, 1890
Wyoming	July 10, 1890
Utah	January 4, 1896
2008
Oklahoma	November 16, 1907
New Mexico	January 6, 1912
Arizona	February 14, 1912
Alaska	January 3, 1959
Hawaii	August 21, 1959