The Scrambled States of America by Laurie Keller

Published by: Henry Holt and Company, LLC


This whimsical story begins with Uncle Tom introducing us to the characters, the Fifty States of America. Readers will be engaged by the interesting, silly, dilemma faced by the states, as well as Keller's depiction of the states as individual characters. The states are bored with their current location and decide to change places and are faced with the consequences of this action.

Suggested Delivery: Read-Aloud

Reading Index: Lexile: 510L

Vocabulary: Position, moaned, bicker, shrieked, wacky, accordion, committee, giddy,  arrangement, interaction, jabbing. 

Vocabulary Activity: Students can complete a vocabulary self awareness chart prior to listening to the read-aloud. For the words they are unfamiliar with, they will look up the meaning (dictionary) and write this meaning down for reference when reading and to become familiar prior to reading.

Teaching Strategies: 

Pre-Reading: Discuss with the students the fifty states and what they already know about them, referring to a map. Model and provide the students with a map filled out correctly and labeled correctly. Provide the students with a map of the United States and have them label this map with the names of the states. 

During Reading: Have the students discuss the feelings of the states. Why did they want to move? What were some of the reasons for why the states wanted to move? Have them provide examples.

After Reading/Writing: Have the students take the place of one of the states in the book. Have them write from the perspective of this state: before they moved and after they moved. How did they feel? Why did they not want to stay? 

Web Resources: 

Activities for the book: http://www.lauriekeller.com/schoolstuff_scrambled.html

The Scrambled States of America Game: http://www.gamewright.com/gamewright/index.php?section=games&page=game&show=93

Movie via Netflix: http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/The-Scrambled-States-of-America/60034656

Author Website: http://www.lauriekeller.com/

Keller, L. (1998). The scrambled states of America. New York: Henry Holt.