Creative Countries
BY KATIE SNODGRASS, FIFTH GRADE TEACHER, GILL HALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Seth Lieberum created
the Sethapaima, a
fish species native to
his invented country,
Sethmark.
T
he students in Mrs. Snodgrass’s 5th grade
class integrated their social studies and
writing skills with their imaginations to create a
new country.
Students were challenged to invent a country
that included a variety of geographic features.
From there, students imagined a new culture
that existed in their country, complete with
their own language and economic and political
system. Some students even created new plant
and animal species indigenous to their country.
No country is complete without a flag,
so students created one to accompany the
new nation, taking time to discuss how the
symbols represented different aspects of their
newly imagined land. All of this information
was combined into an essay and map and
presented to the class as part of a presentation.
Eddie Pazo (left)
and Naythan
Krutules (right)
create flags to
represent their
new nations.
West Jefferson Hills | Spring 2014 | icmags.com 47
W E ST JE FFE RSON HI L L S SC HOOL DI ST RIC T NE WS — GILL H ALL E LE M E N TA RY SC H OO L
SC H OO L
SC H OO L
Fifth Grade Creates
West Jefferson Hills
Ashley Renk, (left) and
Nathaniel McElhinny
(right), students in
Mrs. Snodgrass’s 5th
grade class, made a
map of their creative
countries.