New Mexico

Ages 5–11 · 17 minutes · Geography

Enchiladas are served!

New Mexico is the top chili producer in the world! From speedy roadrunners to mysterious caves, this state is HOT on our list!

No prior knowledge needed.

Part of

The 50 States

Standards alignment

Common Core State Standards

D2.Geo.6.K-2 — Individually and with others, students… Identify some cultural and environmental characteristics of specific places.
D2.Geo.3.3-5 — Individually and with others, students… Use maps of different scales to describe the locations of cultural and environmental characteristics.
D2.Geo.3.K-2 — Individually and with others, students… Use maps, globes, and other simple geographic models to identify cultural and environmental characteristics of places.
D2.Geo.2.3-5 — Individually and with others, students… Use maps, satellite images, photographs, and other representations to explain relationships between the locations of places and regions and their environmental characteristics.

Alabama

SS10.5.13.2 — Locating on a map states, capitals, and important geographic features west of the Mississippi River

Alaska

1 — know that places have distinctive geographic characteristics;
1 — use maps and globes to locate places and regions;
7 — understand that a region is a distinct area defined by one or more cultural or physical features; and
SL.K.4 — Describe familiar people, places, things, and events, and with prompting and support, provide additional related details.

Arizona

2.G1.1 — Use and construct maps, graphs, and other geographic representations of familiar and unfamiliar places in the world; and locate physical and human features. • Key physical features include but are not limited to seven continents, oceans, lakes, rivers, mountain ranges, coasts, seas, and deserts • Key human features include but are not limited to equator, hemispheres, North and South Pole, cities, states, countries, regions, and landmarks
2.G1.2 — Use maps, globes, and other simple geographic models to identify and explain cultural and environmental characteristics of places in the world based on stories shared. Arizona History and Social Science Standards modified 8/23/19 Page 19
5.G1.1 — Use and construct maps and graphs to represent changes in the United States. • Key concepts include but are not limited to physical and human features of the United States, the regions of the United States and their characteristics, geographic location of major events, the growth of the United States through territorial expansion, demographic changes, and the states and their capitals

Arkansas

G.1.1.2 — Describe the physical and human characteristics of a place including roads, buildings, and borders using maps, globes, and photographs.
G.1.3.5 — Investigate the cultural characteristics of various places and regions from around the world.
G.1.K.2 — Identify and describe the physical characteristics of a place such as rivers, mountains, and forests using maps, globes, and photographs.
C.1.1.4 — Describe state and national symbols and patriotic songs: • American flag • Flag etiquette • Star Spangled Banner • Recitation of Pledge of Allegiance • “Arkansas” by Eva Ware Barnett • White-Tailed Deer • Milk • Square Dance • Diamond

Colorado

RWC20-GR.K-S.1-GLE.2-EO.a — Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
SS.1.2.1 — Use geographic terms and tools to describe places and spaces.
SS.2.2.1 — Use geographic terms and tools to locate and describe spatial patterns and places.
SC.K.3.2.a — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.
SS.3.2.1 — Use geographic tools to develop spatial thinking skills.

Connecticut

GEO 2.6 — Identify cultural and environmental characteristics of a place/region.
GEO 2.3 — Use geographic representations to identify cultural and environmental characteristics of place.
GEO 3.3 — Use maps of different scales to describe the locations of cultural and environmental characteristics.
GEO 1.4 — Explain how weather, climate, and other environmental characteristics affect people’s lives in places or regions.

Delaware

K-3a — Students will use the concepts of place and region to explain simple patterns of connections between and among places across the country and the world. Grade 3
G.1.K-3a — Students will understand the nature and uses of maps, globes, and other geo-graphics. Grade K and Grade 3
G.2.K-3a — Students will distinguish different types of climate and landforms and explain why they occur. Grade 2
H.4.K-3b — Students will develop an awareness of major events and people in United States and Delaware history. • Who lives here and how did they get here? (immigrants, demographics, ethnic and religious groups) • Important people in our past • Different kinds of communities in Delaware and the United States
G.1.4-5a — Students will demonstrate development of mental maps of Delaware and of the United States which include the relative location and characteristics of major physical features, political divisions, and human settlements. Grade 4

Florida

SS.3.G.2.5 — Identify natural and man-made landmarks in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
SS.3.G.3.1 — Describe the climate and vegetation in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
SS.3.G.2.2 — Identify the five regions of the United States.
SS.5.G.1.6 — Locate and identify states, capitals, and United States Territories on a map.
SS.3.G.2.4 — Describe the physical features of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Hawaii

SS.1.2.14.3 — Investigate cultural and environmental characteristics of your community
SS.2.3.13.4 — Describe major geographic features of places using maps, photos, and other geographic representations
2.L.5a — Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy).
SS.3.3.13.1 — Analyze how geographical features affect human life in local communities and those around the world

Idaho

5.SS.2.1.4 — Name and locate the 50 States and their Capitals, and U.S. Territories.
3.SS.2.1.3 — Locate on a map waterways, landforms, cities, states, and national boundaries, using standard map symbols.

Illinois

SS.2.G.1 — With guidance and support, use print and digital maps, globes and other simple geographic models to identify cultural and environmental characteristics of places.
SS.3.G.1 — Use print and digital maps, globes, and other simple geographic models to identify topographic and other graphic representations of both familiar and unfamiliar locations.
SS.1.G.1 — With guidance and support, construct and interpret print and digital maps and other cultural representations of familiar places.

Indiana

5.G.2 — Use maps and globes to locate states, capitals, major cities, major rivers, the Great Lakes, and mountain ranges in the United States. (E)
5.G.4 — Use maps to describe the characteristics of climate regions of the United States.

Iowa

SL.K.4 — Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
SS.K.14. — Compare environmental characteristics in Iowa with other places.

Kansas

Benchmark 4.5.1 — The student will recognize and evaluate dynamic relationships that impact lives in communities, states, and nations.
Standard 4.5 — Relationships among people, places, ideas, and environments are dynamic.
Benchmark 3.3.1 — The student will recognize and evaluate how societies are shaped by the identities, beliefs, and practices of individuals and groups.

Kentucky

2.G.GR.1 — Examine geographic features of places in North America, using a variety of geographic data, including maps, photos and other geographic tools.
2.I.UE.4 — Construct responses to compelling and supporting questions, using reasoning, examples and details, about the diversity of communities in North America.

Louisiana

2.21 — Describe geographic features and physical characteristics of places in the United States and the world, including mountains, hills, plains, deserts, coasts, islands, peninsulas, lakes, oceans, and rivers.
3.20 — Describe the geographic features of places in the United States.
3.21 — Interpret geographic features of the United States using a variety of tools such as different types of maps and photos.

Maine

L.5.2.a — Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy).
SL.2.3.b — Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.
SL.3.K.a — Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.

Maryland

applying cardinal directions on maps, globes, GPS, and Google Earth.

Massachusetts

4.T4d.1 — On a political map of the United States, locate the states in the Southwest; add to the timeline the admission dates for states in the Southwest (listed alphabetically, Arizona-1912, New Mexico-1912, Oklahoma-1907, and Texas-1845).
4.T4d.5 — Using resources such as print and online atlases, historical sources, or state websites, construct a map of a state in the Southwest region that provides information about physical features (e.g., waterways and mountains), climate, settlements and movements of Native Peoples (including current reservation lands), European exploration and pioneer settlements of the 17th-19th centuries and that includes a title, scale, compass, and map key.

Michigan

4–G1.0.3 — Use geographic tools and technologies, stories, songs, and pictures to answer geographic questions about the United States.
4–G2.0.1 — Describe ways in which the United States can be divided into different regions.
4–G2.0.2 — Locate and describe human and physical characteristics of major U.S. regions and compare them to the Great Lakes region.

Minnesota

4.3.2.3.1 — Locate and identify the physical and human characteristics of places in the United States, and also Canada or Mexico. For example: Physical characteristics—landforms (Rocky Mountains), ecosystems (forest), bodies of water (Mississippi River, Hudson Bay), soil, vegetation, weather and climate. Human characteristics— structures (Statue of Liberty), bridges (Golden Gate Bridge), canals (Erie Canal), cities, political boundaries, population distribution, settlement patterns, language, ethnicity, nationality, religious beliefs.
4.3.2.4.1 — Name and locate states and territories, major cities and state capitals in the United States.
3 — Places have physical characteristics (such as climate, topography and vegetation) and human characteristics (such as culture, population, political and economic systems).
0.1.2.2.1 — Describe symbols, songs and traditions that identify our nation and state. For example: American Flag, bald eagle, White House, Statue of Liberty, Pledge of Allegiance, Minnesota state flag.

Mississippi

5.10.2 — Identify and label each of the 50 states on a map.
6.5.1 — Describe the distinguishing physical and human characteristics of the United States and other countries.
5.9.2 — Identify school, community, state, and national symbols (e.g., United States flag, American eagle, etc.).

Missouri

4.EG.5.B.a — Name and locate specific regions, states, capitals, river systems and mountain ranges in the United States based on historical or current topics.
4.EG.5.C.a — Identify and compare physical characteristics of specific regions within the nation.
4.EG.5.F.a — Identify different regions in the United States and analyze how their characteristics affect people who live there.
5.EG.5.B.a — Name and locate specific regions, states, capitals, river systems and mountain ranges in the United States based on historical or current topics.

Montana

SS.G.K — The geography content standard for kindergarten is that each student will use maps, and other representations, to describe place characteristics.
SS.G.3.3 — identify landforms and other physical characteristics of the Americas.
SS.G.5.1 — identify and label US regions, territories, states and their capitals/major cities;
SS.G.2.1 — use the basic components of a map to identify physical and political features, including American Indian reservations; and

Nebraska

SS 5.3.1 — Explore where (spatial) and why people, places, and environments are organized in the United States.
SS 5.3.1.a — Use maps and atlases to locate major human and physical features in the United States.
SS 5.3.2.b — Identify and classify regions and places within the United States using physical and human features.
SS 3.3.1.d — Locate specific places on maps and globes.

New Hampshire

SS.GE.2.1.3 — Identify major physical and human features in the United States and on Earth, e.g., cities, oceans, or continents. (Themes: C: People, Places and Environment, G: Science, Technology, and Society)
SS.GE.2.2.2 — Recognize that areas of the Earth's surface share unifying geographic characteristics, e.g., towns, deserts or woodlands. (Themes: C: People, Places and Environment)
SS.HI.2.3.1 — Identify individuals and/or groups who have profoundly affected life in the United States, e.g., Abraham Lincoln, or Pilgrims. (Themes: H: Individualism, Equality and Authority, I: Patterns of Social and Political Interaction, J: Human Expression and Communication)

New Jersey

6.1.2.Geo.HE.3 — Identify cultural and environmental characteristics of different regions in New Jersey and the United States.
6.1.5.GeoPP.1 — Compare and contrast characteristics of regions in the United States based on culture, economics, and physical characteristics to understand the concept of regionalism.
6.1.5.CivicsPI.5 — Explain how government functions at the local, county, and state level.
6.1.5.GeoSV.4 — Use a variety of geographic representations to describe the similarities and differences between places in New Jersey, the United States and the world (e.g., maps, data visualizations, graphs, diagrams, aerial and other photographs, GPS).

New Mexico

4.9 — Demonstrate understanding that state symbols, holidays, traditions, and songs represent various cultural heritages, natural treasures, and the democratic values of New Mexico.
2.23 — Generate a description for their region of the United States by identifying unique features.
1.18 — Use a variety of maps to locate specific places and identify major landforms, bodies of water, and other places of significance around the United States.
5.27 — Using a map, identify and locate the 50 states in the United States and know the capitals of each state along with the surrounding U.S. territories.

New York

1.4b — Governments exist at the local, state, and national levels to represent the needs of the people, create and enforce laws, and help resolve conflicts.
5.4a — Physical maps reflect the varied climate zones, landforms, bodies of water, and natural resources of the Western Hemisphere.
5.4c — The physical environment influences human population distribution, land use, and other forms of economic activity.

North Carolina

K.G.1.1 — Use maps, globes, and/or digital representations to locate places in the classroom, school, community, and around the world.
1.B.1.1 — Identify cultural practices and traditions in local communities and places around the world.
LS.5.2 — Understand the interdependence of plants and animals within their ecosystem.

Ohio

1.5 — Places are distinctive because of their physical characteristics (land forms and bodies of water) and human characteristics (structures built by people).
K.LS.2 — Living things have physical traits and behaviors, which influence their survival.

Oklahoma

4.2.2 — Identify major physical features in the United States and analyze how physical processes shape places. A. Identify and describe the physical characteristics of places, including the major landforms, bodies of water, vegetation and climates in the United States. B. Describe the location and characteristics of the major ecosystems in the United States.
4.2.3 — Explain how people create regions using common geographic characteristics. A. Identify and describe the major physical, cultural, and economic regions of the United States, comparing one’s own region to the other regions. B. Explain how and why regions change over time by comparing regions in the past with life in the same regions in the present.
4.2.5 — Identify and locate on a political map the fifty states and the United States capitol.
4.3.2 — Examine the characteristics of culture, including the distribution and complexity of the regions of the United States. A. Identify the characteristics of culture (language, customs, beliefs, food, clothing, shelter) and compare the cultural characteristics of different regions of the United States. B. Explain how the characteristics of culture affect the ways in which people live.

Oregon

2.12 — Identify relative location of school and community in the state, nation and the world.
5.9 — Use geographical tools (maps, satellite images, photographs, Google Earth, and other representations) to investigate and compare how areas in the United States can be divided in multiple ways.
K.10 — Locate, identify and describe places of importance to self, family, school, and culture.
K.ESS3.1 — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals (including humans) and the places they live. [Clarification Statement: Examples of relationships could include that deer eat buds and leaves, therefore, they usually live in forested areas; and, grasses need sunlight so they often grow in meadows. Plants, animals, and their surroundings make up a system.][assessment boundary: modeling is limited to describing the relationship and does not include patterns of structure and function to show how needs are met. impact on the environment is beyond the standard.]

Pennsylvania

7.1.3.B — Identify and locate places and regions.
7.2.3.A — Identify the physical characteristics of places and regions.
7.3.3.E — Identify the human characteristics of places and regions by their political activities.
7.1.3.A — Identify geographic tools and their uses.

Rhode Island

SS3.5.1 — Geography and environment of the Southwest Explain the geography and environment of the Southwestern region of the United States
SS3.5.2 — States in the Southwest Explain the states that make up the Southwestern region including their admittance to the United States and their identities
SS3.5.4 — The Southwestern region today Argue how the geography and environment of the Southwestern region contributed to its social, cultural, and economic development
SS3.1.3 — States and territories Explain what states and territories are and their locations within the United States

South Carolina

2.G.2 — Describe and compare various landforms over time within the U.S. through the use of primary and secondary sources. This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into using historic images, maps, narratives, texts, or video, to investigate and compare different landforms around the U.S.
3.1.3.PR — Identify the spatial hierarchy of political and physical geographic features. This indicator prompts students to inquire about spatial hierarchies (i.e. scale) to understand connections between Earth's systems. Political features include cities, states, and countries. Physical features include forests, mountains, oceans, and rivers.
3.2.1.ER — Recognize and explain how physical features are distributed around the world. This indicator prompts students to inquire about the distribution of landforms, climates, and biomes around the world.
3.2.2.ER — Identify and analyze the ways people interact with the physical environment in different regions of the state, the country, and the world.This indicator prompts students to inquire about a variety of geographic landforms, water bodies, and climate patterns around the world and how humans interact with them, including population distribution and settlement patterns.

South Dakota

3.G.1.2 — Locate the seven continents, four oceans, and major physical features and regions of the United States on a map or globe
K.G.1.1 — Recognize that maps and globes represent places
K.SL.4 — Describe familiar people, places, things, and events. With prompting and support, provide additional detail.
2.L.5.a — Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy).

Tennessee

3.09 — Identify and locate the fifty states of the U.S.
2.18 — Analyze how the location of regions affects the way people live, including their: food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and recreation.

Texas

1.5A — identify and describe the physical characteristics of place such as landforms, bodies of water, Earth's resources, and weather; and
2.11D — identify symbols such as state and national birds and flowers and Uncle Sam; and
1.4B — locate and explore the community, Texas, and the United States on maps and globes.
5.6B — describe regions in the United States based on physical characteristics such as landform, climate, and vegetation;
1.5B — identify and describe how geographic location influences the human characteristics of place such as shelter, clothing, food, and activities.

Utah

1.2.2 — Construct an explanation by observing patterns of external features of living things that survive in different locations. Emphasize how plants and nonhuman animals, found in specific surroundings, share similar physical characteristics. Examples could include that plants living in dry areas are more likely to have thick outer coatings that hold in water, animals living in cold locations have longer and thicker fur, or most desert animals are awake at night. (LS1.A, LS1.D)
2.2.3.b — Identify community and state symbols, documents and landmarks (e.g., city hall, county courthouse, state capitol, Utah State Constitution, flag, holidays).

Vermont

D2.Geo.6.K-2 — Individually and with others, students… Identify some cultural and environmental characteristics of specific places.
D2.Geo.3.K-2 — Individually and with others, students… Use maps, globes, and other simple geographic models to identify cultural and environmental characteristics of places.
D2.Geo.3.3-5 — Individually and with others, students… Use maps of different scales to describe the locations of cultural and environmental characteristics.

Virginia

Skill.2.b — The student will apply history and social science skills to the content by applying geographic skills to identify and understand geographic features and connections.
USI.1.c — The student will apply history and social science skills to understand the geography of North America by locating the 50 states.
1.5.b — Animals have different physical characteristics that perform specific functions.
Skill.2.i — The student will apply history and social science skills to the content by using content vocabulary to demonstrate comprehension.

Washington

G1.3.2 — Investigate the physical, political, and cultural characteristics of places, regions, and people in North America, including the location of the fifty states within the regions of the United States.
G1.3.1 — Examine and use maps and globes to understand the regions of North America in the past and present.
G2.2.1 — Identify some common and unique cultural and environmental characteristics of specific places.
G2.3.2 — Examine the cultural universals of place, time, family life, economics, communication, arts, recreation, food, clothing, shelter, transportation, government, and education.

Washington, D.C.

1.19 — Locate and explain physical features on maps.
K.20 — Explain the concept of relative location using directional words.
1.17 — Identify key political features of each region on a map, to include, local neighborhoods, wards, Washington, DC, the United States and North America.

West Virginia

SS.3.19 — Compare and contrast regions of the United States in regard to plant and animal life, landforms, climate and human interactions with the environment.
Use maps, globes, and other simple geographic models to identify cultural and environmental characteristics of places.
Use maps, graphs, photographs, and other representations to describe places.
SS.3.13 — Distinguish between a continent, country, state and capital.
SS.5.17 — Compare and contrast the various regions of the United States; locate each of the fifty United States and correlate them with their regions.

Wisconsin

SS.Geog1.c.4-5 — Create and label a map (paper or digital) of the local community, state, tribal lands, and country, including both physical (e.g., oceans and continents) and human (e.g., roads, buildings) characteristics. Identify and construct regions (digital or paper) in Wisconsin and the United States.
SS.Geog2.d.4-5 — Summarize positive and negative factors of cities. Identify the location and patterns of cities within our state and country.
SS.PS1.a.K-1 — Describe symbols, songs, and traditions that identify our state and country. Assess the importance of rules and laws at home, in school, and in the community.
Animals sense and communicate information and respond to inputs with behaviors that help them grow and survive.

Wyoming

SS2.5.1 — Spatial Use a map, globe, and mental mapping to identify familiar areas and simple patterns and create maps using various media. 2-ESS2-2
SS2.5.3 — Human Place and Movement Use the human features of a community to describe what makes that community unique (e.g., cultural, language, religion, food, clothing, political, economic, population, and types of jobs in an area) and why others move to or from that place. RL.1.2, RL.2.3 RI.1.3, Rl.2.2, RI.2.10 W.K.2, W.K.7 W.1.1, W.1.7 W.2.1 W.2.7 SL.K.4, SL.1.4, SL.2.2 K-2-ETS1-1
SS5.5.2 — Physical Place and Region Explain how physical features, patterns, and systems impact different regions and how these features may help us generalize and compare areas within the reservation, state, nation, or world. RL.3.2, RL.4.7, RL.4.9 RI.3.3, RI.4.3, RI.5.3 W.3.2, W.3.7, W.4.2.b W.5.2.b W.5.7 SL.3.4
SL.K.4 — Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.