This website has a Flash tool that helps teach about map coordinates, but it could be used to generate the coordinates in each state, which the teacher will then write down on slips of paper and hand out at random to the class.
This site could be used if the teacher desires to have a truly random distribution of coordinates among the class. The teacher could simply assign each student a number and the program could generate a number for each of them.
This site contains information about statehood dates, which is a requirement for the students' Wikis, brochures of the 50 states, Fill-in-the-capitals worksheets, and other useful tools.
This site, a National Geographic subdivision, provides lesson plans for different regions of the United States, which could be used to supplement the regional group work.
This site may be too advanced for the third grade classroom, but it allows you to compare different data sets between any two states. This could be useful in comparing population sizes, even though it can compare almost anything else, from crime rates to housing costs.
https://www.e-education.psu.edu/natureofgeoinfo/c2_p11.html
This website has a Flash tool that helps teach about map coordinates, but it could be used to generate the coordinates in each state, which the teacher will then write down on slips of paper and hand out at random to the class.
http://www.random.org/
This site could be used if the teacher desires to have a truly random distribution of coordinates among the class. The teacher could simply assign each student a number and the program could generate a number for each of them.
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/geography/teacher-resources/6642.html
This site has tons of printable maps and other geography resources.
http://education.usgs.gov/common/secondary.htm#geography
This site, organized by the US Government, has a variety of maps and interactive tools for teaching geography.
http://geographyworldonline.com/teach.html
This site has links to the web sites of several geographical organizations and could be used as a starting point for creating other geography units.
http://www.50states.com/tools/
This site contains information about statehood dates, which is a requirement for the students' Wikis, brochures of the 50 states, Fill-in-the-capitals worksheets, and other useful tools.
http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/us-geography-the-northeast.cfm
This site, a National Geographic subdivision, provides lesson plans for different regions of the United States, which could be used to supplement the regional group work.
http://www.statemaster.com/index.php
This site may be too advanced for the third grade classroom, but it allows you to compare different data sets between any two states. This could be useful in comparing population sizes, even though it can compare almost anything else, from crime rates to housing costs.