In middle school today

[vmsurbat]

I was relieved when I saw Bosnia (and others) on the map. I never did check the year of the atlases, but they are somewhere between 1991 and 2003.

 

 

If the atlases are from those years, they are DEFINITELY out of date with respect to Serbia and Montenegro. In 2003, Serbia and Montenegro were in an (uneasy) federation with each other due to international pressure. In 2005, the people voted and Montenegro regained its independence and the two countries became completely separate.

 

FTR: MNE=Montenegro in my sig...

[Terabith]

I really want to give my kids a great geographical education. I didn't learn much in school when I was a kid, and I'd like for my kids to learn geography at an earlier age than I did.

 

So far I've been working on teaching "where things are." Anna can ID most of the states, Canada, pretty much all the countries of South America (but not Central America), almost all the countries of Europe, and she's working on the countries of Africa and Asia. She knows rivers and landforms in the US and Europe. I figure this is a good start, but I know it is only the beginning of a good geographical education.

 

We read books about what it's like growing up in different countries. We work on reading maps skills. Right now we're reading through A Child's Geo of the World by Hillyer (and talking about how things have changed since his time). When we start world history next year, we'll incorporate geography into that as well.

 

However, I feel like knowing where things are, while a good start, is only the beginning of a good geographical education. Does anyone have a sort of scope and sequence of geographical themes and topics to study year by year? What sorts of things should we study? What resources would you recommend? I'd like to study geography as a separate subject through elementary school.

[DawnM]

Geography was never a dedicated subject in any of the schools I worked in (middle and high schools).

[creekland]

If the atlases are from those years, they are DEFINITELY out of date with respect to Serbia and Montenegro. In 2003, Serbia and Montenegro were in an (uneasy) federation with each other due to international pressure. In 2005, the people voted and Montenegro regained its independence and the two countries became completely separate.

 

FTR: MNE=Montenegro in my sig...

 

Ah, I'd love to visit you as a field trip, but finances definitely won't allow!

 

I did briefly explain the separation to the classes I had, so they ought to know they are two separate countries now. I only wish the actual teacher cared... (maybe he does, but he didn't appear to when I mentioned the error to him).

 

FWIW, he also told the kids in the one class I was with him that United Kingdom = England. I mentioned to my classes that UK included Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland... Of these, only England and Northern Ireland were listed as countries to be labeled on their map. I've no idea why they skipped the other two.

 

Methinks he's a wrestling coach first and a geography teacher second.

[TKDmom]

Geography is a required high school course in CA. It is a 1 semester class.

 

I myself never had a geography class.

 

I grew up in CA, and I never had geography. We moved after my sophomore year (so maybe I just missed it), but I was not aware that geography was even offered. Seriously, we never learned about anywhere outside of North America or Western Europe. :glare: I would have loved to study geography. I think this is half the reason I'm homeschooling.

[creekland]

I really want to give my kids a great geographical education. I didn't learn much in school when I was a kid, and I'd like for my kids to learn geography at an earlier age than I did.

 

So far I've been working on teaching "where things are." Anna can ID most of the states, Canada, pretty much all the countries of South America (but not Central America), almost all the countries of Europe, and she's working on the countries of Africa and Asia. She knows rivers and landforms in the US and Europe. I figure this is a good start, but I know it is only the beginning of a good geographical education.

 

We read books about what it's like growing up in different countries. We work on reading maps skills. Right now we're reading through A Child's Geo of the World by Hillyer (and talking about how things have changed since his time). When we start world history next year, we'll incorporate geography into that as well.

 

However, I feel like knowing where things are, while a good start, is only the beginning of a good geographical education. Does anyone have a sort of scope and sequence of geographical themes and topics to study year by year? What sorts of things should we study? What resources would you recommend? I'd like to study geography as a separate subject through elementary school.

 

I think you're doing a great job! Incorporate field trips when you can. Even fairly local field trips can be planned via a map and pointing out where one is on the map compared to where one lives. If you can take a trip out of state or out of country, even the better. Point out the different plants or land topography. Point out the differences in culture (NOT in a condemning way). Ask each student what they like about a particular area.

 

I didn't homeschool mine in elementary school, but even when they were in school we watched several nature types of documentaries and looked up where places were on the globe so they knew which area of the planet they were learning about. We told ours to imagine if they'd been born in that area - how life would be different for them now.

 

World maps are great. World globes (esp one that allows students to compete with finding locations) were fun.

 

Books about other areas of the world are priceless, esp if historical or historical fiction.