Geography

[AliciainNC]

What are you using?

[dragons in the flower bed]

What are you using?

 

This year, I'm using a delight-directed approach to geography. One kid requested Australia, the other China. (I made them pick something, anything.) I'm reading aloud travel journals or nonfiction and having them use coloring books on the theme.

[TwinMominTX]

We are studying American History thus our studies are concentrated on the US.

 

Each day we trace a black line US map that is laminated. We then break down each week into five states. I found some large flash cards from Barnes and Noble. We read the information about the particular state and then color in the particular state on our blackline map. We work on memorizing 5 states and capitals each week.

 

The cards are really pretty interesting and if we want to know more information about the state, we simply go to the state sponsored tourist website to gather more information.

 

We also keep track of all the states we've personally visisted via a large wall map.

 

*I borrowed many of the above ideas (tracing and memorizing) from the Classical Conversations program that we will be participating in this year.*

[mcconnellboys]

This year, I'm doing US geography because we're doing ancient history (so covering little regarding the Americas there). I'm using the BF guide along with Holling's Paddle to the Sea and Minn of the Mississippi. I'm then filling in with some other books near the end of the year that will cover the few southern states in the east not covered by these books.

 

Next year, I'm doing Tree in the Trail along with some other books that will cover the western US.

[elegantlion]

We are doing world geography spread out over two years. We are mixing Trail Guide to World Geography with the Evan-Moor individual continent books.

 

We've done two weeks with Trail Guide and still have not formed an opinion on it.

[BlessedMom]

We are just doing an introduction to Geography this year so I chose the Teacher Created Resource, "Down to Earth Geography, Grade 1". http://www.buyteachercreated.com/estore/product/9271 As well as DK's "Geography of the World". http://www.amazon.com/Geography-World-Jayne-Parsons/dp/078948594X These will supplement our History studies.

[Vida Winter]

It is actually an art resource but I am using it for art and geography.

 

Here is the link to the thread:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51183

 

-Dana

[Mom2jnb]

Cindy Wiggers...... geography matters dot com if that isn't correct it is geomatters dot com

 

We LOVE IT

 

Alison

[Meljoy]

We are doing a US Geography notebook using

http://www.holdthatthought.com/geography.php?PHPSESSID=efee3d7b2718fc1c1b9a2390da23790f

 

and the game

10 Days in the USA http://rainbowresource.com/search.php?sid=1219199222-1823587

[Mom2boys]

We are in a geography co-op, loosely based on Galloping the Globe.

[Brindee]

We are doing world geography spread out over two years. We are mixing Trail Guide to World Geography with the Evan-Moor individual continent books.

 

We've done two weeks with Trail Guide and still have not formed an opinion on it.

I haven't started Trail Guide yet. We're using US first, then World. Can you please let me/us know what you think when you form an opinion!

[Peela]

For 4 years the only geography we did was the maps in SOTW, and my kids learned a lot just from that, and so did I!

I never had time to add another curriculum, although I do own several :)

Here in Australia, geography covers Earth Science as well, so some documentaries have helped, but i sitll havnt added anything formal. They have covered a lot of what is considered geography, in Scouts.

[Lovedtodeath]

I just completed our schedule!

 

Draw Write Now books 7 & 8

Around the World Art and Activities: Visiting the 7 Continents Through Craft Fun

(My review at the link...this is the best!)

* The Kingfisher Young People's Atlas of the World

** Library books from list

+ Material World by Peter Menzel

++ The Usborne Internet Linked Introduction to Asia

+* Fourth Edition Anthology of Children's Literature by Johnson,

Sickels, Sayers

Library books selected from WP CATW and http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscreso...roundWorld.cfm

 

I thought I would mention: Material World and the Atlas I am using

are mostly for pictures. I would not expect a 1st grader to want to

read or hear all that. I just ordered Our World from Disney Learning, it is in WP Children Around the World. Should be more age appropriate and easy to plug in.

 

This is a sample of my plan. I have a full list of the library books with authors and codes.

 

A. South and Central America

1. Identify continent on globe.

2. Identify the Amazon River and the Andes Mountains

3. Identify the countries that are to be studied.

4. Complete Draw Write Now(part II) p. 61 "Draw a map of South

America"

5. Watch Nature Videos

6. DWN book I pages 19-25, DWN book II: 53 (llama), 36

(armadillo), 35 (anteater)

Read corresponding additional information.

7. The Biography of Chocolate, The Biography of Sugar

8. Complete Note-booking Page for South America, putting animal

stickers in appropriate areas

9. Do a separate page with detailed information about one

favorite animal.

10. Complete art activity.

a. Mexico

i. Atlas 22

ii. MW 144

iii. Anthology +* page 357: Why the Burro Lives with the Man

iv. Count your way through Mexico

v. Complete a note-booking page on Mexico

vi. Art Activity

b. Guatemala

i. MW 112

ii. Anthology 359: The Princess and Jose

iii. Mama and Papa have a Store

iv. Sawdust Carpets

v. Complete a note-booking page on Guatemala

vi. Art activity

 

The ALA link: Through Growing Up Around the World, we hope to make books that accurately depict contemporary life in other countries more widely available to American children. The project includes bibliographies representing five regions: Africa; the Americas; Asia and the Middle East; Australia and New Zealand; and Europe.

 

This link explains Draw Write Now better: http://drawyourworld.com/unit.html

 

They cover the animals, climates and physical geography part of our studies. Books 7 & 8 teach geography, world climates and animals. There is a lesson for drawing 2 types of a world map and a map of each continent. On each lesson there is a question such as Why are Europe and Asia two continents? Why is the air cold near the top of a mountain? What is an alpline tundra? Why is Greenland part of North America? At the end of each section all of the questions are answered and books are listed where you can get more information about the topic. (These books offer a complete curriculum, not just writing and drawing.) All of the books are on about the same grade level. The teacher who wrote them taught 2nd grade, but the link claims that it is easily adapted for 1-6. The link also has a spreadsheet that lists all of the topics in each of the books so I can quickly look at the spreadsheet and see if something we are learning about is in the books and in which book it is located.

[Jenne]

Ooh, I love Material World! Hungry Planet goes along with it quite well.

 

DS is very good at geography and has a lot of interest in maps, so we don't spend a lot of school time working on it. I'm using blank maps for him to label for our ancient civilizations studies, although the map labeling is mostly review. He's also learning map-reading skills in Boy Scouts.

[JFSinIL]

DD has used Trail Guide to World Geography two years in a row now - she did the first and then the second level. This upcoming year, for a change, we are going to work though Runkle's Geography.

[starlashine]

This past year it was just SOTW 1 maps, and I agree with Peela, he's learned a lot from them, and it is easy for him to understand because there's only a few things on each map. Next year we will continue with SOTW, but I am afraid about his total lack of US knowledge, so we'll be doing the holling books casually, as well as plotting famous landmarks on our world map, and learning the states by using flashcards and a small map that we will color in the states on as we learn them. Will probably plot paddle's journey on there as well.

[angela in ohio]

We are taking a year off to do geography before oldest starts Omnibus and we go through the history cyce again.

 

Oldest dd will use BJU's new Cultural Geography and Mapping the World by Heart. Youngers will do some of MTWBH and do Trail Guide to World Geography (with all of its associated books.)

[love2read]

Roughly using My Father's World:ECC http://www.mfwbooks.com/ecc.htm for a few of the littles.

[JudoMom]

 

The Complete Book of Maps and Geography.

[sagira]

I love geography! My parents and I (I'm an only child) used to play geography games just for fun. Name the capitals of the countries in Africa, show me the mountains in the then USSR, what are the states in the USA that start with A, what language do they speak in Luxemburg, who's the prince of Monaco, etc. etc.

 

As a result, I have a plan (I know, my ds is only turning 5 in September and starting K, but here is it anyway :D):

 

Kindergarten: My World and Globe (gentle 13-week introduction)

1st Year: Maps and Mapping (another 14-week journey, this time in Summer 2009, focusing on maps and how to read them in preparation for SOTW)

2nd-3rd Years: Alongside SOTW, living books, Atlas and Atlas of Peoples

4th Year: A Child’s Geography

5th-8th Year: National Geographic’s Discovering World of Geography

9th-12th Years: In-depth study of countries of choice -- 3 each year

 

For the whole time, along SOTW and other History Studies.

 

So the short answer would be "My World and Globe" starting in January :)

[Lizzie in Ma]

We have used Troxel's Geography Songs with Owl and Mouse software for elementary. Love it, easy peasy.

The songs help us memorize the world with ease and the software cements the spatial aspect.

[Trivium Academy]

We're reading a literary geography book called

THE SEVEN LITTLE SISTERS WHO LIVE ON THE ROUND BALL THAT

FLOATS IN THE AIR BY JANE ANDREWS

which online for free at

http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/andrews/sisters/sisters.html

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=70MDAAAAQAAJ&dq=Seven+Sisters+Float+Round+Ball&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=pDwTtVF1u4&sig=aMnBADN53mc8XzL_mQP8tuRiqrI&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result

 

Although I think what to use depends on what you've done. We're also going through the U.S. by region and memorizing State capitals, State abbreviations and learning about state birds, flags and flowers in an informal way.

 

Of course, we have geography within our history as well. Our sequence is:

K- Galloping the Globe (learn about the world)

1- The Geography Book (learn about physical geography)

2- Home Geography by C.C. Long (free online) learn about local & regional geography, as well as physical

3- Seven Sisters book, world geography, culture

4- A Child's Geography of the World by Hillyer (I have the original book)

 

Geography is also in our science, we locate biomes, physical geography as well as in our nature studies. We also locate on our map where the settings are in the books we read.

 

It is so integrated in our homeschool, we don't need a separate curriculum for it.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

We are using Beautiful Feet Geography using the Holling C. Holling books "Paddle to the Sea", "Minn of the Mississippi", "A Tree in the Trail", and "Seabird". We love it! It's a lighter side to geography this year since we've finished Trail Guide to World geography last year and our history is American history this year. They will be memorizing the states and capitols as well as doing some geography projects on the USA this next year. I wanted something fun and light. They asked for this program since we've done it before and they loved the books and map work.