5th grade Geography suggestions?

[lgliser]

We just finished "Discovering the World of Geography" and it we liked it alright. I'm thinking about doing the next book now but also wondering if there's something else maybe.

 

They haven't memorized state capitals yet, but we do sing them with the Geography Songs cd once in a while. They used to do Legends and Leagues so they have sung the countries in Africa and Asia.

 

I really want them to have the capitals memorized, and I'd like them to at least be able to hear the name of a country, know that it's a country, and what continent it's on, if not also know the capital. So I'm not sure if we should spend this semester just singing (and ideally with some sort of workbook or something....) 

 

I don't know, I feel like they are just lacking in a general familiarity with the world.

[Kiara.I]

We're doing Legends and Leagues South, and doing all the capitals, countries, flags and common languages on Anki so that they're memorising and reviewing them.

 

You could add Anki for review of whatever you're focusing on in your geography program, maybe.

 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

[ALB]

We really like Memoria Press' Geography programs.  They have one for states and capitals, where students memorize the capital and location of each state.  Then two years (Geography I and Geography II) are spent memorizing the capitals and locations of almost every country.  You read a page about the country and fill in the workbook, then do occasional quizzes and tests to drill the memory work.  What I like about MP is the constant review.  While doing Geography I, states and capitals are continually reviewed so it stays fresh.  Same with the next year's program.

Geography III is a more advanced world geography course for middle school.  Students learn a bit more in depth history of the land and learn to draw a map of the world from heart, while still reviewing countries and capitals.

[kbutton]

My kids are loving Memoria Press geography as well. 

[Crimson Wife]

Echoing the PP's recommendations of MP Geography.

[Lori D.]

You could use these 2 resources spread out over 2-3 years:

 

Mapping the World with Art (gr. 5-10) -- maps, hands-on, videos, edibles, art, etc. to help make countries "come alive"

-- plus --

Sheppard Software Geography Games (gr. 1-12)-- for quick/fun drill and memorizing country locations (which continent) and capitals -- also games for US states/capitals

___________________

 

Other resources to plug in once a week as you cover a country, or have time:

- National Geographic for Kids -- online resource -- click on a "pin" on the map to learn about the country

- The Kids' Fun-Filled Search & Find Geography Book (Tallarico) -- out of print, but see others of Tallarico's search & find books here to get a feel for his style

- The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World (Lonely Planet Kids) -- ages 8-12

- PBS episodes of Rick Steve Travel -- videos

- Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego -- computer game (play the original version for free here)

Edited January 2, 2018 by Lori D.

[TheAttachedMama]

I third memoria press. 

[Trilliumlady]

For those of you using MP geography, how long do the lessons take? I didn’t see a really full sample anywhere. What are the lessons like? We have the game World which is a great fun geography game but I don’t pull it out often enough. I’m wondering if using a curriculum is going to give me exponentially more learning than just playing this game. I remember playing it with my dad and learned all the countries and capitals just from that.