Ellen in PA Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 We have not studied primarily geography thus far. I am looking at Trail Guide to World Geography and US Geography. What do people think of these programs? How about Runkle Geography? Thanks for your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samiam Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 We did U.S. Geography this year for 5th. I wasn't so much about having my son learn in-depth info about each state, but rather learning/memorizing each state "shape" and it's capital. I bought Trail Guide to U.S. Geography, and wasn't impressed, and basically do not use it. It has alot of busy-work, if you ask me. Some things I got out of it: I do break up the states by their geographical region, ie Northeast, Midwest, etc. I do have my son do the Fill in the Facts sheet for each state, but I used different facts, ones that I thought were pertinent. We will do the Lewis and Clark book reading/study at the end of the guide this summer....although not sure how much of the info from the Guide I will use at this point, haven't looked at that part in depth. Things We do on our own: -Create flashcards for each state and do these each day -Have my son read the Scholastic U.S. Atlas as we study each state, The atlas is really great and has a couple of paragraphs about each state, along with little interesting facts on a very colorful map. -There are FREE maps, of each state, of each region, etc all over the internet....do NOT buy a Map book or Uncle Josh's maps, etc.... We basically do a two-day study of each state: Day One: Read Scholastic map book, label the state on the regional map, label the state map with pertinents cities, rivers, border states, important landmarks, review all flashcards Day Two: Create flashcard, do Fill-in-Facts sheet, review all flashcards. Occasionally, throw in a quiz to label map of a certain geographical region. Overall, since we do not do most of the little extras in the Guide, it was a waste of money for me. Sadly, as I wanted to do a World Geography course in the next year or so, I won't be buying the World Trail Guide either...still looking for something for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 It was a fantastic year, done in place of history. Wish we'd done it for TWO years of middle school, it was so worthwhile! Below are items we used. BEST of luck, whatever you go with! Warmly, Lori D. 1. Made our own atlas pages (included: - mapwork (mark map printed from - research/write key facts (capital, population, major language(s), major religion(s), major resources from World Book encyclopedia on CD Rom, Wikipedia online encyclopedia, and Circling the Globe (out of print atlas) - write a paragraph summing up interesting things about the country - add sticker of the country's flag) 2. Learned countries/capitals with free online games at Sheppard Software (http://www.sheppardsoftware.com) 3. Map skills workbook (3-4 pages per week) -- see samples of either at http://www.christianbook.com - MCP's "Maps Charts and Graphs" (level "F" = Eastern Hemisphere; level "G" = the world) - Carson-Dellosa's "Discovering the World of Geography (level 5-6 = U.S.; level 6-7 = Western Hemisphere; level 7-8 = Eastern Hemisphere) 4. Read lots of historical/culture fiction (some Sonlight 5 books, plus others found through the library) 5. Read lots of myths/folktales of various countries (again, just searched the online library card catalog; picture books are great, as you also get the art style of the country/culture) 6. Did some comparative religions to help understand the cultures (we used Milliken's "World's Great Religions" series, each book called "Inside ..." (Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity), at http://www.rainbowresource.com) 7. Cultural enrichment - library movies set in various countries/cultures - library "travelogue" documentaries - go to a restaurant or make and eat a food from a different country/culture - listen to traditional music from a different country/culture - make a craft based on crafts of a different country/culture - play a game traditional to kids of a different country/culture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.