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melanie
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| Posted: Aug 17 2009 at 2:21pm | IP Logged
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I have been working on this with my 9yo all of last year...the beginning of this year we went through the flashcards to see what he remembered...he got three of them. 
He just can't hold on to these at all. We've been working on just learning five last week, and he can't remember *any* of them. He has ADHD and a really poor memory. Anyone have any ideas that help make this info stick? I think part of it is that these places are so abstract to him...maybe we need to do a state by state study.
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Melanie
homeschooling Maria (13yo), Kain (10yo), Jack (5yo), Tess (2yo), and our newest blessing, Henry Robert, born 4/23!
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ekbell
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| Posted: Aug 17 2009 at 3:35pm | IP Logged
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My husband suggests this video Animaniacs state capital  On a more serious note.
As someone who's always learned better going from the big picture to the nitty-gritty details;I would highly recommend doing a state-by-state study. I would also put more emphasis on knowing how to locate the States and their Capitals on a map then memorizing them stripped of context. (ie my goal is for the child to be able to first find the information on a map, then label a map - memorization without a map might be a later project).
The map literally gives the big picture and provides some reason for learning the information (knowing that Little Rock is the capital of Arkansas isn't very useful if you don't know anything about Arkansas).
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Donna Marie
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We have used Yo Sacramento in the past and it has worked well. It is full of mnemonic cartoons that trick you into remembering the state and capital. It really does help 2 of my dc that have some memory issues.
I also printed out a blackline map and had them color the states as we covered them. They color coded it by area (red for New England states...etc) I would quiz them whenever and wherever I could...in the car..at the table...etc. My 5-6yo was listening into the older kids learning this last school year. He totally didn't get the whole American Geography thing, but he knew that Montpelier was in Vermont because of the cartoon! 
HTH!
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folklaur
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We use the one sold by Audio Memory.
the kids love it, and really retain it....
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Mimip
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We just purchased The scrambled States of America game and it is wonderful!!!
The point of the game is to collect state cards and you win them by knowing facts about the states. The game comes with pocket sized maps and is awesome. I cannot praise this game enough.
Also we are studying all 50 states week by week. We started this summer with Serendipity Colonial/Revolutionary History and studied the states that way. But now that we are moving into the west, we are still studying our states but just slower. We will continue to study them by date they entered the Union but I am really emphasizing location and capital. Every Monday, we get out the blank map page from Enchanted learning and we try to write down as many states as we can remember. Then we write the capitals. It helps for review:)
Good luck and you can PM me if you want to see our plans for the year with state geography:)
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mooreboyz
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| Posted: Aug 18 2009 at 6:54am | IP Logged
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I always teach the states and capitals as regions. So, they have only a few to study at a time. I use this page
enchanted learning region maps to print out and I put it in a plastic page protector so they can practice labeling them everyday. On the reverse I make a matching of the states and capitals so they can practice them everyday as well. I'll have them pick about 2 states a week to learn. I'll then quiz them on those states on the Friday of the last week. We do a review quiz along with this as well using a complete US map (again with matching the capitals on the back). We've done a variety of things from coloring books of the state to sticker books to geography type workbooks where they label rivers, etc. It all helps reinforce the info. We have some of the Highlights Which Way USA that we'll do too. And we have the Scrambled States game which is super fun.
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Michiel
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| Posted: Aug 21 2009 at 6:35pm | IP Logged
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I'm going to be the voice of dissent, here. Except as a memory exercise, how necessary is it that one memorizes the capitals? If one can find the state on a map, the capital is usually starred, so the main thing would be to be able to find the answer if needed. I would just hate to waste a lot of time learning something that most of us forget anyway.
This may be totally against the grain, and I confess that my older son is a geography buff, so it's not an issue with me, but I would rather concentrate effort on reading comp., writing, math skills, and being able to find the answer to anything rather than memorizing.
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folklaur
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Michiel wrote:
and being able to find the answer to anything rather than memorizing.
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i agree with parts of what you are saying. i don't think "knowing" state capitals is necessary in and of itself, at all.
but - memorization itself *is* a skill.
and - it sharpens your memory.
so - whether it is the periodic table, or latin conjugations, or state capitals - depending on what you want to do/learn, sometimes memorization is necessary.
(i couldn't walk into my latin class in college, and say, "well, i know *where* in my book to find how to decline this noun, so i don't need to memorize it." kwim? and learning *how* to memorize takes practice...)
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Willa
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| Posted: Aug 22 2009 at 2:22pm | IP Logged
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Michiel wrote:
| I'm going to be the voice of dissent, here. Except as a memory exercise, how necessary is it that one memorizes the capitals? If one can find the state on a map, the capital is usually starred, so the main thing would be to be able to find the answer if needed. |
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Funny, my kids were just having this discussion. My high school son was having to learn the capitals for school and teased my college graduate son for not knowing many of them. My older son smiled and said, "When are you going to actually need to know these besides to pass the test?" I thought it was funny since it's usually my younger son who's all about practicality and my older son who likes learning just for its own sake ;-).
Something that occurs to me is that ADD type kids can sometimes memorize better if they have some sort of emotional hook to the subject. My highschooler remembered best the capitals he knew from football, from his birth state, and from his relatives birth states. Maybe if you start with some like those that have a "connection" for him, it will be easier to remember the rest because the sheer volume won't be overwhelming? Just a thought.
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Willa
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JodieLyn
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My sister and I made up games.. for learning states and their capitals.. there was just the two of us so it could be like.. name all the states that start with A.
There's some of the smallest New England states that I still mix up.. but almost 30 yrs later I still know 47 or better states and almost that many capitals.
And I use the state info a lot.. the capital info less.. but knowing the states makes knowing the abbreviations easier and when you're job searching online being able to know off hand the states and where they're located is very nice.
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4Real Forums : Across Time and Place
Topic: learning state capitals
