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Mimip Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 17 2009 Location: Florida
Online Status: Offline Posts: 1526
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Posted: May 23 2012 at 10:28am | IP Logged
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Ladies,
As I try to finalize all our topics for next year I am really at a loss for a more formal approach to Geography. I guess formal is not the word but more structured for the future? I don't know what I want exactly but I'll tell you what I want my kids to know:
1. Learn there countries and landforms and major rivers and lakes and deserts.
2. We have studied via unit studies the continents but I want the kids to be able to know which countries are in which continent and the landforms as well.
3. Mapping skills: In the past we have done some mapping workbooks, (that for the life of me I cannot figure out why my kids LOVED) and taught the cardinal directions and such while doing nature walks and making maps of our neighborhood.
Now that my oldest is going into 7th grade I really want to lay out a geography program to match our History program (we use RC history, using volume 3 next year).
SOOOOOOO
What do you experienced middle school and high school moms have in store Geography in the future?
Oh and this is one resource that I want to tryGeography Coloring book
__________________ In Christ,
Mimi
Wife of 16 years to Tom, Mom of DD'00, DD'02, '04(in heaven) DS'05, DS'08 and DS '12
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pumpkinmom Forum All-Star
Joined: March 28 2012 Location: Missouri
Online Status: Offline Posts: 1028
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Posted: May 23 2012 at 3:38pm | IP Logged
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I am not an expert, but I just bought Trail Guide to US Geography and I like it. Haven't used it yet!! It looks easy to plan and I think my boys will enjoy it. It is for all age groups and has different activites listed for the age groups. It was inexpensive. They have a world geography one too, but haven't seen it. I think I am doing this with my boys in the 2013/2014 school year (one middle school age and the other elementary age).
__________________ Cassie
Homeschooling my little patch of Ds-14 and Ds-10
Tending the Pumpkin Patch
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robinhigh Forum Pro
Joined: Aug 01 2009 Location: Louisiana
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Posted: May 23 2012 at 5:16pm | IP Logged
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We learn A LOT from these games:
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Geography.htm
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CatholicMommy Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2007 Location: Indiana
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Posted: May 24 2012 at 3:07pm | IP Logged
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We have and love the Trail Guide to World Geography - it has all the continent studies divided up, with map creation and so much - you can choose your activities for each lesson based on the ages and interests of your children.
__________________ Garden of Francis
HS Elementary Montessori Training
Montessori Nuggets
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TracyFD Forum Pro
Joined: July 22 2006
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Posted: May 26 2012 at 4:54pm | IP Logged
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Mimi, we use the state Trail Guide in 4th and the world Trail Guide in 5th (along with some map skills workbooks), so by the time they get to the middle grades they have basic mapping skills. I like that the Trail Guides include landforms and a wide range of grade levels.
If you are RC 3, are there any geography activities included? Would the Trail Guide to World Geography be the most applicable?
In 6th we did ancient Egypt, combining SOTW with MODG living history books. The mapping in SOTW was easy peasy, but useful.
One very basic activity is to make several copies of the same map and ask your student to fill it in each week from memory, as much as they can remember. Each week they review what they already know and add new finds.
The coloring book looks great! But would these be current political maps rather than reflecting the countries during the time period you are studying?
Another idea - M. finished the Golden Goblet and is starting the Progeny Press Study Guide. One of the first things she will do is draw her own map of Thebes. I am not sure if all PP guides begin in this way, but this might be an idea to apply and perhaps PP has a guides for some of the living history books you plan to read.
__________________ Tracy
Mom to 3 girly girls,
1 absent-minded professor, and one adorable toddling terrorist.
Pinewood Castle
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Mimip Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 17 2009 Location: Florida
Online Status: Offline Posts: 1526
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Posted: July 09 2012 at 5:36pm | IP Logged
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I ordered the geography coloring book and it looks fantastic, save a few political descriptions that I could do without. It does have some historical maps but my favorite thing is the way it is laid out to cover continents and countries and then flags and historical maps.
I really like it for middle and high school.
I am also ordering the Trail guide to the world with the CD for a great addition to morning basket and an intro to the geography, we haven't had since we switched to RC history from SOTW. Don't get me wrong RC history has the blackline history maps but I need current geography as well.
Here's to ordering even MORE curriculum!
__________________ In Christ,
Mimi
Wife of 16 years to Tom, Mom of DD'00, DD'02, '04(in heaven) DS'05, DS'08 and DS '12
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mooreboyz Forum Pro
Joined: March 16 2008 Location: Wisconsin
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Posted: July 19 2012 at 8:14am | IP Logged
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Mimi,
I was feeling the same way this year. I bought "World Geography" by Teacher Created Materials. They have it on Amazon if you want to view it. It is a workbook separated by continent. There are pages on everything from cities to landforms to economy and more and they repeat the same pages for each continent. There is enough there for them to have a page a day for most of the year. I decided to play games or do geography bees on Fridays (they love this...I give them each a blank map with political boundaries and one with mountains, rivers, seas and then call out something and keep track of points with the winner getting a treat of some kind). I am also going to have them use the Time for kids website that has around the world section for exploring countries and also the shepherd software games online to study.
I am hoping this will help with my goal of them knowing where all the major countries, cities, and landforms are as well as an idea of the economies and culture. Like you, we've done continent studies throughout the year; but, I really want them to cement some material into their memories.
__________________ Jackie
7 boys - 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 15, 17 years
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