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earthmaven
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| Posted: July 24 2007 at 8:55pm | IP Logged
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Just wondering if any one here has tried the Trail Guide to World Geography by Cindy Wiggers from geomatters.com. It looks like it is packed with really wonderful multi-age activities, research questions, and information with a great, user-friendly layout.
I'd be interested in your thoughts as I figure out my purchases and plans in this area...
I'd also be interested in figuring out how to actually include links to these in my posts, but that's a separate issue.
Tracy
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Meredith
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| Posted: July 24 2007 at 9:24pm | IP Logged
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earthmaven wrote:
I'd also be interested in figuring out how to actually include links to these in my posts, but that's a separate issue. |
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Tracy, all you have to do is click on the "globe" with the little paperclippy thing on the lower half of the icon, see it's just about your name when you click on "quote" from someone's post. Then a box will automatically pop up with a *text* box and you type in the name of your book, or link or whatever you want to have highlighted in your post. Then after you click OK, another box with an http:// highlighted will be available for your link. Just paste it in and click OK and it will appear, just like magic  HTH!!
Let me know if this isn't clear enough!
I'm looking forward to any replies on your source as I haven't heard of it myself!!
Blessings!
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earthmaven
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| Posted: July 24 2007 at 10:08pm | IP Logged
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Eureka! Thanks, Meredith! So here's the link to the geography book I'm considering...
http://www.geomatters.com/products/details.asp?ID=6
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CatholicMommy
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I too have been considering this book - if I purchase it, it won't be a for quite a while, but I like to look early and let the appeal wear off before I buy on impulse. I also am possibly interested in the correlating US, art, and Bible geography manuals.
I very much want to look through all these books before purchasing - not just a sample lesson, but seeing how they all connect, illustrations, etc.
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earthmaven
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| Posted: July 24 2007 at 11:16pm | IP Logged
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CatholicMommy wrote:
| I like to look early and let the appeal wear off before I buy on impulse. |
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I'm with you there! That's why I love the "wish list" feature on my favourite sites. I like to let items sit there for a while to allow me time to keep reading and assessing our real needs before I plunk down our money.
I've bought in haste and repented at leisure more times in the past than I'd like to count...
Tracy
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MaryM
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Some past discussion here:
Needing advice on geography purchases
Geography through art
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Land O' Cotton
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This book does look very interesting! I'll be following along to see if anyone has experience with this book. It certainly looks great!
I have a copy of Hands on Geography (Instructional Fair), and also The Geography Book. I'm going to look over these to see if they cover some of the things in the Moteaco albums. The price of the Trail Guide book seems to be good, so please let us know if you decide to get it and how it works out!
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KackyK
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Yes! I have used this book (the Trail Guide) and the companion US Geography Trail Guide book as well. There is so much to do with it and you wouldn't be disappointed. I especially love the literature unit...although we haven't completed that yet! I think one of the best features are the paw tracks for the questions. You can assign one kind of track for one child and then another track for another child, the tracks are sorted by skill level/grade level. The identifications it has you do on a blank map are really a lot! Drove my daughter (who was 10/11 at the time) crazy at first...I realized I had to take some out for her, because there were so many. You could really spend a solid year or more going through this book. And the best part is...if you do one set of track questions one year, you go back through another year and do another set and so on...so you really get good value out the book.
Anyways...I like the book a lot...if you couldn't tell 
HTH
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CatholicMommy
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KackyK: Based on your own assessment, what ages would this be appropriate for, and how many years could it be used? What other materials would be good to have on hand for use with this book, even if they seem obvious (ie globe, atlas, etc)?
If I get this one, I will likely get the art and the Bible ones as well, and I am definitely leaning that direction myself, though it will have to wait a little while.
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KackyK
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| Posted: July 28 2007 at 9:05am | IP Logged
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**I put my links at the bottom, sorry**
Well I pulled my book over to the computer...
I don't know how much you already know but I'll give a quick overview (I haven't seen the Bible or art you mentioned CatholicMommy so I don't know if they are set up the same) of the Trail Guide to World Geography and it is set up the same as the US Geography book as well.
The book is set up by weeks...a total of 36 weeks (with 9 of them being a literature unit). Each week has been broken down into 4 days, with three different track questions for each day. For example:
Week 17 - Africa
Day 1
primary track - Name 4 landlocked countries at below 15degrees S. What countries are located along the Tropic of Capricorn?
intermediate track - What country is the world's leading producer of diamonds? What are the names of 2 deserts in southern Africa and in what countries are they located?
secondary track - Where is the world's largest inland river delta? Where is the Kalahari Desert located?
So that was just day 1...there are questions like this for 4 days of the week. I had my daughter do it whenever she wanted during the week...either all in one day or each day or whatever she chose.
The book explains that even the primary level could be done by non-readers if it is read to them and most questions can be answered using an atlas (even just a junior atlas) The intermediate questions should be answered by students on their own and they'll need an atlas as well. The secondary questions can be answered with an advanced atlas, such as the Answer Atlas (we have this...very valuable!) Some questions for the older kids will need an almanac and sometimes the kids are deducing their own answers (meaning, no where will it say outright the answer, they'll have to come to a conclusion based on info they retrieve).
Okay...now also listed for each week are mapping activities (we have Uncle Josh's Outline Maps book for this, I just photocopy the maps they'll be using).
Here is the Mapping activity for week 17 - Africa
place a dotted line across the Equator and label
shade the Great Rift Valley in purple and label
Locate and label in blue: Lake Victoria, Congo River, Lake Rudolf, and Lake Tanganyika
Shade the Serengeti Plain in orange and label
Place a triangle at Mt. Kilimanjaro and at Cameroon Mt. and label them
Shade the higher elevation in Cameroon with light orange
countries: (there are 11 listed)
capital cities: (add to the 11 countries just labeled)
*remember they do Africa for about 5 weeks*
Then each week has Trail Blazing activities: these include salt dough map suggestions, other ideas to research
Geography notebook activities each week too: like start an animal section, add newspaper clippings, add thematic maps, etc
And finally a Geography through Art section: for week 17 it says to make a collage using "Butterfly Art" from the Central Republic of Africa
So...I would say this book has huge potential. And thinking about the U.S. book, same sort of setup, they have you do 2 states in one week. If you did only 1 state per week instead, it would take you 2 years to get through it, then you could start all over again with the higher track questions.
But you would definitely need (besides the basic atlas and globe)...an almanac (NOT the one for Kids...I tried that and it had nothing, go for the basic World Almanac), the Answer Atlas and then a blank outline map book.
HTH
Trail to Guide to World Geography
Uncle Josh's Blank Outline Maps
Answer Atlas
World Almanac 2008
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earthmaven
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The trail guide really does sound wonderful, and I love the look of the Uncle Josh outlines, too. Thanks so much for taking the time to give a detailed report. Looks like another purchase for us! I'm so excited by all the geography work we're going to be doing!
Tracy
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Meredith
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I also have Lori's Reasearch Guides They might be a nice accompaniment to the Geography Book! I am now seriously considering this one, thank you again for your review, very helpful 
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Erin
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Resurrecting an old thread.
I have finally bought Trail Guide to World Geography  Has anyone bought the World Trail Guide Student Notebook? If so did you find it beneficial? If you choose not to buy it. why?
Trying to get organised and finding it a scramble.
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Becky Parker
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I've used the Trail Guide books but never to the degree I wanted to. There is alot in them and I always feel like we only scratch the surface of that resource. I wonder if the Student Notebook would help us to get more out of them...
I realize I am not answering your question at all Erin! Just thinking out loud. I hope you get some replies.
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Erin
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Becky
I very boldly asked Geo Matters, if the notebook was "worth it?" and received the following response.
Hi Erin, It is definitely worth it if you are going to do any of the mapping activities. The main benefit to the student notebook pages is that it's a starting point for your student to make their own personalized notebook. The digital download will have the daily questions listed with spaces to answer, template pages for Trail Blazing activities, and one or maps to go along with each lesson.
it does sound good for where I am, encouraging my 10 and 12 yrd olds to be more independent.
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CatholicMommy
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We have all the items I mentioned above that I was going to get: World, Bible and Art. And Uncle Josh's map CD (not as helpful as I thought it would be, but I keep it on hand just in case - I think we did get our continent outlines from there; other stuff is in the book).
We created our own student notebook with photocopies of pages in the back of the World Geography book; as well as maps, and diagrams of my son's own choosing and according to activity suggestions. We just used a 3-ring binder, some page protectors, and have some large pages 3-hole punched, then folded into the binder so they fit when it is closed. It's like a lapbook in binder form for us :)
We've really enjoyed all of it :)
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Geography guide question
