Covering geography - map work

[scrapper4life]

I looked at three of the elementary guides and did not see a book of maps, etc so I'm wondering if I need to add this in? I noticed a geography box that rotates in the mix, but I don't see any resources for it. Again, I just looked at 3 elementary guides.

[LovingJesus]

Creation to Christ is later elementary (4th / 5th approximately) and has an entire book on Geography. The assignments on the Holy Land and the Middle East are fairly detailed in the places they find and the places described in the book. Carrie in the guide has them label maps (Turkey, Israel, Egypt, etc.), journal note booking (writing a paragraph about the reading in the geography book), read about the places, and mark places on a blank map of the countries studied. This was a together box, and it did cover a lot of geography both in the book and in the assignments given in the CTC guide.

In Beyond (1st / 2nd grade early elementary) the Geography finds places on the globe and map, traces routes of some of the history being studied, and covers some of the basics like longitude, latitude, equator, northern and southern hemispheres, north pole, south pole, and various temperatures on different parts of the globe. The resources for these activities are masking tape for the floor and a globe. It is a great way to do geography with young children.

One thing we did when my oldest was in K was put a world and USA map on the wall. We have been finding places on them ever since. It does help with familiarizing with geography to do this one thing that really is a basic resource. I have them in the hallway, out side their bedrooms, and find them often looking at them and finding various places. When we read a book I have them find the place that is in the book on the map. They have learned a lot of place geography that way.

You don't need to add any geography to the early elementary guides of HOD. You really don't.

May I humbly suggest trusting the process? You don't have to teach everything in early elementary. It comes with time. In particular with a program like HOD the building is over years. Beyond is a nice gentle approach for young children. CTC is quite a bit of rigor and academic challenge for later elementary. There is a lot of building of skills between those two guides. I did not find CTC too lite at all for the age group. Beyond was a nice relaxed pace for 2nd, which is helpful with your first born as you have younger children (or would have been if I had done Beyond with my oldest, but I did a similar approach with my oldest and added too much to it). Later on it is a relief to not have too much for the second or third borns.

I would encourage you to read the current threads on high school on this board. One I started, and two have been brought back from a year ago. They have helped me so much in seeing the bigger picture of HOD.

Charlotte Mason is about starting more gently in the early years. It does work, and I would really encourage you to trust that process and enjoy those earlier easier to teach years. It builds soon enough. You honestly don't need to add anything.

[scrapper4life]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. This is the last little piece I need to figure out, mainly because I am concerned about the testing. I will take time to think over and pray about what you've said.

Your comments bring me back to my initial question on this board about placement. It seems that the prevailing thought is to place towards the upper end of the age range, so I was planning LHFHG for first grade. Based on the charts, my son looks like he'll be OK with Beyond, but after reading comments here and in FB group, I felt much better about LHFHG. Maybe I need to rethink. More to pray about

Again, thank you!

[LovingJesus]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. This is the last little piece I need to figure out, mainly because I am concerned about the testing. I will take time to think over and pray about what you've said.

Your comments bring me back to my initial question on this board about placement. It seems that the prevailing thought is to place towards the upper end of the age range, so I was planning LHFHG for first grade. Based on the charts, my son looks like he'll be OK with Beyond, but after reading comments here and in FB group, I felt much better about LHFHG. Maybe I need to rethink. More to pray about

Again, thank you!

The history and geography covered in Beyond is on 2nd grade or 3rd grade standardized tests. I am thinking 2nd. You don't need Beyond for first grade testing.

Do you have to turn in standardized scores? We have to test annually, but we don't have to turn in scores. I know what it is like to feel nervous about that piece of home schooling before having to do the first tests. I had to do the first test in second grade. The point of the scores in our state is they want us to see our kids making reasonable progress in comparison to the public schools. The scores though are for our own feedback.

Most of the IOWA and CAT tests, that we use, are language arts (reading comprehension, spelling, word usage, listening in the lower grades, etc. They don't test writing, which is a main focus of language arts education) and mathematics (conceptual understanding, problem solving, etc.) The small sections, that tend to stay very, very basic through the elementary grades, are social studies, science, and map reading. They are the easy sections I use as a break between LA and math. The LA and math sections are numerous and extensive. I really wouldn't worry about the science and social studies testing for the elementary grades. A curriculum like HOD more than covers the social studies and science on the tests. Everything I have ever seen in HOD far surpasses standardized testing in all areas.

Edited to add: I didn't notice before that you said he places in Beyond on the placement chart. If he places in Beyond them that is where he should start.

[Nealewill]

Your comments bring me back to my initial question on this board about placement. It seems that the prevailing thought is to place towards the upper end of the age range, so I was planning LHFHG for first grade.

It does seem like there is a big wave on both this board and Facebook where people constantly recommend moms to always place children on the highest end of the age range. I personally do not agree with this overall thinking for general practice sake. Use the placement chart to place your child. When I first started HOD, many people recommended that I put my kids on the oldest end of the age range. However, my girls placed, according to the chart, on the youngest end of the age range and my son placed in the middle. I am glad that I went with the placement recommendation of the chart because if I hadn't, my girls would have been very under challenged. I can't say that they would have been bored at a lower level since HOD is not boring no matter what. But I would have walked away feeling like HOD wasn't working for me and that my kids weren't appropriately challenged. Now my son, he does belong on the highest end of the age range. For a while he was not combine with his younger sister but this year I decided to combine him with her and it was a wonderful choice. He has auditory processing disorder so using the highest end of the age range works much better for him. So anyway, my encouragement is to look at the placement chart with fresh eyes and place your child in the level that they "place."

[rumkimom]

I agree with Nealewill. Place your child where he or she fits the best on the placement chart. Some kids will place on the low age range and some on the higher age range. All 3 of my younger kids placed on the higher end of the age range but that is because they all have special learning needs. I see many kids placed on the lower age range and they seem to do really well....especially when they start HOD at a younger age.

With my youngest (1st grade, just turned 8 this month), I could now switch him to the next level as he is ready and has made much progress this year (he could not even sit and listen to stories for more than 2 min at that time this past fall). He should be completing 2nd grade (as far as his age) but this past fall he just could not do that work....but now he can. He is still behind in many things (adopted from another country at age 6.5 years) but I think with time he will get caught up and I might have to push him once he knows how to read. I plan to continue LHFHG though the summer (we are on unit 22) and then when we are done I will switch up (mid-summer?).

[LovingJesus]

I edited my post above. I didn't notice before that you mentioned him placing in Beyond on the chart. If he places in Beyond in the areas of age, reading, and writing then that is where you should start.

I hope that helps. The testing too really will be fine!

[MelInKansas]

A) HOD is rigorous in Geography. There isn't a "book of maps" until CTC and Res to Ref, but they are supposed to look at a globe, a world map, a U.S. map very regularly. I bought large maps and have used them. It is more than enough to pass grade level standardized tests.

B) The reason it's usually recommended to stay at the higher age range of the guides (or to place in an easier guide rather than a harder one) is that HOD ramps up very quickly. Many kids hit a bit of a wall in Bigger or Preparing because of the increased writing workload required of them when moving up into one of those guides. It's thought that staying at the higher end of the age range will prevent some of the burnout a younger child might get if asked to do too much too quickly. This is a very CM idea. However, it was designed for children in the age range on the guide, and so can be used with children of those ages. If your child is able to keep up with the work in Beyond, and they complete it well, they will move on pretty well to Bigger. If you ever hit a point where you need to slow down, you'll probably know it. We did with my oldest, who was on the lower end of the age range until Bigger. Thankfully on the lower end of the age range you have an extra year to complete all of the guides, and by slowing down we will take up that extra year.