Home Geography (Long) Topics for Cycle 1:

A Round World: The world is round. Left, right, front (before), back (behind) are positions; know which is which and realize they are dependent on perspective.

• • Home Geography (Long), Ch. 1. Position

Cardinal Directions: Fixed direction (north, south, east, west). The sun shows direction: East is where the sun rises, west is where it sets. Stars (North or Pole Star, constellations) show direction and help mariners find their way. The length and direction of shadows can help us tell time as well as direction.

• • Home Geography (Long), Ch. 2: How the Sun Shows Direction; Ch. 3: How the Stars Show Direction

Compass: A compass can show direction when sun and stars are not visible. Magnetic needle always points north. Points on the compass (N, S, E, W and also halfway in between: NE), how sailors use a compass.

• • Home Geography (Long), Ch. 4: How the Compass Shows Direction; Ch. 5: Questions on Direction; Ch. 6: What the Winds Bring (Poem) 

The Water Cycle & Weather: The water cycle: clouds, rain, rivers, ocean, evaporation (vapor); dew, snow

• • Home Geography (Long), Ch. 13: Rain, Wind, and Snow; Ch. 14: How Water is Changed to Vapor; Ch. 15: How Vapor is Changed to Water; Ch. 16: Dew, Clouds and Rain; Ch. 17: The Fairy Artist (Poem)

Elementary Geography (Mason) Topics for Cycle 1:

Rotating Planets: Planets rotate around the sun. Earth rotates around the sun in 365 days, making a year. The earth's turning makes day and night.

• • Elementary Geography (Mason), Ch. 6: Our World and Other Worlds Part I; Ch. 7: Our World and Other Worlds Part II; Ch. 8: VIII. The Sunshine (Mary Howitt); Ch. 9: Day and Night; Ch. 10: X. The Blind Boy (C. Cibber) 

Poles: The poles; earth's spinning on its tilted axis makes the four seasons

• • Elementary Geography (Mason), Ch. 11: Poles and Axis; Ch. 12: The Four Seasons Part I; Ch. 13: XIII. The Voice of Spring (Mary Howitt); Ch. 14: The Four Seasons Part II; Ch. 15: XV. Summer (Gilman); Ch. 16: XVI. Harvest Thanksgiving (Sir Henry Baker); Ch. 17: XVII. Winter (Shakespeare)

Home Geography (Long) Topics for Cycle 2:

Maps: A map (plan) is a picture of a room, town, country or earth and should show where N is; how maps are made; maps of towns, regions, countries, the world.

• • Home Geography (Long), Ch. 7: How to Tell Distance; Ch. 8: Pictures and Plans; Ch. 9: Written Exercise (Drawing Plans)

Rivers & Waterways: Rivers and waterways; rivers start at a mountain spring and flow to the sea; a river's source, mouth, bed, two banks, tributary (branch), rapids, cataract, waterfall. Oceans and their parts, why rivers wind, work of rivers (fertile after flooding, pebbles, gravel, sand)

• • Home Geography (Long), Ch. 18: How Rivers are Made; Ch. 19. More About Rivers; Ch. 20: The Brook (Poem); Ch. 21: Work of Flowing Rivers; Ch. 22. Waterdrop's Story; Ch. 23: The River (Poem)

Cultural Geography: People around the world live in different dwellings, eat, work, learn and play. Terms: agriculture (farming), stock-raising, mining, lumbering, fishing. Town people: manufacturing, trade/commerce, transportation and other occupations.

• • Home Geography (Long), Ch. 43: How People Live, and What They Are Doing; Ch. 44: More About What People Are Doing; Ch. 45: A Review Lesson

Elementary Geography (Mason) Topics for Cycle 2:

A Round World: The world is round. Left, right, front (before), back (behind) are positions; know which is which and realize they are dependent on perspective.

• • Elementary Geography (Mason), Ch. 1: I. How all things praise the Lord (Montgomery); Ch. 2: Our World Part I

Hemispheres: The round world can be divided into two spheres. The line dividing it across the middle is the equator; its parallel lines are latitude. The line where the earth meets the sky is called the horizon.

• • Elementary Geography (Mason), Ch. 3: III.The Sailor-boy's Gossip (Eliza Cook); Ch. 4: Our World Part II; Ch. 5: V. The Star (Jane Taylor)

Rivers & Waterways: Rivers and waterways; rivers start at a mountain spring and flow to the sea; a river's source, mouth, bed, two banks, tributary (branch), rapids, cataract, waterfall. Oceans and their parts, why rivers wind, work of rivers (fertile after flooding, pebbles, gravel, sand)

• • Elementary Geography (Mason), Ch. 37: Rivers; Ch. 38: Countries; Ch. 39: The Waters of the Earth Part I; Ch. 40: The Waters of the Earth Part II; Ch. 41: The Oceans and Their Parts

Home Geography (Long) Topics for Cycle 3:

Food Crops: Food crops (vegetables, grains fruit) and other useful plants

• • Home Geography (Long), Ch. 28: Spring (Poem); Ch. 29: Useful Vegetables; Ch. 30: Useful Grains; Ch. 31: Fruits; Ch. 32: Useful Plants; Ch. 33: Forest Trees

Things Plants Need: Flowers; what plants need to grow

• • Home Geography (Long), Ch. 34: Flowers; Ch. 35: What is Necessary to Make Plants Grow; Ch. 36: Summer Rain (Poem); Ch. 40: The Signs of the Seasons (Poem)

Elementary Geography (Mason) Topics for Cycle 3:

Measuring Distance: Measuring distance: inch, foot yard; mile. A country's proximity to the equator or poles determines its climate. Parallel lines from pole to pole are longitude.

• • Elementary Geography (Mason), Ch. 18: Hot Countries and Cold Countries Part I; Ch. 19: XIX. The Humming-bird (Mary Howitt); Ch. 20: Hot Countries and Cold Countries Part II; Ch. 21: XXI. The Land of Ice at the South Pole (Coleridge); Ch. 22: Parallel Lines 

Compass: A compass can show direction when sun and stars are not visible. Magnetic needle always points north. Points on the compass (N, S, E, W and also halfway in between: NE), how sailors use a compass.

• • Elementary Geography (Mason), Ch. 28: The Points of the Compass; Ch. 29: The Mariner's Compass

Maps: A map (plan) is a picture of a room, town, country or earth and should show where N is; how maps are made; maps of towns, regions, countries, the world.

• • Elementary Geography (Mason), Ch. 30: The Plan of a Room; Ch. 31: The Plan of a Town; Ch. 32: Map of a County; Ch. 33: How Maps are Made

Home Geography (Long) Topics for Cycle 4:

The Earth's Surface: Earth's surface is mostly water; highlands (cooler), lowlands (warmer), mountains (foot, slope, summit) and valleys

• • Home Geography (Long), Ch. 10: God Made Them All (Poem); Ch. 11. Plains; Ch. 12. Hills, Mountains, Valleys

Landforms: Land forms such as continent, island (archipelago), mountain, hill, isthmus (neck), mainland, peninsula, cape, plain, prairie, shore, forest, field, plain, tundra, desert, oasis. Bodies of water such as brook, creek (stream), river, pond, lake (inlet, outlet), sea, ocean, cove, bay, gulf, strait

• • Home Geography (Long), Ch. 24. A Map; Ch. 25: Forms of Land and Water; Ch. 26: More About Forms of Land and Water; Ch. 27: A Trip to the Highlands

Animal Features & their Purposes: Animal features (feet, teeth, covering) and their purposes; how we use animals (meat, milk, fur, silk, horns, hooves, labor, pets)

• • Home Geography (Long), Ch. 37: The Parts of Animals; Ch. 38: The Covering of Animals; Ch. 39: Uses of Animals

Things Found in the Earth: Things mined from the earth: minerals and metals such as coal, iron, gold, silver, lead, tin, copper, mercury, salt. Quarried stones: granite, sandstone; limestone (chalk), marble, slate and their uses. Where brick and glass come from; mortar.

• • Home Geography (Long), Ch. 41: Things Found in the Earth; Ch. 42: More About Things Found in the Earth

Elementary Geography (Mason) Topics for Cycle 4:

Sun Rising & Setting: The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

• • Elementary Geography (Mason), Ch. 23: XXIII. Day-break (Fletcher); Ch. 24: Sunrise and Sunset; Ch. 26: Why the Sun Rises and Sets; Ch. 27: Mid-day Lines

The Earth's Surface: Earth's surface is mostly water; highlands (cooler), lowlands (warmer), mountains (foot, slope, summit) and valleys

• • Elementary Geography (Mason), Ch. 34: The Surface of the Earth Part I; Ch. 35: The Surface of the Earth Part II; Ch. 36: Highlands and Lowlands