Now that many of us parents and grandparents are unexpectedly fulfilling the role of homeschool teacher due to school closures, we may be unsure where to find solid resources for teaching American geography. Non-traditional instruction only fills part of a child’s day and we need to go above and beyond the assignment list to ensure the successes of our advancing students. While you probably didn’t plan to home school your child this year, there are many resources to help you take hold of the reigns and propel your child’s Social Studies education.
Even without a degree in education, you can find the resources and lessons to effectively teach your elementary school, middle school, or high school child from home. With a little patience and preparation, your homeschooling efforts will pay off with a well-educated kiddo (and hopefully only a few gray hairs!).
There are so many great resources online, but finding resources that are accurate, simple, and engaging can be overwhelming. Finding resources that offer consistency can also be a challenge.
This United States Primary Source Analysis Bundle can provide a comprehensive collection of American History documents and images for secondary students to analyze, practicing Social Studies skills while reviewing content.
When you home school, it is best to start with the foundation and build upward. Your students can provide valuable feedback during the process. Look for resources that address basic skills. Consider Mapping Lessons that cover key content while also teaching students how to examine and create maps to show what they know. This Mapping the World activity is a fun one I use in the first days of school to set my students up with that valuable foundation.
Homeschooling with Task Cards
Task cards are a great way to meet your kids where they are. Task cards have many different uses and applications, including engaging hands-on learning, assessment, skills reinforcement (especially great for geography skills reinforcement!), practice, and content introduction.
This American Geography Task Card Set includes 200 cards that can be used as a scavenger hunt activity, mapping practice, research prompts, and fun, engaging games! Task Cards are great for making rotating centers (which get students UP and MOVING!). Task Cards also work well with groups and teams, so if your child has siblings or friends who they can Skype or Zoom, they can work in digital pairs!
Reinforce skills with a printed map so students can mark the places they discover as they learn. Or, use an online resource like Sheppard Software to practice states (or countries, regions, etc.) with a timer.
American History Resources
In addition to task cards, this History Headline News Activity is great for upper elementary students and can help pull kids from excessive current media engagement. This activity allows them to visit this day in a historical context and report on their findings. The fun and diverse topics will keep them wanting to learn more.
Also, homeschool students can engage with current events with a Current Events Timeline Activity. The skill of timelining is vital to reinforce the cause and effect of history, but is also a great way to let learner’s hands participate in visual and content reinforcement.
Find more Social Studies resources for your homeschool classroom here.
Teaching for Non-Teachers
Though the information at hand may be overwhelming for parents who are not used to teaching, there is a wealth of information available to help you put on your teacher hat and take charge in your homeschool classroom. Above all, keeping your child engaged throughout the school break is key. Though this time is confusing, scary, and stressful for all, maintaining a routine for your kids is vital for their mental and educational well-being.
You can read more about how to spark a historical interest in your child with this blog post on Creating an Interest in History. You can also find tips on how to teach inquiry to your children, and how to appropriately and accurately use primary sources in the home school classroom, in this blog post.
Happy Homeschooling!
