Evan-Moor’s Skill Sharpeners: Geography teaches kids about geography using topics kids enjoy. We reviewed Skill Sharpeners: Geography as a mid-year addition to our homeschooling, and we were delighted to use the activities for learning geography.
In this review of Skill Sharpeners: Geography, I will share:
- the features of Skill Sharpeners: Geography
- the layout and ease of use
- how to use Skill Sharpeners: Geography in your homeschooling
- the content in each grade level
Features of Skill Sharpeners: Geography
While doing a review of Skill Sharpeners: Geography, we found several features that worked really well for homeschooling.
The gorgeous photographs and full-color activity pages instantly grab and hold kids’ attention.
Each unit is organized by theme or topic, so it is easy to follow. The activities naturally build on each concept in the unit so kids can see a bigger picture about the world. (Click on the image for a closer view.)
The skills or concepts practiced in each activity are clearly labeled. This makes it easy to see what your child will be learning on each page.
The assignments are effective and short.
Most kids (including my own) enjoy the learning part more than the writing part of an assignment, and Evan-Moor knows that. The tasks are purposeful, yet don’t take a lot of time to complete. More time is spent learning than writing long answers – which keeps kids happy and wanting to learn more.
Skill Sharpeners: Geography includes hands-on learning activities that are a terrific way for kids to apply what they learned at the end of each unit. When kids ask, “Can we please do this activity?” it is a wonderful thing.
The answer key can be found at the back of the book. My kids can easily check their work. We discuss anything they didn’t understand or missed.
Layout of Skill Sharpeners: Geography
One of my favorite things about Skill Sharpeners: Geography is how the layout of each book is easy to follow.
- Each unit is highlighted by a band of color that is visible from both open pages and the closed book.. This simple band of color helps my kids see their progress within both the unit and the entire book.
- The unit theme is printed down the side of each page, so it is easy to stay focused on what we are learning.
- In each unit, the pages have each concept or skill clearly featured at the top of the page.
The geography activities connect to other subject areas including reading, visual literacy, vocabulary, and writing.
- Each unit concludes with a hands-on activity that uses what the kids have learned in each unit.
How to Use Skill Sharpeners: Geography in Homeschooling
While reviewing Skill Sharpeners: Geography, it was easy to see how it could be adapted based on a specific child’s needs. Each unit can be completed together or assigned based on what works in your homeschooling.
If your child needs support with reading the lessons and directions, the geography articles can be read aloud. The reading passages are short and filled with interesting information. This helps keep the kids engaged and focused on the lesson.
Once your child is reading, the clear and engaging layout of Skill Sharpeners makes it a great option for independent work. There is an answer key at the back of the book. My children check their own work, and we discuss anything they missed or didn’t understand.
A third option for using Skill Sharpeners: Geography is to teach the main concepts at the beginning of the unit, and then have your child complete the remaining activities independently.
With about 17 units in each Skill Sharpeners: Geography book, we typically complete a unit every two weeks. Of course, we adjust how many pages we complete each school day as needed. It is easy to be flexible with the entire Skill Sharpeners series, which you can check out here.
Solid Curriculum Content
Skill Sharpeners: Geography introduces knowledge and skills in units that are just right for each grade level. It gives me peace of mind to know that the curriculum is thorough and developmentally appropriate for the age of the child.
I wanted to share how much curriculum content is packed into each grade level of Skill Sharpeners: Geography. Here is a list of the themed topics for each grade level:
PreK:
- Map skills
- Landforms and bodies of water
- Continents and oceans
- Habitats
Kindergarten:
- Map skills
- Landforms and bodies of water
- Continents and oceans
Grade 1:
- Map skills
- Places and regions
- Continents and oceans
- Habitats
Grade 2:
- Earth’s weather
- Places and regions
- Habitats, environments, and physical systems
- Human activities and cultures
- Uses of geography
Grade 3:
- Tornadoes
- Earthquakes
- Famous mountains
- Rivers
- Volcanoes
- Deserts
- Cultures
- World travel
- Native American history
- Unique water formations
- Early exploration
Grade 4:
- Earth from space
- Early explorers
- National parks
- Antarctica
- Amazon
- Glaciers
- Rainforests
- Ancient Greece
- Roman waterways
- Time zones
- Large water systems
- Protecting the environment
- Future of Earth’s water
Grade 5:
- Old and new navigation
- GPS coordinates
- Dinosaurs
- Making mountains
- Major volcanoes
- Unique habitats
- Human migrations in history
- Indigenous peoples
- World religions
- World farming traditions
- Modern transportation
- National borders
- Special animals around the world
Grade 6:
- Storms on Earth
- Special places on Earth
- Iceland
- Unique trees
- Death Valley and deserts
- Landform maps
- Colliding plates
- Altitudes
- Immigration
- Angel Island
- UNESCO
- Dealing with water
- Scuba diving
- Sea pirates
- Sea travel
Conclusion
With an abundance of varying cultures and beautiful places, geography is an ongoing part of our life-long education. Evan-Moor’s Skill Sharpeners: Gography is a terrific option to expand our geography studies.
It is always great when lessons capture our kids’ attention. Plus, finding resources that teach information in manageable lessons is always a good thing. The Skill Sharpeners series consistently offers this ideal balance in our homeschooling.
We enjoyed reviewing Skill Sharpeners: Geography and have continued to use it. We pair it with Daily Geography Practice for a complete geography curriculum. Using these two books together gives us fun ways to practice map skills and learn about the world.
Have you tried Skill Sharpeners: Geography?
I would love to hear your thoughts about it!
Amy Michaels is a certified teacher with 11 years of elementary classroom experience who is actively homeschooling her own children. Her mission is share the best teaching methods and resources with all homeschoolers. Amy supports parents through her podcasts, webinars, and online training for homeschoolers on her website www.thrivehomeschooling.com.