GEOGRAPHY WEST IS A YEAR-LONG COURSE FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 4-6.

Following the introductory year geography studies are broken up into four courses: north, south, east and west. They can be done in any order. Our recommendation is based on opportunity to integrate them with history. Geography – West includes the study of continents and oceans, South America, Central America, and North America. This course fits well with the Explorers to 1815 Veritas history course. Children will join Mr. Latitude and Mr. Longitude, who travel west with the famous lumberjack Paul Bunyan. Their adventures include visiting El Dorado, Atlantis, and New York. They even catch up with the mysterious Bigfoot. Available in You Teach and Live Online formats.

The Veritas Approach to Geography

Where in the world am I? This is an important question, whether visiting a new place on vacation, studying an event in history, or watching the evening news. Veritas Press’ Legends and Leagues curriculum gives children a thorough overview of geography, equipping them with knowledge about each part of our world.

We believe a sound grasp of geography is crucial for the academic success of a student and will pay dividends in their adult years. Many aspects of this wide and varied discipline lend themselves to memorization, so we’ve positioned our curriculum where it fits best, in the grammar years, when memorization is fun and easy for students.

You might think of some of the obvious benefits of geography, like reading a map or following a GPS. But there are advantages beyond locating yourself on the globe, and it’s not limited to knowing which cities your favorite sports teams are from. Knowing where events took place in history helps fix them in our minds and gives insights beyond a simple locale. Other ways we explore our world is through literature, and a full grasp of geography enriches our reading comprehension. And on another level, geography aids in our understanding of other cultures, languages, religions, politics, and world affairs.

Students in 1st grade meet Mr. Longitude and Mr. Latitude, cheery fellows who introduce foundational concepts in geography. These fun characters also guide the student in the Legends and Leagues material in subsequent grades. The storybook is an engrossing way for the student to learn about maps, the points of a compass, the continents and oceans, and more. The reproducible workbook reviews and expands their learning.

Here is our recommended order of study for Geography:

The stories and workbooks covering South, East, North, and West may be used in any grade, 2nd – 5th. The order we chose is based loosely on the region in the world that is studied each year in our Veritas Press History Series, but the correspondence is not a strong one, so feel free to study them in a different order.

The full-color workbooks include attractive regional maps, study questions, vocabulary, and tear-out quizzes and tests. Other optional worksheets include Sightseeing, Local Flavor, and Souvenirs to help imaginations soar. The children will also be learning songs from the Geography Songs Audio (and States & Capitals Songs Audio in the West series). This harnesses the classical method for children to effectively learn the names and places on the map through drill and memorization.

Live Online

This class includes the study of the continents and oceans, South America, Central America, and North America. This course fits well with a study of History using the Veritas Press Explorers to 1815 curriculum. The curriculum used in the course features Mr. Latitude and Mr. Longitude, who travel west with the famous lumberjack, Paul Bunyan. Their adventures include visiting El Dorado, Atlantis, and New York. They even catch up with the mysterious Bigfoot. Students will explore the culture of each area of study while learning the capital city and location of each country. Song memorization will help students remember the countries in each specific region.

Live Online – The Veritas Approach

Veritas has been offering live online classes since 2006. Here are some reasons why you should consider our live courses:

• Classes meet twice weekly for 75–90 minutes.
• Synchronous interactions use audio and video.
• Engage with material throughout the week, per assignments.
• Interaction with peers from across the globe. It's not uncommon to have students from five or six different countries in one classroom.
• 20:1 student:teacher ratio, with an emphasis on individualized attention.
• World-class teachers, more than two-thirds have advanced degrees.
• Veritas Scholars Academy is accredited by Middle States Association

You Teach

You Teach is our term for those who take our curriculum and teach it themselves, whether at home or at school.

The Geography West - Course Kit contains the materials you will need to teach the course to one student at home or what a student taking the class live will need. Following the introductory year geography studies are broken up into four courses: north, south, east and west. They can be done in any order. Our recommendation is fifth grade or when taking Veritas Explorers to 1815 history for this course.
Lesson Plans are also highly recommended and are 50% off when purchased alongside the kit.

Course Kits are offered as a discounted package. However, you may only need some of the books. Select the ones you need below for easy ordering.