Looking for a homeschool geography curriculum to add to your learning plans? Here’s how Beautiful Feet Books can help you explore the United States and engage with great literature in the process.
*This is a sponsored post, and I received a complimentary copy of U.S. Geography for Intermediate Grades for review purposes. Also, this post contains some referral links. See my disclosure for further details.*
Any time is an excellent time to dig into geography, but our recent move from the North Carolina coast to the mid-Atlantic region has given my family renewed incentive to learn more about this big, beautiful, and diverse country we call home.
Since Beautiful Feet Books is one of our go-to curricula stops, I knew their U.S. Geography for Intermediate Grades would be the perfect place to turn. With that in mind, here’s what you need to know about this geography curriculum option.
Teaching Homeschool Geography with Beautiful Feet Books
I’m about 20 lessons into this round of teaching homeschool geography with Beautiful Feet Books. Before I share my takeaways thus far, here’s an overview of this United States geography curriculum.
Overview: U.S. Geography for Intermediate Grades
If you’re familiar with Beautiful Feet Books, it’s not surprising to learn their U.S. Geography literature pack uses a combination of great reading picks as the foundation of their lessons and mixes them with hands-on activities and other learning ideas.
The curriculum is designed for grades 4-6 and includes 37 lessons. Though it’s easy to schedule these 37 lessons over the course of one year, you can adjust the pacing as needed and still have a great experience.
While U.S. geography is the overall focus in this curriculum, here are some specifics about topics covered through the lessons:
- Geography – the 50 states and their capitals, geography terms, mapping skills, Great Lakes, national parks and landmarks, major rivers and oceans.
- History – Regional historical and social studies.
- Earth Science – Biomes, ecosystems, and landforms.
- Nature Study – Biology, ecology, and natural science
Finally, the literature pack itself includes the teacher guide, the books for the course, and a map.
Exploring the U.S. with Homeschool Geography for Intermediate Grades
Now that you know more about the curriculum itself, here’s what stands out about U.S. Geography for Intermediate Grades.
Beautiful Feet Books can also help you teach American History. Read our review of American History for Intermediate Grades here.
There’s a great blend of books.
Most of our learning routine is centered around literature, so engaging with a topic through great books is our default homeschool setting. Since we prefer learning through story, the book selections woven into this homeschool geography curriculum are exactly what I’m looking for when it comes to teaching U.S. geography.
Here are some of the eleven books included:
- The New Americans: Colonial Times by Betsy Maestro
- John Muir: America’s First Environmentalist by Kathryn Lasky
- Redwoods by Jason Chin
- Buffalo Bird Girl by S.D. Nelson
- National Geographic Kids United States Atlas
- Bad News for Outlaws by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
- The Trailblazing Life of Daniel Boone by Cheryl Harness
The cool thing about these books is that the lessons combine nonfiction books like the atlas with readings from books like The New Americans. This mix goes a long way in helping kids connect the dots between the individual states and what makes them unique. Better yet, it helps them make connections between the regions as they know them today and the cultures and history that shaped them.
It’s more than literature.
As much as I love the book selections used in this literature pack, I’m so grateful there’s more to these lessons than reading. Since so much of our learning is grounded in literature, having hands-on elements in each lesson makes our U.S. Geography time a standout in our homeschool to-do list.
Even better, the literature serves as a starting point. There’s lots of guidance for extending lessons with activities, projects, and other learning extras. That makes it easy to dig in and add more when time or curiosity allows.
The teacher guide helps you shine!
Speaking of all those extras, the teacher guide for U.S. Geography makes it super easy to work these into the lessons. It includes an overview of all the books used in the curriculum and additional recommended reading to use throughout.
Additionally, each regional section and lesson include suggestions for Rabbit Trails, online resources, nature journaling suggestions, and food representing each area, along with corresponding activities and projects.
The great thing about all of this is that you can incorporate as many or as few of these as you wish into your lessons. I love that there’s complete flexibility with all of this because it allows us to dig deeper as often as we wish. But most importantly, all of this allows you to teach with confidence as you work through the study with your kids.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EARLY AMERICAN INTERMEDIATE PACK
Ready to learn more about Beautiful Feet Books and their U.S. Geography Intermediate Pack? You can find it on their website along with sample pages and a downloadable scope and sequence.
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You’ll also want to check out all of their curriculum offerings. You’ll find lots of fantastic options for homeschooling early elementary, middle school, and high school. (Heads up: you can keep up with new releases by .)
Worth noting, we’ve used the following Beautiful Feet Books curricula over the years and had wonderful experiences with them:
- Early American History for Intermediate Grades
- Early American History for 7-9th Grade
- Ancient History Senior High
- Teaching Character for Intermediate Grades
- Holling C. Holling Geography Pack
In closing, I happily recommend Beautiful Feet Books’ U.S. Geography for Intermediate Grades. If you’re looking for a literature approach to homeschool geography combined with plenty of hands-on learning, it’s a curriculum option you won’t want to miss.