Last year, while talking with parents about map study, one comment came up again and again:
"The countries for each month are so spread out. Why don't they focus on one area of the world for each month?"
I think this is a legitimate question and worth some attention. So many years ago, we were students in middle school and high school social studies classes. We were introduced to our study units with a map of a continent or geographic region, which we would then have to label and memorize. Naturally, we became used to geography being presented within that context: one continent or region at a time, labeling countries which were connected to each other.
So, I can understand why this question is raised. That said, there is a method to this madness which I only uncovered after doing a few months of map study with my son.
Each month's study map shows countries which are, in fact, connected to the previous month's countries.*
Using their prior knowledge, kids can learn that this month's country (say, Ecuador) is connected to a to a country they learned last month (say, Peru). That said, it's not always easy for kids to put this together on their own.
One idea I've come up with is to grab up an extra World Study Map, or use the labeled side of the one you have at home, and have your student *color in* the countries each month as you go. By locating them on the world map, and coloring them in each month, your student can make that connection. And they can also see how many countries they have studied over the year. To imagine these countries from last month and the current month can be pretty abstract for your younger learners, so the exercise of coloring in that World Study Map as you go will help to make that knowledge more concrete.
Oh, and I highly recommend using colored pencils for this. Markers will soak through. One other thought is to trace around the border first, then color the country in. Noticing the shapes of each country often helps in identification and offers a multi-sensory experience as well. Slowly putting the whole together, bit by bit, through the year, keeps the previous months studies relevant as well. In this way we help our students connect those 'disconnected' countries.
*I add the caveat that October doesn't follow this rule, as September study is continents, global lines and major waterways. That said, October through May does tend to follow this formula.
