My kid is in 8tj grade at McPS and learned them some years ago. We just went to a new state this weekend and she went through her list to count how many states she has been to (I think 23). We then had a family discussion about whether her brother could count Delaware if hr has only driven through on I-95.

Mine can sing them lol. So could probably recite them given enough time to translate within her brain.
They did a state fair in 4th grade. Learning the state song was part of it.
K-8 Christian in moco.

How do you think I felt when I discovered that my kid didn’t know the order of the months?! I had assumed it was taught at the school. It’s not! I didn’t teach her at home and failed on that part. I set out to teach her Months. I grew up in the Montgomery County schools, and it was taught to me. I guess they stopped teaching it.

Anonymous wrote:Uhhh...yet another hole to plug in this shameful farce of an education in mcps. She is only able to name a handful of states. And don't come at me...I've been working with her for years to address all the other holes in her education

States are racist

Here's a nice present that keeps geography close for kids and isn't fragile like a classroom globe.

https://www.amazon.com/Hugg-A-Planet-HAP-Classic-Political-Earth/dp/B00L4P8JIU/ref=asc_df_B00L4P8JIU?mcid=689b2891e0f631de90bae8b1160387ab&hvocijid=14954114181383857802-B00L4P8JIU-&hvexpln=73&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=692875362841&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14954114181383857802&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1019250&hvtargid=pla-2281435180258&psc=1

Anonymous wrote:I have a 10-year-old in MCPS and he still has trouble with very basic geography. I don't care whether he learns state capitals but I do care that he learns about the states, the other countries in North America, and basic information about the other continents. MCPS does not appear to be teaching this fundamental information and they are placing yet another item on my list of at-home supplementation. And that is a problem, public schools should already cover that material.

Clearly they teach it as many kids learn it in ES. It’s also covered again in MS and again in World History, so stop stressing. If you really want your kid to learn it now there are lots of ways to do that
- Stack the States
-Animaniacs song
- Fifty Nifty US song
- This wonderful thing called a Map or Globe

US schools cover geography less than most around the world. Partly because of arrogance and partly because there isn’t as much as close by so people never see the other places and therefore can’t place them as easily.

Mine could name every state, and every state capital in elem. school. It was a game we played at the dinner table.

Now they're in college and one in the last year of HS and it's all gone out of their heads. You can google that stuff.

I have a 10-year-old in MCPS and he still has trouble with very basic geography. I don't care whether he learns state capitals but I do care that he learns about the states, the other countries in North America, and basic information about the other continents. MCPS does not appear to be teaching this fundamental information and they are placing yet another item on my list of at-home supplementation. And that is a problem, public schools should already cover that material.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Uhhh...yet another hole to plug in this shameful farce of an education in mcps. She is only able to name a handful of states. And don't come at me...I've been working with her for years to address all the other holes in her education

Don't see the problem. Why should my kid have to memorize lists of places almost nobody lives.

Because of the electoral college.

I credit Ted's Bulletin. Their old kids' menu had the first letter of all states listed and they had to get filled in. First time my kids did it, they collaborated with a young adult couple on a date next to us. That led them to an obsession to race to complete before the other sibling. One was about six the other nine. You can solve this yourself, OP. It's an arbitrary data point that really doesn't represent any measure of education.

Anonymous wrote:Uhhh...yet another hole to plug in this shameful farce of an education in mcps. She is only able to name a handful of states. And don't come at me...I've been working with her for years to address all the other holes in her education

Don't see the problem. Why should my kid have to memorize lists of places almost nobody lives.

Anonymous wrote:My kid had to learn all the countries of the world (write the name on a blank map) in her HGC.

My middle schooler had to draw a world map from memory and label it (local Catholic school). Even if your school doesn't require this, it is a great exercise because it forces them to create a mental mind map that they will access to forever.

In the 70s we had to learn this in 3rd or 4th grade. She's not behind.

I think the curriculum has changed. My now 11th grader had to be able to label all the states in 8th grade. They learned about geographic regions first, and then had to label all 50 states by the end.

My kid had to learn all the countries of the world (write the name on a blank map) in her HGC.