Geography Bee Questions

Geography Bee

Geography is a fun subject. Because it's so visual; kids pick up on the information easily. A little basic geography can help make history and current events more understandable.

In the spring, we have our homeschool Geography Bee. The student who answers the most questions correctly will win a prize. There will also be prizes for 2nd and 3rd, and participation prizes for everyone. The bee is informal, nonthreatening and fun. Since you'll know exactly what to study, I hope you'll all want to participate!

The questions will be based on the information below. Generally, the student should know the information for all the younger grades too, although questions will only come from their own grade. If you keep this chart, it will be a nice outline for studying a bit of geography year by year. Even 15 or 20 minutes once a week adds up to a lot of knowledge about geography and makes a nice change in your schedule.

Most of the questions for the younger students (K-2) will be answered by pointing to pictures that represent the vocabulary and pointing to places on maps and globes. All other questions for the youngest students will be multiple choice.

Older student (3-8th) need to know the answers without the aid of a multiple choice format.

Geography Bee Study Kit
The geography bee study kit has links to maps and other resources to help you study for the homeschool geography bee.
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Here is the study outline for the homeschool geography bee.

GRADE 4 yrs - K
Know these places and be able to identify them on a map or globe. Idaho, United States, North Pole, Tropics
Know that water generally flows from land to the ocean.
Be able to identify (point to) a picture of a: river, lake, ocean, mountain, volcano, forest, island, iceberg, cave, cliff, beach, desert, forest, waterfall
Know that poles are cold and tropics are hot and we are in between

GRADE 1
Be able to point to these places on a map or globe:
Utah, Florida, Texas, California,Mexico, Canada, Salt Lake, Snake River, Salmon River, Pacific , Atlantic , North America, South America,
Be able to identify (point to) a picture of a: glacier, sea, geyser, continent
Know that Boise is the capital of Idaho.
Know that the full name of our country is the United States of America.
Know that as you move from the equator toward either pole, the climate becomes cooler and cooler.

GRADE 2
Be able to point to these places on a map or globe:
Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Alaska, Australia, Brazil, Russia, China, Columbia River, Mississippi River , Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mts., Antarctica, Africa, Australia
Be able to identify (point to) a picture of a: dune, marsh, rapids, bay,
Know that the three languages spoken in North America are English, Spanish, and French.

GRADE 3
Be able to name these places on a map or globe: New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, New York, Spain, France, Britain, Italy, Germany, Great Lakes, Colorado River, Rio Grande River, Mediterranean Sea , Alps, Arctic Ocean, Europe, Asia, Boise, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, New York City, Great Plains
Be able to name these when shown a picture: stalactite, stalagmite, peninsula, prairie
Know North South East West on maps
Know that lower elevation is warmer than high elevation.

GRADE 4
Be able to name these places on a map or globe: Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, India, Japan, Yellowstone River, Missouri River, Gulf Of Mexico, Indian Ocean, London, Moscow, Tokyo
Be able to name these when shown a picture: lagoon, plateau, tundra
Know map symbols
Know a place where each of these products grows:bananas, oranges, pineapple

GRADE 5
Be able to name these places on a map or globe: Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Ohio River, Amazon, Paris, Washington DC
Be able to name these when shown a picture: continental divide, butte, delta, fjord
Know longitude and latitude and hemispheres

GRADE 6
KNOW ALL States plus Western Capitals (Rocky Mountains and west), Egypt, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iraq, Iran, Nile River
Be able to name these when shown a picture: ocean ridge, cape, crevasse, savanna

Know the continent where you would find:
Penguins (Antarctica)
Taj Mahal (Asia)
Leaning Tower (Europe)
Largest rain forest in the world (South America)

GRADE 7
Know all states and capitals
Know all countries of South America
Be able to name the Andes Mountains and the Amazon River from a map
Be able to name these when shown a picture: reef, sandbar, isthmus, key

Know the continent where you would find:
Forbidden City, (Asia)
Great Rift Valley, (Africa)
The Kremlin, (Europe)
The Acropolis, (Europe)

GRADE 8
Be able to name these places on a map or globe: Indonesia, Vietnam, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Mariana Trench, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Himalayas, Black Sea
Be able to point out the country where you would find these Major Cities of the world on a map or globe: Tokeo, London, Madrid, Rome, Bejing, Moscow
Be able to point out the state where you would find these major cities of The United States on a map or globe: Washington D.C., New York City, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles

Be able to name these when shown a picture: atoll, archipelago, sound, strait

Know the continent where you would find:
Vatican City, (Europe)
Fjords, (Europe)
Big Ben, (Europe)
Panama Canal, (Between North and South America)

atoll_lagoon.gif (61411 bytes)
Atoll - A ring of coral islands around a central lagoon.
Atolls begin as coral reefs around a volcanic island, After a
very long time the mountain erodes away leaving only the coral
reef.

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