Sacred Geography

Week 5, October 8th

We began today's class with a quiz on the material from last week (Florida, Peru, Colombia).

We then discussed some of the French explorers and missionaries to North America. We focused on the story of St. Isaac Jogues and his heroic missionary work and eventual martyrdom in service of the North American Indians.

For our next class (in two weeks), be prepared to locate the following locations on the quiz:

• Canada

• New York (state)

• St. Lawrence River

• France

Week 4, October 1st

We began today's class with a quiz on the oceans and Mexico (the site of the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe). 

We then discussed some of the Spanish explorations and missionary work in the Americas. On our maps, we located the state of Florida, which was explored by Juan Ponce de Leon. We also located the city of St. Augustine (Florida), the oldest city in the U,S. We located Peru, where St. Martin de Porres and St, Rose of Lima lived and spread the Gospel as well as Colombia, where St. Peter Claver dedicated his life to serving the African slaves.

For next week, be prepared to locate the following locations on the quiz:

• Florida

• St. Augustine, Florida

• Peru

• Lima, Peru

• Colombia

Week 3, September 24th

We began today's class with a quiz on the route of Christopher Columbus. The students were given blank maps and asked to identify Columbus' route from Spain to the New World as well as the Cape of Good Hope and the Indies.

Today we discussed Our Lady of Guadalupe and the conversion of Mexico. We talked about the story of Juan Diego and the importance of this Marian apparitions for the conversion of Mexico and we located Mexico on a map of North and South America. We also located the 5 oceans on our world maps: the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and Southern Ocean. 

For next week, students should be prepared to locate the country of Mexico as well as the five oceans on a world map.

Week 2, September 17th

We began today's class with a quiz on the seven continents. The students were each given a blank map and asked to label the map with the names of the continents. Everyone did a great job!

We then looked at a large world map together and discussed the story of Christopher Columbus. We looked at the route to the East Indies around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa and talked about Columbus' idea for a new route. We then traced the voyage of Columbus from Spain to the Americas.

For next week, practice tracing the voyage of Christopher Columbus and identifying Spain, the Cape of Good Hope, and the East Indies on your map.

Week 1, September 10th

It was a pleasure to be back in class with everyone and to meet some new faces today! 

In geography, we began with some introductions and classroom expectations. We then began our study of geography by looking at a world map together and learning the names and locations of the 7 continents. After taking a few notes on the 7 continents, the students received maps of the world and identified North and South America. We then identified the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and labeled our maps.

For this week, practice identifying all 7 continents on the world map. I will quiz the students next week to see whether they can name all 7 and locate them on a map.