Passport Club   

Purpose and Overview

The purpose of the Passport Club is to get students excited about geography and to provide them with accurate and interesting study material that keeps pace with our ever-changing world.  It is an individualized, sequential, yearlong program, designed to enhance the current social studies curriculum.  The main goal is to learn to locate some of the world's countries, as well as other major geographic locations, such as continents and oceans.

How the Program Works

Passports are issued to all students at the start of the program in September.  These passports list countries or geographic areas that the students are to learn each month, and they hold the postage stamps that have been earned.  The passports remain in the classroom throughout the year and are given to the children at the end of the school year.

Each student, with the help of his or her parent and teacher, chooses the level that is best for him or her.  The school provides the students with study material for the level chosen.  On Passport Check Day (usually the end of the month, be sure to check the school calendar or your child's planner for the exact day). students will take an online test where they are asked to locate the countries and geographic areas listed on his or her passport for the chosen level.  If the student correctly locates these places on the map, he or she receives stamps from the countries he or she has learned.  The number of stamps received is the same as the number of levels passed.  For example, a student passing level four will receive 4 stamps.

Level Explanations

Level 1:  In September, there are 7 continents in this level for students to locate.  In the remaining months, there are 5 countries or geographic locations, most are large and fairly well known.  By year's end, the student should know the location of 40 countries and 7 continents. 

Level 2:  There are 10 countries or geographic locations to learn per month.  By the end of the year, students in level 2 should know the locations of 78 countries, 7 continents, and 3 oceans.

Level 3:  This level involves learning 15 countries or geographic locations each month, with the exception of December (which has fewer).  By the end of the year, students in level 3 should know the location of 116 countries, 7 continents, 3 oceans, 2 seas, the Equator, and the Prime Meridian.

Level 4:  This level involves learning 25 countries or geographic locations to learn each month, with the exception of December (which has fewer).  By the end of the year, students in level 3 should learn the location of all 194 world countries, 7 continents, 16 bodies of water, the Equator, and the Prime Meridian.

Level 5:  This is the highest Passport Club level with 30 countries and geographic locations to learn each month(except for December).  In addition to tall the places covered in level 4, the students will learn the names of 40 capital cities, and the location of 3 deserts and 2 mountain ranges.  Note:  the capital cities of level 5 each month are the capitals of the countries in level 1 of the same month.

Note:  Each level builds on the material of the previous level.  For example:

Level 1 has 5 places to learn

Level 2 has 10 places to learn, the countries from level 1, plus 5 more from level 2

Level 3 has 15 places to learn, the countries from levels 1 and 2,  plus 5 more from level 3