Overview
The Woodlin Geography Bee (Geo Bee) has been an annual PTA-teacher learning partnership and tradition for more than 15 years, supporting geography education and friendly competition for third, fourth, and fifth graders.
Concept
Classroom teams, consisting of four students, compete in one-hour long grade-level Geo Bees held in the Multi-Purpose Room each spring. Each classroom team works together to answer questions about geography and history for the regions studied, including basic land forms, bodies of water, and some cultural information. Question types include straight answer, “find it on a map,” and navigation- and direction-based questions.
Content
The PTA develops study packets for each grade level that include multiple regional maps, information about history and culture, and geographic information. The packets range in size from 40-60 pages. Only content from the packets is used in the preliminary and final grade-level bees, so students do not need additional books, maps, or globes to participate.
2024 Information
Grade level packets are available-
3rd grade:
3G Western Hemisphere plus Australia
4th grade:
5th grade:
2023 Information
After a 3-year hiatus, the PTA Geography Bee is back for students in grades 3, 4, and 5! In the coming week, third, fourth, and fifth graders will be offered packets that will help them to compete in the classroom-level Bee at the end of March. Each class will select a team of four students to compete in the Final Bee for each grade level at the beginning of April. The winning class in each grade level will enjoy a pizza party after standardized testing is complete. Bees will be conducted through Google Classroom.
This year’s Geo Bee focuses on American and Maryland geography, to align with students’ curriculum goals. All the information necessary to compete in the Bee is contained in the packet. Participate in voluntary, and no outside research is necessary. Students can learn the material by completing and studying the packet.
There will be prizes for completing in each stage of the Bee. Students will receive prizes for picking up a packet, completing a packet, participating in the classroom bee, and participating in the final bee. Look for packets to be distributed in late February, and encourage your children to complete, compete, and win prizes as they learn about our state and country!
2023 Timeline
- Feb. 17: packets available at school
- Mar. 28-30: in-class preliminary bee
- Apr. 12: 3rd grade final
- Apr. 13: 4th grade final
- Apr. 14: 5th grade final
2023 Geography Bee Finals Delayed
Apologies to our 3rd-5th grade students and teachers – the final Geography Bee competition will be delayed until May 24, 2023. Our team of terrific parent volunteers needs more time to work out the logistics of the final rounds, given the space and technological constraints. We hope students are not too disappointed and will use the extra time to really sharpen their geography knowledge!
Check Woodlinpta listserv emails for webcast links!
Participation
Every student in the third, fourth, and fifth grade can participate on some level in the Geo Bee. Each student receives a packet and can work on it at home and during in-school free time. Students who submit a completed packet to their teacher by the deadline receive a prize, and the class with the most completed packets wins a prize. The packets will be returned to the students. Completion of the packet is voluntary.
Classes will attend the final bee for their grade level to cheer on their representatives, and second graders are invited to attend the third grade final bee.
The Preliminary Bee (one per class)
The PTA Geo Bee Team visits each classroom to conduct the “preliminary bee.” The preliminary bee takes about 30 minutes. Those who get the highest scores on the test will proceed to the second level of the preliminary bee with some additional questions. The top four students will represent their class in the final bee, along with two alternates.
The Final Geo Bee (one per grade)
Classroom teams work together to answer the questions posed by the master of ceremonies with final answers provided by the team captains. Family and friends are welcome to attend (sign in at the front desk before proceeding to the Multi-Purpose Room). The Geo Bee coordinators invite parent volunteers to serve as master of ceremonies, timekeeper, and scorekeeper; two staff members serve as judges.