Homeschool Reviews

Knowledge Quest Maps
Author: Terri Johnson
For more information or to order: www.knowledgequestmaps.com

A map is a map, right?  Well, not if it’s from the mind of Terri Johnson at Knowledge Quest Maps!  Terri has created several sets of maps, logically organized by historical time periods and geographical regions.  Much more than just a set of maps, Terri has provided short lesson plans for using each of the events/time periods – these lessons can become fodder for deeper study or simply enhance your current history curriculum. 

Knowledge Quest’s Blackline Maps of World History is a HUGE set of maps covering 5000BC to the Present.  They are available as a set ready to be put into a notebook or on CD; they can also be purchased by time period to correspond with the Classical study of history, which is divided into four eras.  For each time period there are over 20 maps, lesson plans, and a glossary of geographical terms.  For this review, I had the pleasure of perusing the entire World History Set.  Looking at the section covering “The Ancients” I found 22 geographical regions covered, including Classical Greece, Ancient Africa, Israel’s Divided Kingdom, The Qin Empire of China and Palestine During the Time of Christ.  As you can see from just the few regions I’ve listed, Terri Johnson has done a great job of covering every area during this time period.  Often each of the regional maps is provided both as partially labeled and blank outlines, making this an incredibly flexible resource. 

Available in a reproducible notebook or on CD, the Blackline Maps of American History features 81 hand-drawn maps – both  pre-labeled and blank.  Now your students can chart the Oregon Trail on a map that has been drawn to show America the way it was then.   All major wars and the recent Operation Iraqi Freedom are also covered. As with their other map collections, Knowledge Quest has provided short lesson plans and a glossary of geographical terms.  In addition to the history-based maps, there is also a blackline map of each individual state.

Knowledge Quest Maps are clear, crisp and a delight for the eyes. If you’re looking for an easy way to add insight and increase retention of your history studies, you’ll definitely want to visit their site and download some samples for yourself!

Making the grade: A
Cost: $20 - $45 depending on format
Value for your homeschool dollar: 10