Provide each student with a mini globe or world map. Have the students race to find a particular place on the map using longitude and latitude. Write down the coordinates of a location, such as "2 degrees 0' 0" S/ 77 degrees 30' 0" W," which is the country of Ecuador. The first student to find it on her map can get a point or extra credit.
For another activity, send the students on a treasure hunt throughout the school using pre-determined coordinates. Pair students up, and give each pair a map of the school and a compass. The students must use the map and compass only to find a specific envelope that will give them their next location using coordinates. Each pair should have a different course to keep pairs from copying and following each other. The students must bring all of their envelopes to receive a prize.
Assign each person one country from an area of the world you are currently studying. Tell the students they are travel agents, trying to promote travel to this country. Have the students create a brochure with information about their country including a brief history, climate, government structure and things to do. You can also have them create a visual display with pictures and interesting facts. Then have the students place their displays and brochures on their desks on presentation day. Invite the other sixth grade classes to your "World Travel Agency," and have them go around to the the desks to hear the pitch for each country. You can then have the students vote on which country sounded the most interesting to visit based on the pitch and presentation.
Challenge the students to name as many countries of the world as they can. Give each student a blank map. Set the time, and have them write in the names of as many countries as they can think of. When the time is up, go over it with the class to see who got the most countries correct. For an added challenge, have the students include as many capitals as they can as well.
Assign each student a landform to research, such as the Himalayas or the Sahara Desert. Have the students bring in a homemade visual of their landform, using any art supplies they would like, such as modeling clay, paint and poster board. Then have students use the visual in a presentation on their assigned landform.
Have the students work in groups to replicate a volcano that actually erupts. Provide each group with modeling clay to cover a 2-liter soda bottle so it looks like a mountain. They can decorate or paint the mountain. Provide instructions on how much baking soda, dish-washing detergent and water to add in the bottle. When a group has all the other ingredients inside the "volcano," have the children stand back. Pour in the vinegar to cause the "volcano" to erupt immediately. Partner up with the science teacher for this project, which also teaches about the chemical reaction caused by the mixture of these ingredients.
Give each student a bingo card with a specific geography theme, such as world capitals. Call out the countries so the students can mark off the correct capital if they have it on their board. The first student to cover a row calls out "Bingo!" You'll need to verify the answers. Repeat the game with several other categories such as U.S. states and capitals, flags or famous places.
Have each student pick a random country from a hat and research that country. Have the students write on index cards four main facts about the country and then turn the cards in. Divide the class into three or four teams. Choose a card and read one fact. Have the students guess which country you are referring to. The first team to "buzz" in by raising their hands gets to answer the question. If the team is incorrect, those students are out for that round, and you can read another clue until a team guesses correctly. The team with the most correctly guessed countries wins. Award four points for teams that guess correctly after only one clue and one point if all the clues were read.