The article presents the state of geographic education in Manila, Philippines by examining the types of approaches in teaching geography in public, private and Montessori schools. As part of the social studies programme in Grade IV elementary education, the types of approaches to teaching geography are examined for their effectiveness and relevance to teaching geographic concepts. Two curricular programmes were considered in the assessment of the importance of using the right kind of instructional materials in learning geographic concepts in elementary education. These programmes are (a) the basic education curriculum (BEC) that is prescribed by the Department of Education and (b) the curriculum followed by the Montessori education philosophy. Initial findings indicate that there was a significant difference in the achievement scores of Old Balara Elementary School (public) and Seed Montessori with that of Roosevelt Elementary School (private). While achievement scores were higher when instructional materials were readily available to students, this does not necessarily mean that the availability of instructional materials by itself is the key in the attainment of high scores. The content must be anchored on the local setting where students have their immediate experience in order for achievement scores to improve. This study provides a tentative first look at the implications of curriculum and instructional material for educators, school authorities and government policymakers in strengthening and reorienting geographic education under the social studies programme in the Philippine context. (Contains 6 tables.)