Intense Geography

[toawh]

Ds wants to do geography as he puts it. He already knows all the capitals, languages, imports, exports, odd islands, even some tribal stuff. He says high school is for finding your specialization and that's his. I think that's fine, but I don't know where to find a course that will teach him beyond what he already knows from reading the atlas in bed each night. I want something that'll earn him a credit. I got geography coloring book 3rd edition last year. He said it was for younger kids and we returned it.

[HollyDay]

BJU and Abeka both have geography courses for 9th grade that would give him a credit. But, I don't know if it would teach him any more than he already knows.

[Blue Hen]

One idea is to look into AP Human Geography. You could look at the course content to build your own course for your ds. PA HS'ers (as well as other online providers) offer an AP HG course. Taking the AP test may or may not earn college credit.

 

Here's the CB's description:

The purpose of the AP course in Human Geography is to introduce students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth's surface. Students employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human social organization and its environmental consequences. They also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their science and practice.

 

 

Carole

PA HS'ers Statistics teacher

[Guest]

The AP Human Geography on-line course is worth a look. If he's happier just following his own reading program, here are some books to consider. Or he could pick a theme and get a handful of books on that topic.

 

There's a lot of really great travel writing out there which incorporates geography, history, anthropology, politics, economics. There's also a lot of good writing simply on geography. Just for starters:

-- John McPhee's books

--The Map That Changed the World by Simon Winchester

--The River at the Center of the World by Simon Winchester

--To the Ends of the Earth by Jeremy Harwood

--Earth From Above by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

--The Power of Place by Harm de Blij

--Blue Latitudes by Tony Horwitz

--A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

--Ghost Train to the Eastern Star by Paul Theroux

--Resource Wars by Michael Klare

--The Prize by Daniel Yergin

--Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy by Pietra Rivoli

--Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen

 

The history of maps and map-making is also a fascinating topic. A giant list will pop up if you search those terms on amazon.

[FloridaLisa]

I 3rd the recommendation for AP Human Geography to further a geography interest. Also, if your dc is still in grades 5 - 8, he could participate in the Geography Bee.

 

HTH,

Lisa

[LatinTea]

Depending on the grade level he is in and if your state offers dual credits, you could look into your local college and see if they have a geography course. My son took World Geography this way using a college level text, doing higher level tests and writing papers for every unit. He received credits both for high school and college going this route. If your son is too young now, maybe this would be something to consider in 11th or 12th grade.

[Teachin'Mine]

Already great advice has been given. But if you want to wait before doing the AP for any reason, maybe he could just choose a continent, or even a country, and concentrate his attention on one of these. The library would have lots of great resources and he'd be able to go more in depth than any world geography book could. He could also explore nautical charts for an interesting change. :)

[DebbS]

I'll 4th Human Geography. I am planning a course for my son this year to prepare him for the AP Human Geography test. It's a very interesting subject and helps the student to think not just about geography but about the interaction of people and their environment. It gives another layer of meaning to geography and in doing so, helps increase understanding of why our world is as it is.

 

A few other books to add to the above list are Salt (my son finds this book so interesting that he has read it several times) and Guns, Germs and Steel.

[toawh]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I think we'll start with a library study using the titles suggested, and then we'll do the AP next year. He just turned 14 so we have plenty of time!