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I own the book that Lisa references in the other thread (the Eastern cultures book, I can't remember the title off the top of my head.) I will send it to anyone who wants it for the media mail cost. We started it, but we are just not textbook people. My kids kept asking when we were going to get to the interesting stuff. They are far too spoiled with never doing surface oriented studies. We are back to whole books.

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I own the book that Lisa references in the other thread (the Eastern cultures book, I can't remember the title off the top of my head.) I will send it to anyone who wants it for the media mail cost. We started it, but we are just not textbook people. My kids kept asking when we were going to get to the interesting stuff. They are far too spoiled with never doing surface oriented studies. We are back to whole books.

 

It would be dry as your only resource. The reading took us very little time and we could outline or take a few notes for background and then move on to the good stuff. I was still too new to homechooling to be able to pull whole books for all of the countries covered except for literature. I also found that while I could come up with content, I couldn't always come up with skills like organizing information into graphic organizers. I liked the questions: How might the modern world be different if Muslim armies had won the battle? Do you think the UN should be more involved in settling conflicts in Southwest Asia and North America? How does the issue of unemployment affect Turkey's chances of joining the European Union?

 

At that point in time, I needed more help, especially since my son loathed the Eastern Hemisphere Explorer from Sonlight. He just couldn't stand doing hour after hour, page after page, of research in the World Book Encyclopedia. This was our compromise and it allowed ds to develop a basic foundation and to still have time to pursue rabbit trails.

 

One reason that I added the link not to the sale of the text, but of the actual content is so members could see what is offered. You can use it as an it as an outline to build your own program. It's free. You can pull questions, geography challenges, literature suggestions, and potential projects.

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Lisa,

 

It is a perfectly fine textbook. If it weren't, I wouldn't give it away; I'd throw it out. :001_smile:

 

It is actually more work for me to put things together the way you are describing than to do it the way I am now. I am sort of just moving through cultures and time.

 

We are currently reading a book I have never read before. I can't recommend it w/o reservations since we haven't finished it, but so far it has been a fascinating read on the Assyrian/Babylonian cultures in a way I haven't experienced before. (It is a meaty book. You could spend a lot time following all the different history references in it.)

 

The title is The Man Who Found Ninevah. http://www.majipoor.com/work.php?id=721

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Lisa,

 

It is a perfectly fine textbook. If it weren't, I wouldn't give it away; I'd throw it out. :001_smile:

 

It is actually more work for me to put things together the way you are describing than to do it the way I am now. I am sort of just moving through cultures and time.

 

We are currently reading a book I have never read before. I can't recommend it w/o reservations since we haven't finished it, but so far it has been a fascinating read on the Assyrian/Babylonian cultures in a way I haven't experienced before. (It is a meaty book. You could spend a lot time following all the different history references in it.)

 

The title is The Man Who Found Ninevah. http://www.majipoor.com/work.php?id=721

 

Ah, now you have done it, Karen. Since we have started down this path, I have to ask just how you are doing it now. I tried to set the school year up like I have always done but with the addition of my daughter, we seem to have become a bit more...uh..."organic" in our process. Yes, "organic" is good and healthy, right?;) My students do more things together than I anticipated. My middle child, who is at public school feels left out, so we try to incorporate him into some of the reading and activities. I am more flexible and can do an about-face with confidence more easily than I could in the early years, but I am darn anxious that I am "missing things" since I am wandering off my map. After all these years of homeschooling, do you ever wonder if you are missing things or do you finally get past that stage?

 

Anyway, back to history. I loved your practice methodology for science so I am anxiously curious here... :D

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We just started with McDougal Littell's World Cultures and Geography and really are liking it. As much as I wanted living books and such' date=' I just dont' have the time to put it together, but this book is awesome and you can go on their website and watch little videos, play games, take quizes and even listen to an audio version of the book![/quote']

 

How do you get access to these features?

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After all these years of homeschooling, do you ever wonder if you are missing things or do you finally get past that stage?

 

:D

 

What is the expression....the more you know, the more you realize you don't know. ;)

 

I don't care how much you study/cover, it is impossible to cover everythiing. Do gaps exist? Yes. Do I worry about gaps? No. :D

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Teaching Geography Through Literature

 

Trail Guide to World History

 

Discovering the World of Geography

 

National Geographic's Map Essentials are a basic tool that you can pick inexpensively on Amazon.

 

Runkle World Physical Geography

 

Beautiful Feet Geography

 

My 9th grader is completing OM's world geography course. I think it is meant as an 11th grade course, but it is definitely on the easier side. I wouldn't use it with a 5th or 6th grader, but it is definitely accessible to a strong 8th grader.

 

The heart of the course are its projects. This course is designed in a way I would never make for a high school student. Since he is my math/science guy, this geography course has been light, interesting, and fun for him. (For example, last week he wrote a children's alphabet book based on Russia. He had to find Russian animals, geographical features, or cities, etc for every letter.) Never in a million yrs would I have created an assignment like that for high school. ;) :tongue_smilie: But, he has learned quite a bit and has really enjoyed the course. It uses Glencoe's National Geographic World Geography.

 

HTH.

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Several of these look really good, but this one stood out to me, because I *love* a lit approach to anything & that's kind-of what I was trying to put together myself w/out even really realizing it.

 

It looks like the whole text is avail free on Google books--I didn't read all the way thr it, but it seemed like a lot more than just a sample.

 

Wow. Thank you!

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