Jump to content

Menu

Geography literature


Recommended Posts

I am putting together a world geography study with literature for the major countries and regions for my 7th grader, and I have found many great recommendations for most of the world so far. I need help with two regions, though. I need suggestions for India and the surrounding countries, and Australia/Oceania. I am not looking for picture books (she will be watching documentaries for visuals of the land), and I am not looking for history. My goal is for her to learn about the culture of the country through good literature. It does not have to be fiction; she enjoys biographies. Really, I just want it to be interesting, well beyond the level of Magic Treehouse, and non-textbookish.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You could consider Salman Rushdie's Haroun and the Sea of Stories for India-related literature. 

 

For Oceania you might enjoy adding the CD by the eponymous group.  They have made an effort to preserve Maori (an indigenous New Zealand culture) musical traditions, using modern instruments.  Rabbit-Proof Fence is a film that comes to mind, though it is an emotionally charged one. 

 

ETA: True History of the Kelly Gang is an Australia-based literature, but for adults -- might be appropriate, might not. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Sinking of the Dayspring? It's about missionaries in the south seas.

 

Jungle Islands by Maria Coffey it's her adventures in the Solomon Islands. It does have lots of colorful photographs but well written. I thought her text was engaging and a cross between a journal and an adventure novel. Hth

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sonlight scheduled a book we enjoyed on Mother Teresa - I don't remember the author - and that was a great way to learn about India. Whether you use that one, or another one - or even a movie, something on Mother Teresa would be great to include.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We did something similar last year... I'll try and remember:

 

For Africa, we read African folk tales and from the OUP history series

We watched the series Human Journey and Lost Kingdoms of Africa

We did some west african drumming and made Ghanian food one day and Ethiopian another.

We wrote an essay on reasons for early human migration.

 

For India, we read the Mahabharata and from human odyssey and OUP.

We watched the story of India series and Gandhi

We learned how to wear a sari, listened to Indian music and went out for Indian food.

We learned about Hinduism

 

For China, we read five versions of the Mulan story (and watched the Disney movie) and wrote a compare/contrast essay

We read from human odyssey and OUP

We watched legacy: Mandate of Heaven

We ate a Buddhist monk's meal and listened to Chinese music and went out for Chinese food.

We played the bbc game "high tea" about the opium wars and watched the last emperor

We studied about Buddhism

 

For the Middle East, we read Gilgamesh and 1001 Arabian nights and excerpts from the Koran.

We read from human odyssey and OUP

We studied about Islam and visited a mosque

We watched legacy and East to West

We ate middle eastern food and listened to music

We went to an exhibit on ancient art at a college

 

For Australia, we read and watched Rabbit Proof Fence

We watched the First Australians

We ate a modern Australian meal while watching some recent Australian movies for fun (girls had a sleepover)

We wrote essays on the effects of colonialism on Australia.

 

For South America, we read from the Popol vuh.

We watched guns, germs and steel and engineering an empire and other documentaries

We ate an Aztec meal (including soaking in ash and grinding our own corn for tortillas)

We wrote an essay on effects of colonialism on s America.

We went to an anthropology museum that focused on the Americas.

 

Finally we swung back to Europe to connect some pieces about imperialism and independence movements and World Wars.

 

Throughout the whole year, our focus was on what happens to language and religion apand food and music and art when two cultures come into contact with each other. What were the effects of colonialism in Africa and India and S America and China and Australia? How & why were they different?

 

Also -- We watched all of Crash Course world history and also used MP Geography 1 & 2, and tried (though not necessarily succeeded) to align everything to geographic area.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm building a geography course this year too. Barefoot Meandering has a good lit list I check when I'm stuck. :)

 

That's where I got 90% of my lit suggestions for this course. :D  I am just limited by a pitiful, pitiful library; so before I bought any books, I wanted to get more suggestions from the wise people here. My daughter will be stuck reading whatever I order, unlike the lists I have for other regions where she can choose among 6-8 suggestions for the most interesting books to check out from the library.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You could consider Salman Rushdie's Haroun and the Sea of Stories for India-related literature. 

 

For Oceania you might enjoy adding the CD by the eponymous group.  They have made an effort to preserve Maori (an indigenous New Zealand culture) musical traditions, using modern instruments.  Rabbit-Proof Fence is a film that comes to mind, though it is an emotionally charged one. 

 

ETA: True History of the Kelly Gang is an Australia-based literature, but for adults -- might be appropriate, might not. 

 

I had not thought about adding music from different cultures; my daughter is very musically oriented, so that will be something she enjoys. I am going to go search out other music from around the world (if anyone has any other suggestions, I am open to them :001_smile: ).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sonlight scheduled a book we enjoyed on Mother Teresa - I don't remember the author - and that was a great way to learn about India. Whether you use that one, or another one - or even a movie, something on Mother Teresa would be great to include.

 

My library actually has several books about Mother Teresa, so one will definitely be included; great suggestion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We did something similar last year... I'll try and remember:

 

<snipped for brevity>

 

Finally we swung back to Europe to connect some pieces about imperialism and independence movements and World Wars.

 

Throughout the whole year, our focus was on what happens to language and religion apand food and music and art when two cultures come into contact with each other. What were the effects of colonialism in Africa and India and S America and China and Australia? How & why were they different?

 

Also -- We watched all of Crash Course world history and also used MP Geography 1 & 2, and tried (though not necessarily succeeded) to align everything to geographic area.

 

That is very similar to what I am planning. My daughter chose to read a world geography textbook as the basis for the course, but I am adding in plenty of documentaries, good literature, Discovering the World of Geography (for the mapwork), and now music from around the world. She loves to cook, so I am just going to encourage her to find recipes for dishes from the regions she is studying and make them for fun.

 

I like your discussion focus. I am not yet sure exactly what ours will be...I think I will wait and see where our discussions go. I will keep yours in mind, though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...