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So I am marinating on the idea of doing a full credit geography course with primarily living books. Has anyone done this? We do a small monthly geography club where each month is a different country. The kids do short powerpoint presentations on a topic for the country. As an example, this month my dd13 is doing a short presentation on handicrafts in Pakistan. So I'm thinking of building on this structure and making it a credit over 2 years. Each month she would read a living Book or memoir for the assigned country, watch a movie of available, make a dish or two, and then give a presentation. At some point I might add one of the art based geography programs. What do you think?

Also, any suggestions for living books about specific countries? I organize the club so I can pick the counties based on book options! Lol

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Posted (edited)

A few of the books I have in mind so far... I don't know if enough books exist to do what I am imagining. 

In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson (Australia)

Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington (Australia)

Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson (England)

The Island of the Colorblind by Oliver Sacks (Micronesia)

Africa: A Biography of a Continent by John Reader (not familiar with this one but used in BYL)

India Calling by Anand Giridharadas 

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba

 

 

Edited by NewIma
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Posted

We are using Guest Hollow's High School Geography and Cultures.  It is very living book heavy.  I have modified it significantly to meet our needs and my daughter's interests, but you might find that it is pretty close to what you are thinking.  As written, it is a PACKED curriculum and there is much to pick and choose from including wonderful literature suggestions.  

https://guesthollow.com/homeschool/geography/geography2.html 

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Posted (edited)

Assuming this is for age 13-ish? 

Side thought: Even for an older age like that, I wouldn't hesitate to include some children's folktale collections, or picture books of myths and folktales from different countries that have illustrations in the art style of the culture of that country -- you get some art of that country, and, myths/folktales are a fantastic way to absorb worldview and cultural aspects of different people-groups. 

Also, at that age, I'd include a Comparative World Religions aspect, because so much of culture comes out of the believes and faith traditions of a people group. It also helps with understanding their history and the choices made through time.

Below are a few ideas to get you started. NOTE: a lot of these are similar (like, escaping communism in Asia, or brutalities in Africa) -- I would work hard to get a balanced perspective through several books or movies and several time periods and different "focuses", to get a broader picture than just the dramatic "refugee" or "violence of extremist governments". Most parts of the world have cultures that extend back hundreds and thousands of years, so it's not just about current political horrors. That's one reason why I would strongly encourage including traditional tales, famous people/places, and learn about the physical geography, and biomes (climates/plants/animals) -- in addition to reading contemporary memoirs. Just my 2 cents worth!

________________

WORLD - movies
Babies (2010) -- documentary; babies/toddlers from Namibia (Africa), Japan (Asia), Mongolia (Asia) and the U.S. (N. America)
On the Way to School (2014) -- documentary; children from Kenya (Africa), Morocco (N. Africa), Argentina (S. America), and India (Asia)
Life in a Day (2010) -- documentary "time capsule" of people around the world in daily life on a single day
________________

OCEANIA

books

- Island of Blue Dolphins (O'Dell) -- gr. 6-9 -- island off of California; fictionalized account of a real person
- Robinson Crusoe (Dafoe) -- gr. 8+ -- island off of Chile; fiction/classic
- Kon Tiki (Heyersdahl) -- gr. 8+ -- nonfiction; crew of 6 men who crossed the Pacific on a log raft replica of an Islander raft
- Royal Diaries: Kaiulani: The People's Princess -- gr. 4-8 -- Hawaii; fictionalized account of a real person

movies
- Kon Tiki -- documentary made by Thor Heyerdahl while on his voyage
- Moby Dick (1956) -- film version of the classic novel; 1800s whaling
- South Pacific (1958) -- musical; racism during WW2 on Polynesian island
- Master and Commander (2003) -- early 1800s/Napoleonic wars on the seas
- Wave Rider (2002) -- Maori people, New Zealand
Rabbit Proof Fences (2002) -- Australia
________________

AFRICA

books

- Long Walk to Water (Park) -- gr. 6-8; Sudan; 2 parallel stories, 1 fictional/ 1 = true story of one of the "lost boys of Sudan"
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Kamkwamba) -- Malawi; nonfiction
- Diamond Boy (Williams) -- gr. 7+; Zimbabwe/South Africa; fiction
- A Girl Called Problem (Quirk) -- gr. 6-9; Tanzania; fiction
- Royal Diaries: 
Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba, Angola, Africa, 1595 (McKissack) -- gr. 5-8
- African Graphic Novel series: King Shaka, Zulu Legend (Mover) -- gr. 7-9; nonfiction
- Full Cupboard of Life (Smith) -- gr. 8+; Botswana; mystery/fiction, with gentle humor
- A Long Way Gone (Beah) -- adult/preview; Sierra Leone; memoir of a boy soldier

movies
- Queen of Katwe (2016) -- Uganda; based on true story
- The First Grader (2010) -- Kenya; based on true story
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019) -- Malawi; based on true story
- Duma (2006) -- S. Africa; white S. African boy and a cheetah
________________

MIDDLE EAST

books

- I am Malala (Yousafzai) -- Afghanistan; autobiography; gr. 5-8
- Alia's Mission (Stamaty) -- Iraq; all-ages picture book

movies
- Baran (2001) -- Afghani refugee girl disguises self as a boy in order to find work in Iran; quiet movie/lovely cinematography
- Children of Heaven (1997) -- Iran
________________

ASIA

books
- Revolution is Not a Dinner Party (Compestine) -- Communist China; gr. 7-9
- Red Scarf Girl (Jiang) -- Communist China; memoir; gr. 7-9
- Year of Impossible Goodbyes (Choi) -- Korea; memoir; gr. 7-9
- The Land I Lost; and, Water Buffalo Days -- autobiographical sketches of growing up in pre-war Vietnam; gr. 5-8
- Sold (McCormick) -- Nepal; gr 9+ -- girl sold into prostitution

movies
- Story of the Weeping Camel (2003) -- Mongolia; follows a herding family; quiet uneventful movie
- Cave of the Yellow Dog (2005) -- Mongolia; follows a herding family; quiet uneventful movie
- Foreign Letters (2012) - Vietnam

________________


past thread with more ideas:
"Considering a Geography Year" (for an 8th grader) 

Edited by Lori D.
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Posted
8 hours ago, Lori D. said:

Assuming this is for age 13-ish? 

Side thought: Even for an older age like that, I wouldn't hesitate to include some children's folktale collections, or picture books of myths and folktales from different countries that have illustrations in the art style of the culture of that country -- you get some art of that country, and, myths/folktales are a fantastic way to absorb worldview and cultural aspects of different people-groups. 

Also, at that age, I'd include a Comparative World Religions aspect, because so much of culture comes out of the believes and faith traditions of a people group. It also helps with understanding their history and the choices made through time.

Below are a few ideas to get you started. NOTE: a lot of these are similar (like, escaping communism in Asia, or brutalities in Africa) -- I would work hard to get a balanced perspective through several books or movies and several time periods and different "focuses", to get a broader picture than just the dramatic "refugee" or "violence of extremist governments". Most parts of the world have cultures that extend back hundreds and thousands of years, so it's not just about current political horrors. That's one reason why I would strongly encourage including traditional tales, and learn about the physical geography and animals, as well as reading contemporary memoirs. Just my 2 cents worth!

________________

WORLD - movies
Babies (2010) -- documentary; babies/toddlers from Namibia (Africa), Japan (Asia), Mongolia (Asia) and the U.S. (N. America)
On the Way to School (2014) -- documentary; children from Kenya (Africa), Morocco (N. Africa), Argentina (S. America), and India (Asia)
Life in a Day (2010) -- documentary "time capsule" of people around the world in daily life on a single day
________________

OCEANIA

books

- Island of Blue Dolphins (O'Dell) -- gr. 6-9 -- island off of California; fictionalized account of a real person
- Robinson Crusoe (Dafoe) -- gr. 8+ -- island off of Chile; fiction/classic
- Kon Tiki (Heyersdahl) -- gr. 8+ -- nonfiction; crew of 6 men who crossed the Pacific on a log raft replica of an Islander raft
- Royal Diaries: Kaiulani: The People's Princess -- gr. 4-8 -- Hawaii; fictionalized account of a real person

movies
- Kon Tiki -- documentary made by Thor Heyerdahl while on his voyage
- Moby Dick (1956) -- film version of the classic novel; 1800s whaling
- South Pacific (1958) -- musical; racism during WW2 on Polynesian island
- Master and Commander (2003) -- early 1800s/Napoleonic wars on the seas
- Wave Rider (2002) -- Maori people, New Zealand
Rabbit Proof Fences (2002) -- Australia
________________

AFRICA

books

- Long Walk to Water (Park) -- gr. 6-8; Sudan; 2 parallel stories, 1 fictional/ 1 = true story of one of the "lost boys of Sudan"
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Kamkwamba) -- Malawi; nonfiction
- Diamond Boy (Williams) -- gr. 7+; Zimbabwe/South Africa; fiction
- A Girl Called Problem (Quirk) -- gr. 6-9; Tanzania; fiction
- Royal Diaries: 
Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba, Angola, Africa, 1595 (McKissack) -- gr. 5-8
- African Graphic Novel series: King Shaka, Zulu Legend (Mover) -- gr. 7-9; nonfiction
- Full Cupboard of Life (Smith) -- gr. 8+; Botswana; mystery/fiction, with gentle humor
- A Long Way Gone (Beah) -- adult/preview; Sierra Leone; memoir of a boy soldier

movies
- Queen of Katwe (2016) -- Uganda; based on true story
- The First Grader (2010) -- Kenya; based on true story
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019) -- Malawi; based on true story
- Duma (2006) -- white S. African boy and a cheetah
________________

MIDDLE EAST

books

- I am Malala (Yousafzai) -- Afghanistan; autobiography; gr. 5-8
- Alia's Mission (Stamaty) -- Iraq; all-ages picture book

movies
- Baran (2001) -- Afghani refugee girl disguises self as a boy in order to find work in Iran; quiet movie/lovely cinematography
- Children of Heaven (1997) -- Iran
________________

ASIA

books
- Revolution is Not a Dinner Party (Compestine) -- Communist China; gr. 7-9
- Red Scarf Girl (Jiang) -- Communist China; memoir; gr. 7-9
- Year of Impossible Goodbyes (Choi) -- Korea; memoir; gr. 7-9
- The Land I Lost; and, Water Buffalo Days -- autobiographical sketches of growing up in pre-war Vietnam; gr. 5-8
- Sold (McCormick) -- Nepal; gr 9+ -- girl sold into prostitution

movies
- Story of the Weeping Camel (2003) -- Mongolia; follows a herding family; quiet uneventful movie
- Cave of the Yellow Dog (2005) -- Mongolia; follows a herding family; quiet uneventful movie
- Foreign Letters (2012) - Vietnam

________________


past thread:
"Considering a Geography Year" (for an 8th grader) 

Thanks for that list Lori. Im going to print it out for a reference. Next yr I'm planning a geography course with my then 6th grader. We are going to read Around the World in 80 Days, map the travels, play the corresponding Ticket to Ride games, research the key cities on the TtR maps, and read corresponding lit. She is super excited about it.

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Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, 8FillTheHeart said:

Thanks for that list Lori. Im going to print it out for a reference. Next yr I'm planning a geography course with my then 6th grader. We are going to read Around the World in 80 Days, map the travels, play the corresponding Ticket to Ride games, research the key cities on the TtR maps, and read corresponding lit. She is super excited about it.

Yea! Sounds very fun. 😄

Do check out that thread I linked, as I had even more resources, plus more movies suggested there than what I listed in my post above here. Also, you can see the list of books used in the Guest Hollow gr. 1-6 Geography curriculum, and the high school Geography & Cultures curriculum for many more book ideas.

Edited by Lori D.
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Posted

Michael Palin did an Around the World in 80 Days travel documentary series that we really enjoyed when we were doing geography for high school.  In fact I think we watched every travel documentary series he did. Some were exceptionally good, but it's been a while and specifics are eluding me. I think they were BBC, and we were able to get them all though ILL. Just putting this out there in case it strikes a fancy.

--LL

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Posted

I'm a little confused. Is this a high school course or a middle school course? The list Lori made is a good one for middle school but I would not use the vast majority of books for a high schooler. Like, I cannot imagine giving Island of the Blue Dolphins to a neurotypical 9th grader. My kids, who are not strong readers, read it together with me in 5th grade, I think. The list Newlma posted about her initial thinking is mostly books that I would not use for a middle schooler... though I might for some. But they look to me like a high school course. They're all adult level books.

Africa: A Biography of the Continent is an excellent book. It's very long. It's also one that I love... but I have now taught it three times and it has been a slog for kids every single time. I'm at the point where I'm re-evaluating how I use it if I use it again (and I love it enough that I might... I included it in my curriculum). So we'll see. It is heavy on history. But that could be okay. It's a history book with a strong geographical bent to perspective.

Another book in that vein is another I used in my curriculum - The Ocean of Churn. This one, my students have all adored - it covers the Indian Ocean. And Sanjeev Sanyal has another book that's excellent too - Land of the Seven Rivers. Both are history books with a geographical bent, though Sanyal is mostly an economist, so that's there too.

I think you absolutely could structure a geography course around living book nonfiction like this. It seems like maybe you're envisioning a mix of memoirs, travel narratives, and nonfiction books about history and place. I think that's definitely out there. I can think of a bunch more... just depends on where you want to go with it.

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Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, Farrar said:

I'm a little confused. Is this a high school course or a middle school course? The list Lori made is a good one for middle school but I would not use the vast majority of books for a high schooler...

I was a bit confused, too -- I ran with the details of "age 13" and "geography club presentations" to assume less formal, and, middle school. 😉  So that's why I suggested what I did -- note that they all run in the middle school range. 😉 

The Guest Hollow High School Culture & Geography course suggested above by by kristin0713 would be a great launching point for a DIY high school Geography credit...

Edited by Lori D.
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Posted

For high school, my DD did a culture/religion course and used these books: Kon Tiki for Oceania, I Am Malala for the Middle East, Mao's Last Dancer for Asia, Queen of Water for South America.

She didn't use this book (Africa), but I just got done reading it and it was so good, although probably/possibly too intense for a 13 yo: A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

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Posted

Thank you so much for all the ideas and responses! I'm sorry if I was confusing! In my head it all made sense! LOL My dd is 13 and in 8th grade. I am trying to plan a geography high school credit that she would earn over 9th and 10th grade. We have a small geography club we do already and I would like to expand on that format where we learn about a country for a month (reading aloud a middle school level book with an overview of the country, watch documentary/movie, and cooking a meal) and then give a power point presentation on a specific topic. This month, for example, dd13 did handicrafts of Pakistan for her power point presentation.  I would like to beef that up with high school/adult level engaging non-fiction books to make it a high school geography course (one book a month).  Over the two years we would cover 16 countries. Does that sound worthy of a credit? 

Thank you for all the book recommendations and lists! I will be poring over them!  Please add any others you think of!

 

Posted (edited)

 

On 9/18/2020 at 5:40 AM, NewIma said:

... I am trying to plan a geography high school credit that she would earn over 9th and 10th grade. We have a small geography club we do already and I would like to expand on that format where we learn about a country for a month (reading aloud a middle school level book with an overview of the country, watch documentary/movie, and cooking a meal) and then give a power point presentation on a specific topic...  I would like to beef that up with high school/adult level engaging non-fiction books to make it a high school geography course (one book a month).  Over the two years we would cover 16 countries. Does that sound worthy of a credit? 


Deleting. Off track of what you are looking for, and not helping. My apologies! All the BEST as you create your Geography credit! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited by Lori D.
Posted

Thanks for the feedback Lori! I did mean earning 1 credit over 2 years! Thank you for your thoughts on rigor and the big questions! It looks like maybe a textbook is the best path and we throw in a few non-fiction books to spice it up.

Posted (edited)
13 hours ago, NewIma said:

Thanks for the feedback Lori! I did mean earning 1 credit over 2 years! Thank you for your thoughts on rigor and the big questions! It looks like maybe a textbook is the best path and we throw in a few non-fiction books to spice it up.

Oh no no! 😵  I did NOT mean you should veer away from your approach -- into using a standard textbook. 😬 I was just throwing out ideas to see how to look at the scope of more traditional materials or classes to get a feel for how much volume and rigor to include in your own course!

I think you have a *great* cultural focus for your plan. I would just expand with a few more resources, dig a bit deeper with excerpts from various resources, to get a more fully-fleshed out cultural geography!

The Guest Hollow or FundaFunda class have some great ideas, and are somewhat similar in approach to your idea, so that's what I was suggesting looking at those.

 

Edited by Lori D.
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Posted

I am actually usually the first to bemoan that people are doing a far too light job with social studies... but honestly, I think 16 books and films is a quite robust high school credit. I would actually discourage you from turning to a textbook. There's so much out there... your original plan sounds brilliant to me. I'm actually left scratching my head a bit here. So many homeschoolers, even people on this board, barely do a minimal textbook for high school history credits. I've seen people vigorously defend having their kids watch a single Great Courses and do zero written work or readings to accompany it being a solid social studies credit. You're talking about having your student read and informally discuss with you 8 books a year x 2 and 8 movies a year x 2... so a total of 32 discussion worthy things... and we're talking about meaty memoirs and so forth here. I'm sorry, but I'm a bit baffled at the idea that this is not enough for a high school credit.

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Posted

And since you originally asked for more books...

China in Ten Words by Yu Hua

The Corpse Walker by Liao Liwu

Land of the Seven Rivers by Sanjeev Sanyal

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

West With the Night by Beryl Markham 

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Travels in Siberia by Ian Frasier

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle

 

 

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Posted

Doing something not traditional is always so nerve wracking (for me anyway!).  I want to do it well! My hope with this idea is that really interesting books would engage dd deeply, although it may cover different topics than a standard geography course. I will go forward with the idea, and will think more about how to get good discussion questions. I'm thinking I should read/reread the books at the same time so we can really discuss then together. 

Lori, if you still have them I would love it if you would repost your ideas for discussion questions. Those were super helpful!

Farrar, thank you for those  book suggestions!! They look AMAZING!!

Thank you both for taking the time to talk this out with me.

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Posted
23 hours ago, NewIma said:

Lori, if you still have them I would love it if you would repost your ideas for discussion questions. Those were super helpful!

Alas, I deleted and did not save. 😞 

But I was thinking of questions beginning with "how" and "why" and "in what way".

Also, comparisons (compare/contrast) that results in a conclusion (a "big idea" or thought) as a *result* of having made the comparison.

And analyzing the connections between various aspects of what goes into a geography:
- religion/worldview and the influence on history/politics
- the physical geography (and resources) and its impact on economic or political decisions
- how the art/music/food/literature reflect aspects of the culture (i.e., might have religious significance or have ties to the ancient culture/traditions)
- looking at the "biome" (unique climate/landscape/plants/animals) and influences that has on the culture

Have a great Geography year or two! Warmest regards, Lori D.

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Posted

We did a human/cultural geography course using the Teaching Company lectures as a spine and then added interesting nonfiction to go with it.  It turned out to be a great course.

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Posted

So we could never read all of these books or sources, but here is a list I've compiled from the resources above and my own finds.  I'll narrow it down later! 🙂

1.       Great Course: Cultural and Human Geography

2.       Great Course: Geological Wonders

3.       In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson (Australia)

4.       Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington (Australia)

5.       Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson (England)

6.       The Island of the Colorblind by Oliver Sacks (Micronesia)

7.       Africa: A Biography of a Continent by John Reader

8.       India Calling by Anand Giridharadas 

9.       The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba

10.   From Here to Eternity by Doughty (death rituals around the world)

11.   Prisoners of Geography 

12.   Canada Year By Year

13.   Sisu: The Finnish Art of Courage

14.   North: How to Live Scandinavian

15.   Me Talk Pretty One Day  (France)

16.   A Year in Provence

17.   Persepolis (Iran)

18.   Reading Lolita in Tehran (Iran)

19.    Cool Japan Guide

20.   The Girl with Seven Names (North Korea)

21.   The Family Romanov (Russia)

22.   Breaking Stalin’s Nose (Russia)

23.   Born a Crime (South Africa) 

24.   War Brothers (Uganda)

25.   Illegal (Ghana)

26.   Kampung Boy (Malaysia)

27.   Being Canadian Documentary

28.   Jig Documentary (Ireland)

29.   I am Malala (Pakistan)

30.   He Named Me Malala Documentary

31.   The Breadwinner Movie (Afganistan)

32.   The Underground Girls of Kabul (Afganistan)

33.   The Birth of Korean Cool

34.   The Land I Lost (Vietnam)

36.   Seven Years in Tibet

37.   Red Scarf Girl (China)

38.   Revolution is Not a Dinner Party (China)

39.   China in Ten Words

40.   The Corpse Walker (China)

41.   The Ocean of Churn (Indian Ocean)

42.   Land of the Seven Rivers (India)

43.   West With the Night (West Africa and the Atlantic Ocean)

44.   Travels in Siberia (Russia)

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Posted
5 hours ago, alisoncooks said:

...We're also doing World Geog & Cultures this year (9th), but more heavily on the cultures aspect (using a lot of videos). 

Just a few documentary ideas:

Babies (2010) -- documentary; babies/toddlers from Namibia (Africa), Japan (Asia), Mongolia (Asia) and the U.S. (N. America)
On the Way to School (2014) -- documentary; children from Kenya (Africa), Morocco (N. Africa), Argentina (S. America), and India (Asia)
Life in a Day (2010) -- documentary "time capsule" of people around the world in daily life on a single day
- Baraka (1992) -- 1 hr. 37 min., 24 countries shown visually, no voice over -- trailer for this documentary
- Happiness (2013) -- 1 hour; documentary about a boy of Bhutan being sent to a monastery; aired on Independent Lens (season 16, episode 5)

Exploring Street Food Culture Around the World -- 41-min. YouTube video
- National Geographic: People & Cultures -- preview: some adult/intense topics; short videos, but you have to sort through to find what you're looking for -- keep clicking on "see more options" for tons more titles

And a feature film: Arranged (2007) -- set in U.S., but follows the subcultures of a Hasidic Jewish woman and Islamic Syrian woman and matchmaking.
 

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