Course Length: Full academic year (30 weeks)
This Year's Schedule: Click here to view
Aims of the Course
The introductory course in geography will take students around the world in the footsteps of some intrepid explorers, using the books that they wrote. It's designed to give a broad overview of global environments as well as dipping into a whole range of geography topics that will serve to introduce this subject in more general terms.
Texts include titles like Extreme Railway Journeys (Tarrant) and van der Post's Lost World of the Kalahari.
Homework Expectations
Each week, students complete a reading assignment, write a summary, and answer three questions based on the text. They also attend a one-hour webinar, where they'll look in more detail at some of the themes in the books.
How It Supports Your Child's Education
This course will suit students as young as 12, but also serves as a high school credit in social studies for US-style, college-bound approaches, or as a pre-(I)GCSE course for those aiming to sit UK-style exams. While the topics covered will be aimed at the depth needed for (I)GCSE, the course content will not cover all of the material required by any particular syllabus.
Who Teaches Geography: Exploring Environments?
Sandra Bird has a degree in Combined Science from Sheffield University and taught geography for a number of years before home educating her two daughters. She has 29 years of experience as a geography examiner, including being principal examiner for 17 of them. Her Blog About Britain project is a free resource for UK geography. Links to the 40 booklets of lessons and activities can be found by searching Blog About Britain on Facebook.See all courses taught by Sandra