Get ready to explore the world in a whole new way via high school World Geography!
In Heart of Dakota‘s World Geography, get ready to explore land and sea, discover treasures old and new, solve past and present mysteries, and journey from one end of the earth to the other! If you are like me, fellow homeschool moms, your own past personal trek through World Geography back when (we won’t say how far ‘back when’) might not have been all that exciting. Well, forget that! HOD’s World Geography will set your 13-15 year old on an exciting expedition. Armed with knowledge, filled with compassion, and consumed with love for others around the world, who knows what great things our God has planned for our high school students during their year of exploration in World Geography?!?
High school can be scary for both moms and students, but Heart of Dakota has your back!
I remember begging, yes, begging Carrie to write high school guides. One year at a time, one guide at a time, one son getting one year older at a time, and the Lord laid it on her heart to do this. Praise God! That’s all I can say, because I just couldn’t envision homeschooling high school in any other way. High school feels a little scary. Both moms and students can balk at homeschooling in high school. Well, rest easy, friend, because HOD’s high school guides cover it all. Course descriptions, course materials, all typical credits and electives needed, suggested grading, a 4-day week plan, easy-to-use 2-page spread lesson plans, Charlotte Mason focused, Christ-centered, literature-based… ahhhhhhh… need I go on?!? High school can be scary, but HOD has your back! So, it’s not so scary. In fact, I dare say, it’s incredible!!! And World Geography is just the right place to start that incredible high school journey!
High school is all about the numbers. So, how many credits can be earned?
Creating a good transcript is fairly important. We feel the responsibility as homeschool parents of making sure our kiddos are ready – ready for whatever God may have planned for them after high school graduation. It can feel like high school is all about the numbers. And in some regards, it is. How many credits should be earned? Well, the very basic thought on this would be the 4 x 4 – 1 full credit in English, 1 full credit in Math, 1 fun credit in History, and 1 full credit in Science each year. That is the very basic formula, with required electives thrown in for measure.
Homeschool students should shoot higher than the ‘basics,’ but guard against ‘padding the transcript.’ Too few credits might leave students unprepared for college. Too many credits raises red flags and can overload a student. World Geography is just right. With 6 1/2 possible credits, it is perfect for college entrance requirements! Maybe kiddos won’t choose the ‘college’ path, but should they want to, at least we won’t have held them back from it!
So, what are the 6 1/2 credits covered in World Geography?
There are a total of 6 1/2 credits covered in World Geography, but you always can tailor your student’s transcript according to the plan you like best. The Economy Package alone sports 1 full credit in World Geography, 1 full credit in Bible, and 1/2 credit in World Religions and Cultures. Then, the Complete English Package covers 1 full credit in English, including literature, composition, and grammar. Next, the science package covers 1 full credit in Integrated Physics in Chemistry, with or without lab. Add 1 full credit in math Algebra 1 by choosing from our multitude of math options. Tack on 1/2 credit in Spanish and 1/2 credit in Logic, and voila! You’ve earned 6 1/2 credits!
What can be expected in the World Geography credit?
So, I’ve promised an intriguing year in World Geography, but what exactly can students expect? Amazing chronological history readings from ‘real books’ provide the backbone of the credit. Add in Charlotte Mason style key word, summary, detailed, and topic oral narrations. Stir in full-color beautiful Expedition Journal Entries peppered with bulleted notes, outlines, sketches, primary source documents, questions based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, video viewing guides, research topics, Socratic discussions, and more!
Mix in breathtaking Reader’s Digest DVD viewings and follow-ups that transport students visually to the very places they are studying! Sprinkle in some geography reading based written narrations and some one-of-a-kind Book of Centuries portrait gallery and lined timeline entries. Amp up the flavor with Ellen McHenry’s guided mapping lessons and hands-on navigational projects in Mapping the World With Art. Spice it up with extra credit Living Library readings, and you have the recipe for a fantastic year in World Geography!
So, why are the 1/2 credit in World Religions and Cultures and the 1 full credit in Bible part of the Economy Package?
Good question, and there is a good answer! As students are taking their tour of the world via their World Geography history credit, World Religions and Cultures takes them on a matching tour of the major religions of the world. With inspiring biographies of people who converted from their first religion to Christianity, what could be a better match?!? Likewise, the Bible and Devotional Study introduces students to unreached people groups and how to pray for them! Moving readings about unreached people groups from the very places students are learning about in World Geography correlate with annotations, Scripture memorization, the Biblical model of prayer, a personal prayer journal, and devotions. What an inspiring match for World Geography!
Why should your student do Integrated Physics and Chemistry for science?
Why not, I say? Doing Integrated Physics and Chemistry (IPC) earlier on in high school has its definite advantages. First, completing it earlier helps it not be so heavily math-based. Second, completing it earlier gives students more options in 12th grade. How? Well, by 12th grade students will probably know if they are going to require physics for their future plans post-graduation. If they are going into a field that requires physics, then they can take a full-blown physics course their senior year. If they are not, they’ve already fulfilled their physics requirement in IPC, and they can enjoy our awesome 12th grade Astronomy/Geology/ Paleontology course instead!
What can your student expect in the English credit?
World Geography’s English credit includes a balance of literature, composition, grammar, and dictation. BJU Fundamentals of Literature provides the spine of literature study. It includes readings, discussions, literary analysis, Biblical worldview, and critical thinking questions. Classic girl or boy set novels are interspersed at balanced intervals. So, Charlotte Mason’s living books, oral and written narrations, and Common Place Book entries are married with BJU’s plans beautifully! Next, Essentials in Writing covers the composition portion of the credit. DVD lessons, follow-up assignments, personal/persuasive/expository/compare and contrast essays, and a final research paper are all included. Finally, Building Securely English includes grammar/English skills, and studied dictation keeps students progressing in spelling.
Finally, add 1 full credit in Algebra 1, a 1/2 credit in Logic and a 1/2 credit in Spanish!
With multiple choices in Algebra I, you can choose what fits your student best. Each math option has its benefits. With a wide range of options, one of the math programs is sure to fit your student well. Next, your student can enjoy a 1/2 credit in Logic via The Fallacy Detective and The Art of Argument. Finally, your student can learn Spanish via Getting Started with Spanish. And there you have it! 6 1/2 credits earned in one year of World Geography high school, just like that!
In Christ,
Julie
P.S. For more information about Heart of Dakota in general, click here!
P.S.S. To read more about Carrie’s choices for World Geography, check out her sneak peaks specific to each subject area by clicking here!
