Children are born explorers, full of wonder and hungry for stories about the world. What role might geography teaching play? What geographical stories do we tell about the world? What stories do we tell about geography itself? The book revisits an older vision of geography that is much bigger than exams and memorising information: dreams of adventure and discovery. But where geography’s imperial past used these tools for domination and control, this book reclaims exploration to nurture wonder and tell better stories that work towards more just, equitable and sustainable futures. Positioning geography teaching in relation to major global challenges, author Steve Puttick argues that the subject has a unique role to play through its ability to think across natural and social sciences in equipping young people with the skills and knowledge they need to respond. The book offers a critical and accessible analysis of geography’s entanglements with colonialism by exploring the striations of Empire in the subject. Each chapter draws on a wide range of research in geography, and finishes with practical activities and questions for reflection that can be used individually and collectively to support teachers’ ongoing professional development. The book is essential reading for all geography teachers at any stage of their career, as well as geography teacher educators, subject leads and school leaders with responsibility for curriculum development.

See the world differently! This book provides elementary and middle school educators a guide to teaching geographic concepts through children’s literature. It includes a matrix of titles, standards and integral methods that enhance teaching geography and critical thinking grounded in reading and writing. Each section includes teacher instructions, activities and extensions to get beyond the borders of the classroom and think! It’s a must have for any teacher wanting to give students a passport to explore reading as a vehicle for a geographic adventure around the world.

Be brave and set your spirit free on an exciting journey across the U.S. of A, taking in 50 incredible adventures! From the award-winning author of National Parks of the USA, Kate Siber, this stunning book showcases an amazing adventure activity to try in every single state. 50 Adventures in the 50 States features gripping outdoors activities, vividly illustrated and described alongside fascinating facts about the nature and geography of each activity location – the very best the U.S.A. has to offer budding young adventurers! Each adventure is illustrated with a beautiful, poster-worthy image, with pull-out facts about how the adventure activity is accomplished and key information about the area’s natural and cultural highlights. Activities range from the high-octane, such as wind surfing the Gulf Coast in Texas or canyoneering in Utah, to the magical and inspiring, such as soaking in natural hot springs in Idaho, stargazing from a train in Nevada and witnessing the synchronous firefly displays in Tennessee. Wonder at the beauty as you: Walk on an active glacier in Alaska Climb the highest peak in the Northeast in New Hampshire Horseback ride through ancient canyons with a Navajo guide in Arizona Surf the iconic Venice Beach in California This book is to be pored over and treasured by aspiring adventurers – be they children or adults! Also available from the 50 States series: The 50 States, 50 Cities of the U.S.A., The 50 States: Activity Book, The 50 States: Fun Facts, 50 Trailblazers of the 50 States, and I Spy the 50 States.

This little book is confined to very simple “reading lessons upon the Form and Motions of the Earth, the Points of the Compass, the Meaning of a Map: Definitions.” The shape and motions of the earth are fundamental ideas—however difficult to grasp. Geography should be learned chiefly from maps, and the child should begin the study by learning “the meaning of map,” and how to use it. These subjects are well fitted to form an attractive introduction to the study of Geography: some of them should awaken the delightful interest which attaches in a child’s mind to that which is wonderful—incomprehensible. The Map lessons should lead to mechanical efforts, equally delightful. It is only when presented to the child for the first time in the form of stale knowledge and foregone conclusions that the facts taught in these lessons appear dry and repulsive to him. An effort is made in the following pages to treat the subject with the sort of sympathetic interest and freshness which attracts children to a new study. A short summary of the chief points in each reading lesson is given in the form of questions and answers. Easy verses, illustrative of the various subjects, are introduced, in order that the children may connect pleasant poetic fancies with the phenomena upon which “Geography” so much depends. It is hoped that these reading lessons may afford intelligent teaching, even in the hands of a young teacher. The first ideas of Geography—the lessons on “Place”—which should make the child observant of local geography, of the features of his own neighbourhood, its heights and hollows and level lands, its streams and ponds—should be conveyed viva voce. At this stage, a class-book cannot take the place of an intelligent teacher. Children should go through the book twice, and should, after the second reading, be able to answer any of the questions from memory. Charlotte M. Mason

Describes five geography themes; each introduces a new concept to help children describe their own adventure as they explore the different regions of the United States.