World Geography - Honors
Recommended Prerequisite: None
Grades Offered: 9-12
Credit: ½ - 1
SDE Course Code: 3410
MNPS Course Code: SST5671
Course Description:
This is a more intensive approach to the standard World Geography course in which students study people, places, and environments at local, regional, national, and international levels from the spatial and ecological perspectives of geography. It is designed especially for underclassmen who want to pursue the honors, AP/IB curriculum in 11th and 12th grades.
Framework of Standards for Honors Courses: All honors courses must include multiple assessments exemplifying coursework (such as short answer, constructed-response prompts, performance-based tasks, open-ended questions, essays, original or creative interpretations, authentic products, portfolios, and analytical writing). Additionally an Honors course shall include a minimum of five of the following components:
1. Extended reading assignments that connect with the specified curriculum.
2. Research based writing assignments that address and extend the course curriculum.
3. Projects that apply course curriculum to relevant or real-world situations.
4. Open-ended investigations in which the student selects the questions and designs the research.
5. Writing assignments that demonstrate a variety of modes, purposes and styles.
6. Deeper exploration of the culture, values and history of the discipline.
7. Extensive opportunities for problem solving experiences through imagination, critical analysis, and application.
Reading: Honors courses, along with advanced placement, can be used to fulfill the requirements of the Scholars program. These types of courses should be midway in difficulty between standard courses and AP courses. Students must read and study to gain the wealth of knowledge necessary to meet the requirements for an honors diploma. Students should be tested weekly on class assignments and/or projects. In addition, teachers should carefully select extended reading assignments that connect with the curriculum. Students are expected to read from a variety of sources including essays, articles, biographies, primary sources, and documents. They will also study and interpret maps, charts, graphs, political cartoons, broadsides, posters, etc. Students are expected to interpret, analyze and evaluate information from the readings.
Writing: Honors courses should include researched based writing assignments that address and extend the course curriculum and demonstrate a variety of modes, purposes, and styles. Students are expected to write regularly and effectively, particularly the writing of essays using a thesis. Writing assignments might include essays, book reviews, document based questions, journals and research papers. All writing assignments should incorporate the historical research process including the development of research questions, the gathering of data and information (research), the formulation of a hypothesis, the collection of evidence, analyzing and interpreting evidence, and writing conclusions in narrative form.
Projects/Open-ended Investigations and Problem Solving: Honors courses should incorporate project-based learning opportunities. Honors students will be encouraged to develop projects that allow for the deeper investigation and exploration of cultures, values, and history. Such projects should follow the guidelines of National History Day competition which allows students to compete on the regional, state, and national levels. Each year’s competition follows a theme and encourages students to employ the historical research process during the development of the project. These projects may fall in one of the following categories: table-top exhibits, documentaries which incorporate various media and technology, performances, or research papers.
Course of Study:
- Introduce the six elements of geography
- World in spatial terms
- Places and regions
- Physical systems
- Human systems
- Environment and society
- Use of geography
- Study the six elements of geography as they apply throughout the world
- United States and Canada
- Middle and South America
- Europe
- Russia and North Eurasia
- Southwest Asia
- Africa
- South Asia
- East and South East Asia
- The Pacific World
Standards:
MNPS World Geography Standards
http://www.mnps.org/PageFactory.aspx?PageID=3354
TN State Department of Education Standards
http://www.state.tn.us/education/ci/cistandards2001/ss/cissworldgeography912.htm
Textbook:
Sager, Robert, and David Helgren. World Geography Today. Austin, TX: Holt, Rhienhart, and Winston, 2003.
Recommended and /or required resources:
Wall map of the World
Wall map of the United States
Atlases (overhead, computer generated and/or hands on) that accompany the adopted text
TV – DVD/VCR
Interactive CDs
Wherever possible, Classrooms should have computers that are web accessible.