Related links to Spatialworlds
GeogSplace (a teaching blog for Year 12 geography)
Geogaction
Spatialworlds website
GeogSpace
Australian Geography Teachers' Association website
Where am I??
Adelaide, Australia: S: 34º 55' E: 138º 36'
The power of story telling
In previous postings I have alluded to the need to tell stories in geography and coined the term Geogstory. My interest in this aspect of geography teaching and resourcing has been stimulated by a frequently asked question by primary teachers in workshops. They ask; what picture story books are available for the teaching of geography? - hence this posting.
In her excellent article on storybooks in geography called Reading the world, Anne Dolan says:
"While the value of picture story books in language and literacy is widely accepted, picture story books also provide a powerful medium in the teaching of geography. They demonstrate meaningful concepts and represent the world a child is coming to know."
In this posting I have listed and linked to a range of such books and resources that may provide teaching materials for primary school teachers wanting to 'do geography' a little differently with a literacy bent. Whilst on about using literature for teaching geography I must again refer to the excellent Global Words resource from the Primary English Teachers Association Australia (PETAA) - developed in collaboration with World Vision.
The 'Geography through Storybooks' resource
The following sites are useful to start searching for a picture story book/s to teach geography, whether about place, space, change, sustainability, interconnection, environment or scale.
* Our Geography Through Story resources: Storybook collection
* A bibliography of storybooks for geography
* Books for junior geography
* Popular geography children's book
* Children's books for the geography buff
* Geography storybooks from other cultures
* Storybook son Pinterest
My Place storybook: a great resource to teach about the importance of place to people.
* Here also is a list of books (with links to purchasing details) suggested for the primary years of the Australian Curriculum: Geography (compiled by Sue Mann from the DECD Torrens Partnership)
Foundation
Stella's star liner
Clementine's walk
Henry's map
Looking down
My place in space
Year 1
The great expedition
ABC book of seasons
Ernie dances to the Dideridoo
Year 2
Lately Lily- Adventures of a traveling girl
Ruffy and me
Remembering Lionsville
Year 3
Memorial Gary crew
Year 4
Here is the African Savannah
Up and down the Andes
We're roaming in the rainforest
Where the forest meets the sea
Year 5
Fire - Jackie French
Belonging
Year 6
If the world were a village
Where children sleep
Year 7
Window on a changing World
One well (Citizen Kid Series)
A cool drink of water
Paddock
My Place
Dr Seuss - where will you go?
