World Geography and Cultures (Teacher Guide - Download)

I am so excited for the release of World Geography & Cultures! Looking ahead to my oldest entering 9th grade soon, I decided to nab this early in order to get a good look at it before she would start it!

It is a full high school social studies course designed for grades 9 and up. Scheduled for 45 minutes a day, five days a week, it provides a one-credit geography experience that is both structured and flexible.

The Teacher Guide is well done and is necessary to complete this course. It includes the usual worksheets, a daily suggested schedule, optional extension projects, and a full answer key. Each lesson incorporates a daily assigned reading, map work, written short answers, and teacher’s discretion assignments.

Looking through the course guide, I find that the teacher’s discretion options are where this curriculum really shines! They are provided daily and they offer ways to deepen understanding. Rather than feeling pressured to complete them all, I would definitely recommend choosing a couple each week, based on your student’s ability, to enrich the learning experience.

Instead of quizzes or tests, weekly review days are included. These days are designed to reinforce learning or to give an opportunity to assess comprehension. I believe this is an excellent course choice for families looking for a meaningful, thorough, and flexible geography credit from a biblical worldview.

As soon as she saw this, my soon-to-be 9th grader immediately asked to add this to her courses for the coming school year. She started looking through it and said that it looks very interesting and like something that will keep her attention and deepen her knowledge of geography and cultures across the globe.
It really is a beautiful book. I’ve struggled with geography books in the past because so many of them are simply lists of numbers and dates, and frankly, most of them are boring. This book is so much more than that, and it is anything but boring. While it does include the necessary things like map-reading skills, it also includes information about weather, people, cultures, topography, animal life, economics, governments, and (to quote the author), “how the world fits together.”
The beginning sets a solid foundation for understanding geography from a biblical worldview and understanding how the catastrophic event of the flood of Noah’s day dramatically changed the face of the planet. In this same section (one that may need to be referred to more than once), the basics of map reading and the differences in types of maps are covered. An overview of types of governments and other definitions are also included. It gives a detailed, but not overwhelming overview of these topics.
I feel like this book takes the reader on a journey to discover the beauty of the world God created, and it helps us to understand that there are some serious consequences to our sin. It is colorful and engaging with stunning photos and helpful illustrations. I really appreciate the spreadsheet type charts that organize the facts in a simple manner. The facts are presented in a way that makes sense and ties the information together. The authors help show the connections between the locations, natural resources, and economies and exports, as well as governments and cultures. The topic of various religions is covered in a respectful manner without deviating from biblical truths. The Thank-Pray-Ask-Pray sections are a beautiful reminder to give glory to God for His beautiful creation and to pray for our fellow humans, created in His image across the globe.
The worksheets are not just busy work. They are helpful in reinforcing the material without being overwhelming. There are also optional activities, including art projects or watching a video. I think this is helpful to reach a variety of learning styles. Every 5th day is a review of the week. In the front of the teacher guide is a schedule, and in the back there is an answer key and a variety of maps. It is a well-organized and well-written course.
I am so excited to share this course with my daughter. I’m looking forward to the wonderful things we are going to learn together and the amazing discussions that we will have as we learn. I think this is an excellent course for high school students (and parents, too), especially those who feel called to missions.

I am very picky when it comes to a geography curriculum and I am loving this course!
To start with, I am not a fan of books that say this is where this country is, the capital, and the population. That tells me nothing about the country. What I love about this course is how it goes into the GDP, religions, governmental rule and landscape of each country. Not only does it show the topography and the weather, but how that effects the residents, crop growth, travel, and how it all effects the culture. The teachers guide adds to all the information. There are fill in the blank and multiple choice questions, but also critical thinking questions and multiple options with a blank for the parent/teacher to choose which extra bit of research is done about each country, as well as, when it is due. That is flexible for the overachieving student, but can be easily modified for the struggling student.
I enjoyed reading the student book, but the Teacher Guide adds to the depth of the course for the student to learn beyond the pages. The Teacher Guide is needed to complete this course.
I recommend this course!