Did you grow up thinking social studies was boring? I think most of us felt that way at some point. As a devoted history and geography enthusiast I want to show you a better way. Imagine if you could draw your child into a world of sensory delight and wonder. You can surround them with the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of a different place and time. What if they could live the stories of people their age from all over the world? Now you can do just that!
Read on to learn about an amazing new middle school curriculum that will let you make social studies exciting this year, and be sure to get your FREE Sneak Peak!
The Problems with Social Studies
Social studies doesn’t have to be boring. As a society, we make it boring with the way we usually teach it.
The Material is Boring
“That textbook chapter was amazing, ” said no one ever! Let’s be real, textbooks are dull and uninspiring. Yet social studies is typically taught by assigning textbook chapters and the questions that follow. Are the questions deep and insightful? Nope! To spice things up there might be lectures on the material as well. Neither of these options is going to draw a child in and make them want to learn!
The Work isn’t Relevant
How have you been evaluated in your jobs? Your boss has probably judged you based on your daily work and your projects. You didn’t have to memorize a list of facts and take a multiple choice test. Yet we ask students to do these things in class to ‘prepare them for the future’ regardless of the fact that the work isn’t relevant or flexible enough to match their needs.
The Focus is on the Wrong Thing
Social studies classes focus on the wrong thing. Which is more important, memorizing a string of facts or analyzing information from multiple sources and creating something? It’s pretty clear which of those matters more and it’s not the one that classes typically do.
How Journey Around the World is Different
What if, instead of focusing on textbooks and tests, teachers used methods that made students want to learn? What if, instead, you did something a little more exciting and flexible? Journey Around the World will do just that for your child! If you want to test things out before buying, try out this sneak peak of the curriculum!
Living Books
Living books are like the bait that fishermen put on their hooks. They will lure your kid in and make them want to know more about what’s in them, which is exactly why all of the books for Journey Around the World are living books! They’re going to read fiction (modern and historical) and non-fiction books that will make them want to read and learn more. These are far more interesting than textbooks and many feature kids their age, increasing the interest value!
Real Life Skills
Pop quiz, which is a life skill, filling in test bubbles or cooking? That’s a pretty easy question to answer. Journey Around the World works on real, important life skills. Each week your child will be getting in the kitchen and cooking to learn about the culture of various cultures of the world. They’ll be planning an imaginary world tour that will help them to learn to use trip planning websites. They’ll even work on communicating with and persuading others!
Focus on Culture
Journey Around the World is a hands-on exploration of world cultures, not just a study of locations and land forms. Culture is why we are the way we are. It’s based on our history, our beliefs, our food, our environment, and so much more. A lack of caring about other people’s cultures has repeatedly caused problems throughout history. Let’s put an end to that and start teaching our kids to understand and appreciate the cultures around them!
Journey Around the World FAQs
What age is Journey Around the World meant for?
Journey Around the World is a middle school course. I designed it with grades 7-8 in mind, but it’s up to you to decide when your child is ready.
Is Journey Around the World just for social studies?
Journey Around the World is designed to cover a full year of both social studies and language arts. Your child will work on social studies skills like mapping and understanding culture as well as language arts skills like speaking, writing, and reading comprehension.
Does my child need to do all the reading on his/her own?
Nope. I designed this curriculum to be highly adaptable and flexible. Your child could read the books independently, read with you, or even listen while you read them aloud. About half of the books for the curriculum are also available as audiobooks.
Do I have to score/grade my child’s work?
Absolutely not. Whether or not to score/grade is a very personal decision that each family needs to make for themselves. If you want or need to have a grade I have included information on how many points each activity is worth as well as a Course Grading page to keep track of everything. If you don’t want to grade the coursework, just enjoy the learning process together and ignore the scoring aspect.
Take Your Child on a Journey Around the World
Stop settling for boring social studies lessons. Help your child explore our planet and develop the skills they’ll need to succeed in life. Make school exciting this year with Journey Around the World! Be sure to sign up to get your FREE sneak peek at the curriculum!
