Course Description
Would you like to travel to many countries and see the world while enjoying the comforts of your own home? If so, you have come to the right course! This course is structured in such a way to introduce the general principles of geographic study while regularly diving deep into various cultures. This is illustrated by the weekly outline:
- Week 1 – Geography and World Overview
- Week 2 – Asia Overview
- Week 3 – East Asia Focus: Korea
- Week 4 – South Asia Focus: India
- Week 5 – West Asia Focus: Israel
- Week 6 – Africa Overview
- Week 7 – Africa Focus: Tanzania
- Week 8 – Europe Overview
- Week 9 – Europe Focus: Ireland
- Week 10 – South America Overview
- Week 11 – South America Focus: Peru
- Week 12 – North America Overview
- Week 13 – North America Focus: Panama
- Week 14 – Oceania Overview
- Week 15 – Oceania Focus: Papua New Guinea
- Week 16 – Review of World Geography
In this class, students will learn about the physical world, human interactions with their surroundings, and systems that humans have developed in various regions. Of course, time will be allotted to the study and understanding of maps (one of a geographer’s primary tools). The course is centered around the six essential elements of the National Geographic Standards that were created by the National Council for Geographic Education. These elements are:
- The World in Spatial Terms
- Places and Regions
- Physical Systems
- Human Systems
- Environment and Society
- The Uses of Geography
So, as we move from region to region, students will gain an understanding of key physical characteristics (like landforms and climate) while also exploring the cultures and histories that make people groups unique.
Note: Assignments have been updated to include more cultural studies and a wider variety of interesting content.
Course Structure
The course includes a weekly live class that will be engaging, with group discussions and plenty of pictures from around the world. Students will have a quiz and various homework assignments to complete during the week, which will reinforce and expand upon the classroom discussions.
Students will complete a final project in which they will do a focused study of a country and create a presentation displaying their research (with optional sharing in class). Others assignments examples include the following: studying the flora and fauna found in different climate zones, creating unique maps, watching videos about various cultures, and reading about various types of African masks. There is an estimated 2-3 hours of work per week outside of the live class. Recordings are soon available after each class for review or catch-up work. There is one quiz to be completed after the final live class session.
Who should enroll?
This class is recommended for the 7th grade level (or higher). The maximum class size is 16 students to encourage student engagement.
Technology Requirements
- High speed, broadband Internet
- Sound card and microphone (for live sessions)
- Streaming video capabilities to watch recorded lectures
Since there will be map activities, students may be asked to scan or take pictures of certain assignments for submission.
Evaluation and Feedback
Students will receive comments and individualized feedback on their assignments via Canvas. Work will be graded and student questions will be addressed in a timely manner.
Communication
Parents do not need to contact me before registering for this class. I will confirm registration and provide a welcome email to students. All parents should join Canvas as observers, and I will respond to all parents’ questions. Parents and students can contact me during the course via e-mail. I will try to respond to any questions within 24 hours. Work will be graded, and student questions will be addressed in a timely manner. Students will receive comments and individualized feedback on their assignments.
Isa Echavarria –
Mr. Gilbert truly has a passion about the world and finding out more information about every single culture, and you can see it through his teaching. Although the class may not be the best for people who travel or need a more flexible work schedule, (Extensions usually are not handed out for travel reasons, and work must be turned in by the beginning of each week.) it is a great course for people who have time to put in the work and get the assignments in on time. Definitely would recommend, and as a student, I feel as if I left the class with much more knowledge than when I enrolled.
Eleanor Garner –
I loved how challenging this course was. At first I thought it was going to be pretty simple and easy, but it was way more than that. It made me think outside the box, and sometimes asked for my own opinion on how things ought to be done. It taught me about how different countries and regions interact, the different cultural aspects of all of them that are effected by landforms and climates, and also just the vocabulary of it all, which helped me to understand things outside this class. Nate Gilbert is also great at keeping us engaged and asking questions, and he askes us questions during class to make sure we under stood what he talked about. If we asked any questions he didn’t know he would go and look up the answers to them. I highly recommend this course!
Kate B. –
I would highly recommend this course to any 7th-10th grade student looking to broaden their overall knowledge of the world and how all of its moving pieces come together. I’m in 8th grade (sort of) and I’ve only been homeschooling for two years, this past year being the only one with Aim. In public school, I found that the teacher and the style of the class makes or breaks the entire course. Mr. Gilbert has a phenomenal teaching style; he curates an amazing presentation for each class and for each region we study, highlighting the most important aspects in a way that is both interesting and easy to understand. There’s a great balance between geography/physical aspects and culture/human aspects. I’ve taken a lot of social studies classes that focus too much on unnecessary details and the memorization of unimportant names and dates, failing to bring my understanding of a country or region full-circle; this class is not like that in the slightest. Each class is either an overview of a region of the world or a focus on a country therein; with the important highlights of each place, Mr. Gilbert creates a well-rounded understanding of not just each region of the world, but also how they all relate to and differ from one another. Again, I highly recommend this course!
Enoch –
Mr Gilbert’s course is engaging and educational, I would say the material is certainly bringing both geography and culture studies together in an interesting and engaging way. I would definitely recommend this course to any student between 7-10th grade who is looking to further their knowledge of world geography. The homework was not too heavy, but is enough to give you something to do 4-5 days of the week, and I certainly would say that it holds one’s attention and is relevant to the course. The material is simple enough for most 7th graders, but between extra-credit assignments and good class conversations, this clearly can operate as a high-school level course ( I am in 10th grade). I would highly recommend, not only is he a good teacher with clearly articulated thoughts, but he also allows for large portions of class conversations, which provide interesting insights and perspectives into the cultures which different students have experienced. He is the first, and only online teacher I have had to include students in the live class sessions as much as he does.
Ben Johnston –
Nate Gilbert was overall a good teacher. I would recommend this class to others in a heartbeat. I had only two problems the entire year which were on account of homework assignments, but other than that it went fairly smooth. I would certainly take another class with Mr. Gilbert.
jacob –
*casually recommends course*
Epic teacher, Nate Gilbert is, keeps us students engaged and wanting to come back for more. The homework was also pretty decent, it was relevant, and I learned a lot from it. Again, I highly recommend this course, with such a great teacher and learning material, you can’t pass up on this one.
Debra Bell –
The assignments for this course have been updated to better engage student interest and understanding. Thanks for the feedback! We listen.
jadjenny (verified owner) –
Mr. Gilbert taught in an engaging way and made classes interesting. Most of the assignments led to good learning, though some became repetitive. Definitely recommend this class.
Vee –
This Geography course is one of the first world culture classes I’ve taken in high school. The material was fairly simple and bland. However, the homework provided became repetitive and not engaging and it just started to feel like busywork as the weeks passed. The assignments varied and sometimes were able to hold my interest, but I don’t think I would look for another course like this. I’ll just say this class is not for everyone. Mr. Gilbert was a very fun teacher in the lectures, and the majority of my classmates enjoyed the class. 🙂
Cole Toonist –
Mr. Gilbert was a very fun teacher to have. he always brought this energy to every class that made the class very entertaining and fun to be apart of. I was expecting a very slow and boring with a feeling of “man I don’t want to be here” but Nate always was so kind greeting everyone who joins the class with a smile. I definitely recommend taking this course
Josh Bartelmann –
The course was great, Nate Gilbert is a great teacher. I really like his presentations. My only complaint is that the homework is really repetitive. I wish there were more creative assignments(like the Country Project) instead of just the same thing. Overall its a great class and environment.
Abigail Robbins –
Mr. Gilbert is a great teacher, he makes learning interesting and fun. He has grace when needed and gives helpful constructive criticism.
anonymous –
I really liked what we were learning in the class, it was very interesting. The homework all kind of seemed the same and I feel like we could have been assigned more creative homework instead of worksheets every week. it was heavier on the geography and very light on the cultural aspect of the class. when being graded on the homework sometimes I felt as if I was not getting the appropriate grade on my work. I enjoyed most of the content in live classes but the homework was not very interesting or engaging.
(prefer to remain anonymous) –
I enjoyed the content of the course, though homework became very repetitive and the whole thing felt like more of a map-reading course than a geography course. Cultures were barely covered, and when they were the teacher tended to present a very simplified view of them, sometimes getting (small) details wrong.
Maximus Mu. –
Before taking this class, I knew basically nothing about geography (hence why I was taking it), I probably couldn’t even tell you where Australia was and be confident in my answer. I now know not only where things are, but things about their culture, terrain, etc. (Also I know where Australia is now, so… 5/5)
Tatiana L. –
I really like how everyone is involved with the class. Mr. Gilbert is always letting us go on mic and give our opinions about whatever subject is being discussed. I find that very helpful. Especially hearing all of the students give their opinions because it helps me keep an open mind. It as well, helps me learn more and gives me something to think about.
Meski Zgirdea –
Mr. Gilbert is very knowledgable, well researched and gives great presentations. I found the class very interesting and it never got me bored. I highly recommend this class.
Eliyahu Masinter –
Mr. Gilbert is, as always, an outstanding teacher and communicator. Class time was used effectively and the assignments were relevant and helpful. He is always quick to respond by email and will answer any question you have, whether it is during the current class or the next. I took this class, not because of my passion for Geography, rather, I took it because Mr. Giblert was teaching the course. Even if you’re not interested in Geography, I would certainly recommend taking the class because it is very rare to have such an outstanding teacher as Mr. Gilbert.
Michael Martin –
Nate Gilbert is an amazing teacher and does a phenomenal job of keeping the students engaged and learning. He’s really nice and has such a curious personality. I’d highly recommend taking this course.