Where We Live / A Home Geography

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

22911

Title

Where We Live / A Home Geography

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

A progressive guide to geography that moves from the child's immediate surroundings to the global stage. This text encourages direct observation of local environments, fostering an intelligent interest in surroundings before expanding to broader concepts.

Summary up to 500 words

Emilie Van Beil Jacobs' *Where We Live: A Home Geography* serves as a pedagogical bridge between oral instruction and descriptive textbooks, guiding students from the intimate details of their immediate neighborhood to the vast complexities of the global world. Published in the early 20th century, the text addresses a common educational flaw: children possessing vague, incomplete conceptions of their surroundings due to reliance on mere description rather than first-hand observation. Jacobs argues that effective geographical knowledge must progress from the known to the unknown, beginning with the child's specific environment to build a foundation for understanding the larger world. The curriculum systematically expands outward. It starts with the school itself, encouraging students to examine the building's materials, layout, and history, and to draw detailed plans of their classrooms and grounds. The scope widens to include the streets, roads, and local buildings, analyzing the workmen involved in their construction and the materials used. The text then explores the community's people, industries, and occupations, emphasizing how humans secure the three necessities of life: food, clothing, and shelter. Students are prompted to investigate local animals and plants, distinguishing between domestic and wild species, and to study the neighborhood's physiography, including hills, plains, rivers, and mountains. As the study broadens, the text integrates map skills, animal classification, and practical exercises like planning trips. It covers transportation methods, from local wagons to international steamships, and communication systems ranging from messengers to telegraphs. The narrative then transitions to global concepts, examining the Earth as a whole, seasonal changes, and global climate zones. The geography of North America is explored in depth, detailing its diverse climates, resources, nations, and physical features such as the Great Lakes and the Rocky Mountains. By grounding abstract concepts in familiar experiences, the book aims to correct misconceptions and stimulate a lasting appreciation for the world's diversities and the intricate relationships between human life and the environment.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

Download URL

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Local file path

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Categories

• Geography
• Textbooks