AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY

(SECONDARY)

SELECTIVE UNIT 1 (S01)

(Book Review)

(July 2015)

Unit Statement: The student will read and review a nonfiction book that explores the topics in any given unit studied in AP Human Geography. In the book review the student will give a description, critical analysis, and an evaluation on the quality, meaning, and significance of a book. The review should focus on the book's purpose, content, and authority. It should reveal the student’s reaction in which strengths and weaknesses of the material are analyzed. The review should include a statement of what the author has tried to do, evaluate how well the author has succeeded, and presents evidence to support this evaluation. Depending upon the selection of the historical text, the unit should be open and engaged within the period of study.

Essential Outcomes:(must be assessed for mastery)

  1. TheStudentWillread a nonfiction book that explores a topic in Human Geography.
  1. TSWwrite a statement giving essential information about the book: title, author, first copyright date, type of book, general subject matter, special features (maps, color plates, etc.), price and ISBN.
  1. TSWstate the author’s purpose in writing the book. Sometimes authors state their purpose in the preface or the first chapter. When they do not, you may arrive at an understanding of the book’s purpose by asking yourself these questions:
  1. Why did the author write on this subject rather than on some other subject?
  2. From what point of view is the work written?
  3. Was the author trying to give information, to explain something technical, to convince the reader of a belief’s validity by dramatizing it in action?
  4. What is the general field of human geography or genre, and how does the book fit into it?
  5. Who is the intended audience?
  6. What is the author's style? Is it formal or informal? Evaluate the quality of the writing style by using some of the following standards: coherence, clarity, originality, forcefulness, correct use of technical words, conciseness, fullness of development, fluidity. Does it suit the intended audience?
  7. Scan the Table of Contents, it can help understand how the book is organized and will aid in determining the author's main ideas and how they are developed - chronologically, topically, etc.
  8. How did the book affect you? Were any previous ideas you had on the subject changed, abandoned, or reinforced due to this book? How is the book related to your own course or personal agenda? What personal experiences have you had that relate to the subject?
  9. How well has the book achieved its goal?
  10. Would you recommend this book to others? Why?

Suggested Texts for Study:

Title:Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

Author: Jared M. Diamond

Paperback: 496 pages

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (April 1, 1999)

ISBN-10: 0393317552

ISBN-13: 978-0393317558;

Title: Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

Author: Jared M. Diamond

Paperback: 608 pages

Publisher: Penguin Books; Revised edition (January 4, 2011)

ISBN-10: 0143117009

ISBN-13: 978-0143117001

Title: Unruly Places: Lost Spaces, Secret Cities, and Other Inscrutable Geographies

Author: Alastair Bonnett

Hardcover: 288 pages

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; (July 8, 2014)

ISBN-10: 054410157X

ISBN-13: 978-0544101579

Title: Wisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and Language Among the Western Apache

Author: Keith H. Basso

Paperback: 191 pages

Publisher: University of New Mexico Press; 1st edition (August 1, 1996)

ISBN-10: 0826317243

ISBN-13: 978-0826317247

Title: Who's Your City?: How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life

Author: Richard Florida

Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: Basic Books; Reprint edition (June 30, 2009)

ISBN-10: 0465018092

ISBN-13: 978-0465018093

Title: The New Geography of Jobs

Author: EnricoMoretti

Paperback: 304 pages

Publisher: Mariner Books; Reprint edition (March 19, 2013)

ISBN-10: 0544028058

ISBN-13: 978-0544028050

Title:The End of the Suburbs: Where the American Dream Is Moving

Author: Leigh Gallagher

Paperback: 272 pages

Publisher: Portfolio; Reprint edition (June 24, 2014)

ISBN-10: 1591846978

ISBN-13: 978-1591846970

Title: The Revenge of Geography:What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate

Author: Robert D. Kaplan

Paperback: 448 pages

Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks; (September 10, 2013)

ISBN-10: 0812982223

ISBN-13: 978-0812982220

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QSI AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY SEC S01

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