Whether we like government or not it is a necessary organization in our communities, country, and larger world. Governments provide structure and benefits to the people residing in their land. Some of the governments allow people more freedom, while others tightly control many aspects of people lives. While we are blessed to live under a government which gives citizens a voice and freedom to make many choices, many people in the world do not enjoy these same rights, responsibilities, and freedoms. It is vital for students (and adults) to learn the basic tenets and principles of other types of governments to function in the world and most importantly safeguard the rights and freedoms we have in out type of government. The World Governments notepack from In The Hands of A Child introduces students to many types of governments around the world.
The World Governments Notepack contains:
- a brief overview of the notepack and suggestions on how to use it
- a table showing a suggested breakdown of topics for each of the 5 suggested days
- a bibliography and related websites
- instructions for each of the activities and note pages
- study guide
- notebook page templates.
The World Governments project pack has a recommended grade level of 8-12.
Topics covered include:
- Role of Government
- Powers of Government
- Limited and Unlimited Government
- Types of Government
- Forms of Democracy
- Governments Based on Politics
- Comparing Democracies and Dictatorships
- Famous Dictators
- Types of Monarchies
- Types of Republics
- Governments Based on Economics
- International Organizations
Each of these topics is discussed in the research guide and then students fill out a notebook page with information which they learned about that topic. The notebook pages have headings, and the student fills them out according to the directions on the activities and instructions page.
Sample pages for the student to create their own country and government or International organization.
World map where students identify countries with each type of government.
The World Governments Project Pack is also available in a lapbook format with mini books in which to record information learned. The study guide and topics are identical to the one in the notepack format.
My Thoughts
I have used many Lapbook Project Packs from In The Hands Of A Child with my two children over our homeschooling years. However, as they have gotten older they have been more reluctant to use lapbooks to study and explore different topics. However, I think the idea of a short study guide to learn about a topic is great. So the notebook pages project pack is a great geared to older students. They still explore a topic using the same study guide, but have a different way to record their learning. I own one or two notebooking project packs, but had not tried one until I had the opportunity to try this World Governments set.
As my daughter is high school age and more becoming independent in her studies I gave her this pdf unit and had her work on it independently. (I printed the notebook pages/ organizers for her, since her printer access is more limited). I directed her to work through what she could on her own and let me know what she needed help on. She had some questions about the content in the study guide and we discussed some real world examples of what was written, but she essentially completed the project pack on her own. While it is bittersweet to let get of the teaching and working together, I was happy to see how well she did with this project pack on her own.
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| Vocabulary notepage organizer |
I really like the notepages vocabulary sheet. This organizer gives the student plenty of room to write the definition of words. There may also be room to use the word in a sentence or otherwise expand the definition.
This World Governments notepack would be a great way to start a World Government course by giving an overview of many topics to be covered in the course. It made a good segue from American Government to World Government. With the basic information learned here it will be easy to put together a World Governments semester course utilizing non textbooks and other resources. Otherwise I am not sure how to put it in to something where I could give high school credit for the work. (I am not trying to imply or suggest that everything done has to be done for credit, it is very nice to be able to do so).
Another way to utilize this project pack could be during a summer or other school break for a student to explore the topic and decide if they had enough interest in it to explore it further in a full fledged course.
Even though the lowest level listed is 8th grade it could probably also be used for 6th or 7th grade as well, especially if the student has an interest in these topics. As it is a brief introduction a younger student could probably get something out of it with out becoming tired of it as something that stretched out over a longer period of time.
One suggestion my daughter had was to have a note after the the sections in the text where a note page or organizer is to be filled out.
The biggest challenge with the notebook format of the project pack is coming up with a good way to save the completed notebook pages. With a lapbook it is easy; all the mini books are fastened into a file folder or something similar. These notebook pages aren't quite as easy. I have thought about binding them, but I don't have a comb binder and I don't know if binding about 20 pages is efficient either.
After seeing and using this notebooking project pack I think this is a great alternative to lapbooks for older students. It provides a concise study which can be completed in a reasonable length of time which can be used to achieve many goals.
Has your child completed a notebooking unit? How did you sane the pages?
Disclaimer: ( I received a free digital copy of this Project pack for the purpose of this review. I have not been compensated in any other way. All thoughts are my own. I was not required to right a positive review. Photos, with the exception of the logo, are also my own.)
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