If you buy ALL FIVE Amazing World Records Books you get a great discount!
Purchased separtely: $84.75
Purchased together: $29.95
That's more than half off!
- You get the Amazing World Records of:
- Geography (122 pages)
- Weather (110 pages)
- Science & Technology (114 pages)
- History (124 pages)
- Language & Literature (112 pages)
NEARLY 600 PAGES OF HIGH QUALITY CONTENT, INCLUDING 300 ACTIVITY SHEETS WITH COMPLETE ANSWER KEYS.
THAT'S JUST A NICKEL PER PAGE!
For a great overview of the content, visit the interactive map.
COMPLETE AMAZING WORLD RECORDS SERIES
- Grades 5-9
- 582 Total Pages
- 300 Reproducible Activity Sheets
- Hands-On Projects
- Teaching Guides
- Complete Answer Key
- Amazing World Records Series Includes 5 Books
- Geography (122 pages)
- History (124 pages)
- Language & Literature (112 pages)
- Science & Technology (114 pages)
- Weather (110 pages)
- eBook/PDF Download
Amazing World Records of GEOGRAPHY
To the Teacher
WORLD RECORDS OF THE LAND
1. The World’s Greatest Mountain Range
A. Exploring the Himalaya-Karakoram Range
B. Understanding Mountains
C. Making Mountains
2. The World’s Highest Sand Dunes
A. Exploring Sand Dunes of the Sahara
B. Understanding Sand Dunes
C. Making Sand Dunes
3. The World’s Largest Cave
A. Exploring Mammoth Cave
B. Understanding Caves
C. Spelunking
4. The World’s Largest Delta
A. Exploring the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta
B. Understanding Deltas
C. Making a Delta
5. The World’s Largest Canyon
A. Exploring the Grand Canyon
B. Understanding Canyons and Similar Landforms
C. Appreciating the Beauty of a Natural Feature
6. The World’s Largest Peninsula
A. Exploring the Arabian Peninsula
B. Reading a Map of the Arabian Peninsula
C. Locating Peninsulas
7. The World’s Largest Wetland
A. Exploring the Pantanal
B. Making a Map of the Pantanal
C. Understanding Wetlands
8. The World’s Deepest Valley
A. Exploring the Yarlung Zangbo Valley
B. Understanding Valleys
C. Why Valleys Are Important
9. The World’s Largest Desert
A. Exploring the Sahara Desert
B. Locating Deserts
C. Understanding Desertification
10. The World’s Longest Glacier
A. Exploring the Lambert Glacier
B. Understanding Glaciers
C. Making a Model Glacier
WORLD RECORDS OF THE WATER
11. The World’s Greatest Tide
A. Exploring the Bay of Fundy
B. Understanding Tides
C. The Importance of Tides
12. The World’s Highest Waterfall
A. Exploring Angel Falls
B. Understanding Waterfalls
C. Making a Waterfall
13. The World’s Largest Bay
A. Exploring the Bay of Bengal
B. Understanding Bays
C. Locating Bays
14. The World’s Largest Gulf
A. Exploring the Gulf of Mexico
B. Understanding Gulfs
C. Locating Gulfs
15. The World’s Largest Iceberg
A. Exploring the Superberg
B. Understanding Icebergs
C. Visualizing the Size of a Natural Feature
16. The World’s Largest Lake
A. Exploring the Caspian Sea
B. Reading a Map of the Caspian Sea
C. Appreciating the Importance of Lakes
17. The World’s Longest Reef
A. Exploring the Great Barrier Reef
B. Understanding Coral Reefs
C. Threats to Coral Reefs
18. The World’s Longest River
A. Exploring the Amazon River
B. Making a River
C. Profiling a River
19. The World’s Most Remote Island
A. Exploring Bouvet Island
B. Understanding Islands
C. Designing an Island
20. The World’s Largest Fjord
A. Exploring Nordvest Fjord
B. Diagramming a Fjord
C. A Fjord Makes a Splash
Amazing World Records of HISTORY
To the Teacher
WORLD RECORDS OF MOVEMENT
1. The World’s Oldest Boat
A. The World’s Oldest Boat
B. Sailing Into History
C. How Boats Changed History
2. The World’s Greatest Movement
A. The World’s Greatest Movement
B. Mapping the Columbian Exchange
C. The Columbian Exchange Today
World Records of Settlement
3. The World’s Oldest City
A. The World’s Oldest City
B. Where Cities Are Located
C. The Birth of Your Community
4. The World’s Largest Ancient City
A. The World’s Largest Ancient City
B. Reading a Map
C. A Map of Your Community
5. The World’s Largest Modern City
A. The World’s Largest Modern City
B. Profiling the World’s Largest Modern City
C. Profiling Your Community
6. The World’s Oldest Building
A. The World’s Oldest Building
B. Shelters in History
C. Your Community’s Oldest Building
7. The World’s Most Diverse Country
A. The World’s Most Diverse Country
B. Papua New Guinea: Linguistic Diversity
C. Diversity in Your Community
World Records of Communication
8. The World’s Most Widely Spoken Language
A. The World’s Most Widely Spoken Language
B. Reading a World Languages Map
C. Languages in Your Community
9. The World’s First Writing
A. The World’s First Writing
B. Reading Cuneiform
C. How Writing Changed History
10. The World’s Most Widely Read Book.
A. The World’s Most Widely Read Book.
B. Paper and Printing
C. How a Single Book Can Change History
11. The World’s Oldest Work of Art
A. The World’s Oldest Work of Art
B. Why People Create Art
C. Art in Your Community
12. The World’s Largest School
A. The World’s Largest School
B. Education Around the World
C. Profiling Your School
13. The World’s Largest Religion
A. The World’s Largest Religion
B. Reading a World Religions Map
C. Religions in Your Community
World Records of the Economy
14. The World’s Earliest Machines
A. The World’s Earliest Machines
B. How Machines Changed History
C. Life in the Machine Age
15. The World’s Oldest Industry
A. The World’s Oldest Industry
B. The Largest Industries
C. Industry in Your Community
World Records of Warfare
16. The World’s Oldest Weapon
A. The World’s Oldest Weapon
B. Weapons of a War
C. A World of Weapons
17. The World’s Deadliest Battle
A. The World’s Deadliest Battle
B. Reading a Battle Map
C. Learning About a Battle
18. The World’s Greatest War
A. The World’s Greatest War
B. A History of Warfare
C. Interviewing a Veteran
World Records of Government
19. The World’s Oldest Country
A. The World’s Oldest Country
B. Countries of the World
C. Profiling a Country
20. The World’s Oldest Government
A. The World’s Oldest Government
B. Government in the World Today
C. Government in Your Community
Amazing World Records of LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
To the Teacher
1. The World’s First Language
A. The World's First Language
B. Understanding Iconic Language
C. Comparing Possible Early Forms of Language
2. The World's Most Widespread Language Family
A. The World's Most Widespread Language Family
B. Borrowed Words: A Research Project
C. Comparing Languages
3. The Language with the Most Words
A. The Language with the Most Words
B. Synonyms and Antonyms
C. Understanding Lexicography
4. The Language with the Fewest Words
A. The Language with the Fewest Words
B. The Life Cycle of an Invented Language
C. Words that Multitask
5. The World's First Writing
A. The World's First Writing
B. Reading Cuneiform
C. Symbols in Your Community
6. The World's First Computer Language
A. The World's First Computer Language
B. Ambiguity
C. Creating Syntax
7. The Country with the Most National Languages
A. The Country with the Most National Languages
B. Language Bridges
C. Current Events: Language in the U.S.
8. The World's Most Endangered Language
A. The World's Most Endangered Language
B. Back from the Brink: Reviving Languages
C. Endangered Languages and Your Community
9. The World's Oldest Living Language
A. The World's Oldest Living Language
B. Slang
C. Oral History: The Verbal Record
10. The World's Longest Word
A. The World's Longest Word
B. Prefixes and Suffixes
C. Building a Word
WORLD RECORDS OF LITERATURE
11. The World's Oldest Book
A. The World's Oldest Book
B. Inferring Translations
C. Understanding a Story from Images
12. The World's Oldest Play
A. The World's Oldest Play
B. Elements of the Theater
C. Try Your Hand at Writing a Play
13. The World's Oldest Propaganda
A. The World's Oldest Propaganda
B. Identifying Types of Propaganda
C. Analyzing Propaganda in Your Community
14. The World's First Printing Press
A. The World's First Printing Press
B. Before the Printing Press: Block Printing
C. The Power of Printing and the Spread of Ideas
15.The World's Most Popular Book
A. The World's Most Popular Book
B. A Book of Biblical Proportions
C. Memorizing a Passage from a Book
16. The World's Most Printed Poem
A. The World's Most Printed Poem
B. Analyzing a Poem
C. Poetry and You
17. The World's Bestselling Author
A. The World's Bestselling Author
B. Protagonists and Antagonists
C. Literary Criticism: A Book Report
18. The World's Most Controversial Book
A. The World's Most Controversial Book
B. Freedom of Speech in America
C. Critical Thinking: Censorship and You
19. The World's Largest Library
A. The World's Largest Library
B. The Lost Library of Alexandria
C. Using Library Resources: An Intellectual Race
20. The World's First Screenplay
A. The World's First Screenplay
B. Understanding Plot
C. Have You Read the Book?
Amazing World Records of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
To the Teacher
UNDERSTANDING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
The Difference Between Science and Technology
WORLD RECORDS OF SCIENCE
THE LIFE SCIENCES
1. The World’s Most Common Plant
2. The World’s Largest Living Organism
3. The World’s Tallest Plant
4. The World’s Largest Animal
5. The World’s Most Common Animal
6. The World’s Oldest Fossil
THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES
7. The World’s Most Active Volcano
8. The World’s Oldest Rock
9. The World’s Rarest Element
10. The World’s Oldest Observatory
WORLD RECORDS OF TECHNOLOGY
TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY
11. The World’s First Motorized Vehicle
12. The World’s First Aircraft
13. The World’s Largest Ship
14. The World’s Largest Train
15. The World’s First Space Station
16. The World’s Longest Road
BUILDING TECHNOLOGY
17. The World’s Longest Bridge
18. The World’s Tallest Building
19. The World’s Largest Dams
20. The World’s Longest Canal
Amazing World Records of WEATHER
To the Teacher
WORLD RECORDS OF HOT AND COLD
1. The World’s Sunniest Place
A. The World’s Sunniest Place
B. What Makes Weather?
C. The Uneven Heating of the Earth
2. The World’s Hottest Place
A. The World’s Hottest Place
B. The Dangers of Heat
C. Folklore for Hot Days
3. The World’s Highest Temperature.
A. The World’s Highest Temperature
B. Understanding Temperature Scales
C. Converting Temperatures
4. The World’s Coldest Place
A. The World’s Coldest Place
B. The Dangers of Cold
C. Folklore for Cold and Snow
5. The World’s Lowest Temperature
A. The World’s Lowest Temperature
B. Understanding Thermometers.
C. Tracking the Temperature
WORLD RECORDS OF AIR PRESSURE
6. The World’s Highest Air Pressure
A. The World’s Highest Air Pressure
B. What Is Air Pressure?
C. Air Pressure and Weather
7. The World’s Lowest Air Pressure
A. The World’s Lowest Air Pressure
B. Understanding Barometers
C. Making a Barometer
8. The World’s Windiest Place
A. The World’s Windiest Place
B. Why Does the Wind Blow?
C. Understanding the Coriolis Effect
9. The World’s Highest Wind Speed
A. The World’s Highest Wind Speed
B. Wind and Its Effects
C. Constructing a Weather Vane
WORLD RECORDS OF PRECIPITATION
10. The World’s Wettest Place
A. The World’s Wettest Place
B. Understanding Monsoons
C. What Makes Rain?
11. The World’s Greatest Rainfall
A. The World’s Greatest Rainfall
B. Constructing a Rain Gauge
C. Classifying Rain
12. The World’s Greatest Snowfall
A. The World’s Greatest Snowfall
B. Why Does It Snow?
C. Snow
13. The World’s Driest Place
A. The World’s Driest Place
B. Rainmaking
C. Understanding Drought
14. The World’s Foggiest Place
A. The World’s Foggiest Place
B. What Makes Fog?
C. Ships in Fog
15. The World’s Heaviest Hail
A. The World’s Heaviest Hail
B. What Makes Hail?
C. Huge Hailstones
WORLD RECORDS OF WEATHER DISASTERS
16. The World’s Deadliest Hurricane
A. The World’s Deadliest Hurricane
B. Understanding Hurricanes
C. Tracking a Hurricane
17. The World’s Worst Tornado
A. The World’s Worst Tornado
B. Why Are There Tornadoes?
C. Tornado Safety
18. The World’s Worst Flood
A. The World’s Worst Flood
B. The River of Sorrow
19. The World’s Worst Weather Disaster
A. The World’s Worst Weather Disaster
B. Natural Disasters at the Head of the Bay of Bengal
C. Preparing for a Natural Disaster
20. The World’s Worst Weather
A. The Country with the World’s Worst Weather
B. Understanding Weather in the United States
C. The National Weather Service
The Weird, the Wonderful, and Emphatically Not the Everyday
Using WORLD RECORDS to Capture Student Interest and Provide Intellectual and Emotional Context
If you teach kids ages 8 to 15, you should know about Kieran Egan’s simple yet stunning ideas about using world records to reach them.
Kieran Egan is an educational philosopher and the author of The Educated Mind: How Cognitive Tools Shape Our Understanding.
I. World Records Capture Student Interest
One of Egan’s key ideas is that children between the ages of 8 and 15 are hungry for what he calls “Romantic knowledge.” By providing appropriate instruction, teachers and parents can use this hunger to bring their instruction to a whole new level. Egan writes:
"Students in early adolescence seem most readily engaged...by material such as that compiled in the Guinness Book of Records. That is, they are attracted not to reality in its everyday aspects, but rather to its extremes, to exotica and the bizarre."
The student's imaginative grappling with reality emphasizes
who or what is the biggest, the smallest, the fastest, the slowest, the fattest, the thinnest, the hairiest, etc. It is the mysterious,
the strange, the weird, the wonderful, and emphatically not the everyday that engages the student's imagination.
Put simply, the extremes of the world are exactly what students atthis stage of cognitive development are naturally most interested in.
II. World Records Give Students Context for Knowledge and Self
Students love world records because the records form an outline of the world. As students learn, it is as though they are completing a jigsaw puzzle. Each bit of knowledge they acquire is a piece of the puzzle that needs to fit in somewhere. The world records are like the edge and corner pieces of a puzzle—they form the outline that all other knowledge fits within.
This is extremely intellectually satisfying to the young adolescent mind.
Moreover, its emotionally satisfying as well. Egan explains:
"By discovering the real limits of the world and of human experience, we form a context that enables us to establish some security and to establish proportionate meaning within it. Knowing about the biggest and smallest...allows us, on the one hand, to wonder at their extreme sizes, but, on the other hand, to be reassured about our own scale. Once we have some sense of context, we can begin to develop some sense of proportionate meaning of things."
Helping kids develop “some sense of proportionate meaning,” arguably, is the ultimate goal of every teacher and parent.
III. World Records Are Easy to Integrate into Your Teaching
To Egan, the young adolescents’ interest in world records is undeniable. Their “interest in these features of reality is,” he writes, “so obvious.” So he was troubled that this type of learning wasn’t being used by educators to reach and teach students. “It is a little odd,” he writes,” that the 8-to-15 year olds’ enjoyment of books, TV shows, and films that deal with the exotic and extreme has had so
little impact on curriculum....”
This “little impact on curriculum” has been unfortunate. Happily, however, integrating world records into your teaching is remarkably easy.
World Records are the perfect bellringer or launchpad for discussion. For geography, ask, “What is the world’s longest river?” In government, ask, “What is world’s oldest government?” In history, ask, “What was the world’s oldest city?” In economics, ask, “What was the world’s first industry?” In cultural studies ask, “What is the world’s most diverse country?”
And so on. By asking questions like these, you immediately reach the parts your students that are already intellectually and emotionally hungry. By basing further instruction on world records, you will provide your students with a “sense of context” so that they may “begin to develop some sense of proportionate meaning of things.”
And isn’t that why we teach?
