13 Video Supplements for BookShark Eastern Hemisphere

map of china and a stone statue of Buddha
BookShark’s Reading with History Level 5 offers kids ages 10-13 a chance to study a part of the world that is often overlooked—the Eastern Hemisphere. While BookShark’s curriculum is meaty enough on its own, you can easily supplement the curriculum with plenty of great shows and documentaries to dig even deeper or to stretch the curriculum over a longer period of time.

Pick and choose from among these resources. They’ll help you and your child learn even more about this fascinating part of the world. 

Eastern Hemisphere Supplements on Amazon Prime

1. Families of the World

This series follows children in different countries to understand their way of life. Each episode focuses on two children—one who lives in the country and one who lives in the city. Of particular interest in Season One, for those studying Eastern Hemisphere, are Japan, India, and Australia. Season Two includes the countries of Kenya, Korea, Philipines, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

2. New Dimension Media

There are many different episodes, each spotlighting a different country. You can find many of the countries studied in Eastern Hemisphere such as Russia, Japan, Korea, India, South Africa, and Australia. These shows are a bit outdated, but there is still much of value in these videos.

3. Antarctica – An Adventure of a Different Nature

First shown in IMAX theaters, this 39 minute documentary on Antarctica does an excellent job showing how vast and hostile Antarctica can be. For animal lovers, there are some adorable shots of penguins, too.

Eastern Hemisphere Supplements on Discovery

Discovery Atlas offers many short segments that may be of interest to your child:

  • China Revealed: Mongolian Riders
  • China Revealed: Meet the People
  • Japan: Mount Fuji
  • Japan: Cherry Blossoms
  • Australia Revealed: A Taste of Australia

Eastern Hemisphere Supplements on Ted Ed

1. The Incredible History of China’s Terra Cotta Warriors

This short video (less than 5 minutes) is animated and explains the history of the Terra Cotta Warriors. It’s hard to believe the Terra Cotta Warriors weren’t discovered until 1974!

2. What Makes the Great Wall of China Extraordinary

This is another short, animated video that is packed full of information about the creation of The Great Wall of China. A word of warning for sensitive kids—there is mention of mass graves by the wall for those workers who died while building it.

13 Video Supplements for BookShark Eastern Hemisphere

3. Boyd Varty: What I Learned from Nelson Mandela

Soon after Mandela was released from his 27 year incarceration, he spent time with Varty’s family in the bush. Varty shares his recollections of Mandela at the end of this inspiring talk. (The majority of this talk is about Varty’s experience growing up in South Africa, including being attacked by an alligator!)

Eastern Hemisphere Supplements on YouTube

1. Children Full of Life

This award-winning documentary focuses on a 4th grade teacher in Japan who teaches his students not only how to be good students but also how to enjoy life, including caring for other people.

2. Silk Worm Farm

In this short video, learn how silk is made and where it comes from!

3. Lantern Christmas Ornament

This video teaches your children how to make a decorative Japanese lantern.

4. 5 Interesting Facts about Mulan that You May Not Know

This humorous video pokes fun at the Mulan movie and shares facts about the real Mulan.

5. Discovering China: Mulan – Legendary Woman Warrior in Chinese History

This video gives the facts of the true Mulan story and include paintings of Mulan.

Eastern Hemisphere Supplements on Travel Channel

There are many segments of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmerman, most about 5 minutes long, that show bizarre foods as well as fun traditions in the countries Level 5 covers. Some you might consider include Andrew’s Top 5 for Ho Chi Minh and Imperial Chinese Cooking.

No matter which of these resources you choose, shows and documentaries can be a fun way to enrich and deepen your child’s learning when working through BookShark’s Reading with History Level 5  Eastern Hemisphere. Download samples of this program on the samples tab here.

See BookShark Reading with History Programs

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