Students of every ability level could benefit from exploring the interrelationship between these two disciplines. In this ERIC Digest, the term literature refers to novels, short stories, poetry, plays, and folk tales. It consists of narrative as opposed to expository forms of writing that are found in traditional textbooks, reference books, and news articles. By no means, however, should literature be the sole tool used to teach geography or other subjects of the social studies. Rather, each form of narrative and expository writing has its place in the social studies curriculum.
Advocates present three main reasons for using a literature-based approach to teach geography.
There is a natural link between geography and literature. Virtually every story has a setting that can be expressed in geographical terms. With a literature-based approach to geography, each discipline can enrich and reinforce learning in the other. Students also can begin to see that both geography and literature have relevance outside the classroom. The study of literature improves comprehension of geography.