The Advanced Placement Human Geography (APHG) exam consists of two sections: sixty multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and three free-response questions (FRQs); both sections have equal percentages in the exam weighting (College Board 2020). Because the main motivation of the students taking this course is to earn college credit by scoring a three or…

This paper introduces four local field studies designed and conducted by two Advanced Placement Human Geography (APHG) teachers. All of these activities were designed for ninth-graders taking APHG courses. Both teachers implement multiple instances of field study in different units of the APHG curriculum throughout the academic year (e.g., two…

The purpose of this article is to introduce two easy-to-use analytical tools--OPTIC (Overview; Parts; Title; Interrelationships; and Conclusion) and SCRAP (Spatial-Temporal; Conditions, Connections, or Comparisons; Region; Aura, Association, or Analog; Pattern or Exceptions)--that can help teachers guide student learning with maps and photos.…

In this paper, the authors introduce a student project that can help students stay engaged in Advanced Placement Human Geography (APHG) classrooms through the end of the year, through a project that can be implemented after the APHG exam is given. The tight curriculum schedule of APHG leaves little room for implementing student-centered learning…

Discussions are one of the activity types that help students build their content-related background knowledge, understanding, and concepts through various communication approaches. Students express and share their perspectives and ideas with other students through a small- or large-group discussion. The formats of discussions may vary; they may be…

While students generally understand how humans impact their physical environment, it can be challenging for them to explain how this key geographic theme is "bidirectional." How does the land influence the people and vice versa? This exchange is what creates a sense of place for every spot on our planet. Being so physically and…

This activity is an amusing, but serious exploration into the idea of shapes for grades 4-8. Its purpose is to encourage students to begin thinking about shapes using concrete (and asphalt) examples from their immediate surroundings (i.e., street, block, neighborhood) while enhancing their mental image of world geography. Rather than allowing all…

This article documents regional demand for human-environment educational resources via assessment of public knowledge of the environmental crisis known as the Dust Bowl. The steadily eroding knowledge-base on the topic is discussed along with the desire for enhanced Dust Bowl educational resources. Regionally focused educational activities…

Greenways are prominent features of many urban landscapes and synthesize several geographic topics: human-environment interactions, urban ecosystems, and the promotion of sustainability within riverine corridors. Greenways are easily accessible and provide an opportunity for students at various grade levels to study interactions across physical…

The importance and significance of the environmental education, as one of today's accentuated assignments, is unquestionable. The reasons for these are approached from different perspectives, both by specialists and by educators/pedagogues, but also by the entire society. In this article --selecting from various possibilities--we shall demonstrate…

Describes two introductory college-level geography programs which use undergraduate students as peer teachers. In a human geography course, they act as small-group leaders in role-playing simulations. In a physical geography course, peer teachers serve as tutors for mastery learning. Socio-psychological, pedagogical, economic, and political…

The essays in this collection originated at a symposium on the teaching of political geography focused on the implementation of Standard 13 (National Geography Standards), "How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of earth's surface." The 16 chapters (or essays) in the collection are: (1)…

Presents a lesson plan on the slave-based rice plantation economy in South Carolina from the late eighteenth century until the Civil War. Includes objectives, teaching activities, maps, handouts of student readings, photographs, and plans for visiting the sites. Discusses plantation life and the culture of the rice economy. (DK)

Recounts how to use discussion groups to reinforce and expand upon lectures and how to link successive weekly topics by using thematic and role playing methods and a single theme. Theme used is perceptions of place and their ramifications in a decision making process. Journal availability: see SO 507 262. (Author/CK)

Activities that an intermediate grade teacher used to make geography relevant to her students are described. The students researched their own family heritage. To learn about another culture, they adopted a country and did library research concerning the country's economy and culture. (RM)