The document initially describes Part 1 of a two-part National Association of Secondary School Principals article, "Geographic Literacy: Essential in a Global Age," published in September 1986, and written to inform educational decision-makers about the need to institute, update, and enrich geography programs in U.S. schools. The second article,…

This issue of Update contains four separate geography lesson plans on the topics of: (1) the mobility and interactions of people, goods, and ideas; (2) creating thematic maps and comparing the relative wealth of South American countries; (3) identifying and applying key geographic concepts; and (4) human-environment interactions. Each lesson plan…

A theme issue of the Iowa State Historical Department magazine ("The Goldfinch") focuses on elementary readings and activities about Iowa prairie life. A total of 13 articles is included. In "History Makers," eight letters recount student and teacher prairie experiences. "The Prairie: Problems or Paradise?" recounts…

In the face of widespread geographic ignorance, the article applauds the improved status of geography in the schools, describing it as the science best able to meet the challenge of ensuring that students' mental maps of the world are filled in with great and accurate detail. The field is defined through a multiple definition as both a physical…

The nature and use of names are the focus of a resarch report published in a Canadian journal. The article presents the results of a study of college and university sports teams' nicknames, including major categories of names (human, animal world, mythical, etc.), and frequency of names. The report concludes with a discussion of the social…

This publication briefly describes the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessment in geography. In early 1994, about 19,000 students in grades 4, 8, and 12 across the nation participated. This was the first comprehensive geography assessment by NAEP and will provide baseline data to measure future progress. Sample questions…

This document summarizes the results of a national survey that tested 4th, 8th, and 12th graders' ability to analyze geographic data in a variety of formats; explain complex geographic phenomena and processes; and show knowledge of relationships between human and geographic events. The survey tested three content dimensions: space and place,…

On January 1, 1987, the total population including Armed Forces overseas approached 243 million, having increased by 2.2 million or 0.9 percent since January 1, 1986 and 15.7 million since the April 1, 1980 census. The number of births per 1,000 population dropped slightly from 15.7 in 1985 to 15.3 in 1986. The 3.7 million births in 1986 were the…

There are two currents of social studies reform. One involves the search for an appropriate social studies core and is spearheaded by state governments and scholarly organizations. The second reform movement flows toward a social studies curriculum based on urgent domestic issues and the realities of global interdependence. The cross-purposes of…

Celebrating the strength of the land is the goal of this volume containing songs, bibliographies, teaching ideas, book and song reviews, and indexes for free materials. The first issue containing songs about the U.S. Constitution illuminates the vision of freedom, and the struggle for it. Visualizing the spirit of the Constitution and explaining…

This issue of a magazine of Iowa history for young people focuses on early explorers and combined learning activities with informative articles. Sections in this issue include: "Where? What? Who?"; "Maps--long ago and recent"; "Every map answers at least two questions: Where? What?"; "Jolliet and Marquette";…

This publication opens with a statement by the 2001-2002 National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) President Adrian Davis on the horrific events of September 11, 2001. Davis said that social studies educators need to reinforce the ideals of tolerance, equity, and social justice against a backlash of antidemocratic sentiments and hostile…

A Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) may be comprised of one or more counties, can cross state lines, and must contain a city or urbanized area of 50,000 or more people. The population of the whole county (or counties) is included in the MSA even if part of the county is rural. A Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) must have over…

This theme issue explores the changes in Iowa's environment. When Native Americans lived in Iowa hundreds of years ago, the land was rich in tall grasslands, fertile soil, wildlife, wetlands, and unpolluted waters. When European-American pioneers settled Iowa in 1833, they changed the environment in order to survive. The first article in this…

The first paper in this volume, "Geomorphic Effects of Flood-Control Channel Works" (H. Rasid), examines the basic mechanisms of morphologic instabilities in man-made or modified channels in terms of their altered hydraulic characteristics and geomorphic responses to such induced changes. Two tables, two figures, and a 33-item…