Spatial dynamics is an instructional strategy whereby students create large scale models that capture the details of a historic event. This Digest discusses classroom floor models and papier mache models. Floor models are best suited to elementary classrooms and middle schools. Papier mache models, appropriate for high school social studies…

A geographical exercise becomes more meaningful and more fun if we feel we can contribute to it in some way. Three map exercises that get college students to participate in a beginning human geography course are presented. (SR)

Presents a classroom exercise for an introductory physical geography course on the college level which explores some aspects of vegetation mapping and the relationship between climate and vegetation type. (Author/DB)

Examines four methods of identifying Amish-Mennonite settlement: local population data on religious affiliation; location of Amish church districts and Mennonite churches; topographic maps; and surnames and cadastral maps. Topographic maps proved unsuitable. Other methods produced reasonable approximations of Amish and Mennonite settlement. (TES)

Provides 10 class activities for primary grade students on the five themes of geography. Activities cover location, place, human and environment interaction, movement, and region. (LS)

Questions value of the National Geography Bee proposed by the National Geographic Society because the public may see geography content as unrelated facts; students may not be motivated; and content can be trivialized. Encourages group competitions that focus on conceptual and regional themes combined with societal, environmental, and locational…

Discusses the importance of geographic knowledge and understanding for learning history. Emphasizes five themes of geography: location, place, relationships within places, movement, and regions. Provides specific lesson suggestions. Argues for geography instruction's integration into all areas of social studies with maps and geographic themes. (DK)

Suggests using an example versus nonexample format to teach geographical concepts related to landforms in the elementary grade classroom. Describes lesson plans and includes objectives, methods, and instructional strategies. Recommends using a conceptual framework rather than rote memorization. (NL)

Discusses "Mascots and Meanings," a research activity that helps give students a concrete concept of some of the elements of a region or place. Provides a list of professional and college sports mascots. Identifies strategies that call upon students to identify the reasons for the choice of the particular mascots. (SG)

This book of instructional materials is intended to support the teaching and learning of themes, concepts and skills in geography at all levels of instruction. Divided into five parts, part 1 of this Teacher's manual, "Communicating Basic Spatial Ideas," offers the following: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Location"; (3) "Distance"; (4) "Direction"; (5)…

Elementary school students learn about the continents and the oceans by completing a variety of activities, games, and puzzles. Students learn to spell the names of the oceans and continents; recognize the locations, sizes, and shapes of the continents; and use directions on maps by completing a pretest, word searches, mazes, crossword puzzles,…

Geography skills for elementary and secondary grades are outlined in this teacher's guide. The teaching and learning of geography skills is a developmental process. Once introduced and understood, skills must be used repeatedly and in different situations if they are to become part of the students' equipment for learning. A planned program for…

A classification of remote sensing courses throughout the world, the world-wide need for sensing instruction, and alternative instructional methods for meeting those needs are discussed. Remote sensing involves aerial photointerpretation or the use of satellite and other non-photographic imagery; its focus is to interpret what is in the photograph…

Four map skill lessons for use with intermediate grade students are presented. They deal with map evaluation, orientation, making a photomap, and making a community resource map. (RM)

This lesson helps students describe where they live, develop an understanding of the geography of their neighborhood, and compare and contrast their area with other areas both near and far. Noting that experiences with maps enables students to see how they are representations of specific locations, the lesson points out that geographic information…