This study examines developmental differences in children's acquired knowledge of two routes of travel through an unfamiliar environmental area. Routes differed in terms of the extent of indirect travel required and were further differentiated in terms of direct and indirect segments of travel within each route. Each route connected four…

Junior-high-school students need instruction in utilizing the various reading study skills as a means of better understanding content and of becoming more independent learners of subject matter. Teachers in the content areas, by using texts and subject-related materials, are in the best position to teach these skills. Although each subject has its…

Discusses the advantages of lecturing directly from the pages of the school atlas (a compendium of maps) in order to integrate it into introductory world regional geography courses. The approach includes a self-study atlas exercise and classroom lectures based on the school atlas. (Author)

Describes a study in which participants from five areas in the U.S. converted hand-drawn maps into generalized maps of their perceptions of dialect areas. The maps are compared with one another, with traditional maps of U.S. dialect areas, and with maps of cultural and regional zones of the U.S. (Author/SED)

Methods for using fiction and nonfiction to teach mapping and geographical skills are discussed. Three activities for use at the elementary, middle, and high school levels are presented. Additional books that can be used are described. (RM)

In this kindergarten unit, students read "My Blue Suitcase" by Sharon Katz as an introduction to traveling. After reading, students gather resources, including books, magazines, maps, CD-ROMs, videos, and information from the Internet. After collecting resources, students make a collage of the items they will need for the trip they are taking.…

This curriculum packet about maps, with seven accompanying lessons, is appropriate for students in grades K-3. Students learn basic concepts for visualizing objects from different perspectives and how to understand and use maps. Lessons in the packet center on a story about a little girl, Nikki, who rides in a hot-air balloon that gives her, and…

The World Basic Place Vocabulary Test was designed to provide feedback on place vocabulary capabilities of 13-year-old students in various parts of the world. The results from 12,500 students in 13 countries indicate that this knowledge store is not very great. European students outperformed those in North America. (RM)

Describes a classroom game that challenges students to identify characteristics of a place, learn the location of a nation, use reference books, solve a problem through critical thinking, and classify data by degree of usefulness. (LS)

Presents four activities for locating objects in space and on various maps. Included are objectives, directions, extensions, answers, and a worksheet for each activity. (YP)

Provides educational resources from ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) to help teachers find the material to teach the five themes of geography. An annotated bibliography of seven ERIC documents on geographic location is provided. (LS)

Describes a project in which students created a wall-sized map of Vermont to celebrate the state bicentennial. Suggests that the minimum of instructions the students received and democratic discussion and voting made the project an experience in cooperative learning and communication. Explains that the project incorporated art, history, geography,…

As a result of technological advances such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Geographic Information System (GIS), mapping practices and applications have become far more sophisticated. This article suggests family and consumer sciences students and professionals consider using GPS technology to map their communities as a strategy to…

Geographic information systems (GIS) consist of robust hardware, software, data, and a thinking operator. Together, they provide powerful tools for automated cartography and extensive analysis of information about places. Recent improvements in computer hardware and software allow the powers of GIS to move effectively and affordably into the…

"True" maps of the world, as seen from the perspective of the time in which they were produced, remain an ethnocentric visual language in modern times. Students can gain insight into such "true" maps by studying maps produced in the great traditions of the West and East. Teachers can determine a map's appropriateness by…