The focus in this article is on the usefulness of spatial sequencing as a tactic for interpreting a map and organizing our memory of it. This skill is useful whenever some condition varies in a systematic way with distance. When students are asked whether they see a pattern on a map of a topic like wildfires or terrorist activity, some students…

To know a place, one must observe more than just the "conditions" there. It is also important to know about "connections" with other places, near and far. This article looks at research about geographic connections, with a specific focus on describing the area of influence (the aura) around a geographic feature like a lake,…

An "analogy" is a statement of relationship. A "spatial analogy" is an analogy based on a spatial relationship that is observed in a location. Spatial analogies can be based on any spatial relationship, including distance, direction, elevation, proximity, enclosure, or position in a pattern, region, or sequence - in short,…

This is the fourth in a series of six articles about how research by psychologists, neuroscientists, robot engineers, and other scientists could help geography educators design better lessons. This article will focus on teaching about regions as narrowly defined: a region is a group of places that have something in common and are close to each…

Each location on earth has its own mix of climate, minerals, land cover, politics, religion, and other features. Geographic inquiry starts (but does not end) with careful observation of these conditions, because geographers assume that they can influence what happens in that place. Future articles in this series will look at different modes of…

This is the first in a series of six articles about how spatial reasoning can help children "read" maps, graphs, and geographic texts. Since the late 1900s, neuroscientists and psychologists have used new brain-scanning and eye-tracking technologies to do a "lot" of research about visual perception and spatial thinking. One key…

Map literacy is a key goal of geographic education learning outcomes. Geography classrooms develop map literacy through practicing map skills (Sandford 1986; Hanus and Havelková 2019). One area where map skills pedagogy is deficient is in teaching the analysis and interpretation of maps as inherently political objects, with bias and latent meaning…

This activity is part of a larger set of activities and presentations developed by the Michigan Geographic Alliance to help teachers meet the proposed Social Studies standards in 6th and 7th grade. The Michigan Geographic Alliance website also has explanatory presentations, supplementary maps, and readings. In this 20-40 minute intermediate…

In this 22-question activity, high school students investigate the spatial distribution of marijuana stores in Colorado using an interactive web map containing stores, centers, highways, population, and other data at several scales. After completing this lesson, students will know and be able to: (1) Use interactive maps, layers, and tools in…

As students study the political organization of space in the Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography classroom, they must understand forces behind the creation of modern nation states, challenges to the stability of modern states, and political developments such as supranationalism and devolution (Human Geography Course Description). In this two…

The lesson described in this article meets several needs for Advanced Placement Human Geography (APHG®) teachers. In the interest of preserving time in the classroom, this lesson is intended to be a capstone assignment, allowing students to synthesize several concepts of the APHG® curriculum, such as demography, economic development, and cultural…

This inquiry-based activity designed for the fifth through 12th grade allows students to engage in an outdoor, place-based experience, working collaboratively both in groups and as a class to accomplish the class goal of creating a local tree map linked to student-collected data about each tree. During Local Tree Mapping, students explore the…

In the activities presented in this article, students mimic real scientists while constructing predictions and scientific explanations about surface currents. The activities are inspired by and couched within true scientific inquiries regarding the ocean and the North American Great Lakes. Students engage in a classroom inquiry and use map-reading…

Provides 2 examples of walking tours developed for primary grade children. The first example is map-based and the second is a verbal treasure hunt exercise where students follow a series of instructions to move about their school. (JDH)

Describes activities for elementary social studies designed to stimulate student interest in maps and globes. For example, students study geographic regions where friends and relatives live. They locate food production, manufacturing areas, and places they have visited on maps. (AM)