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)

Preschool children's ability to infer an object's position in a room from information contained on a map was assessed under five conditions: (1) map aligned inside the room; (2) map aligned outside the room; (3) map rotated 180 degrees inside the room; (4) map rotated 180 degrees outside the room; and (5) map held vertically outside the room. (JMB)

Preschoolers placed stickers on maps to show locations of objects currently in view. Vantage point (eye-level versus raised), map form (plan versus oblique), and item type (floor versus furniture location) were varied. Results showed that using an oblique map first aided subsequent performance on a plan map. Subjects performed worse on floor…

Illustrates how to use map reading to teach measurement, math, scaling, coordinate mapping, compass use, traffic regulations, problem solving, and other skills in a transportation unit. (JOW)

Explains the "set map" method of using the baseplate compass to solve walkers' navigational needs as opposed to the 1-2-3 method for taking a bearing. The map, with the compass permanently clipped to it, is rotated to the position in which its features have the same orientation as their counterparts on the ground. Includes directions and…

"Back to the Basics: Birmingham, Alabama" is the fourth in a series of workshops that focus on teaching foundational map reading and spatial differentiation skills. It is the second published exercise from the Back to the Basics series developed by the Wetland Education through Maps and Aerial Photography (WETMAAP) Program (see…

In the primary grades, maps are useful tools to help the young reader put stories into perspective. This article presents 18 quality children's books that contain maps or lessons about maps, as well as activities to use in the classroom to teach map skills. A table is included with ratings of the usability of the maps.

Psychological research shows that learning can be powerfully enhanced through testing, but this finding has so far been confined to memory tasks requiring verbal responses. We explored whether testing can enhance learning of visuospatial information in maps. Fifty subjects each studied 2 maps, one through conventional study, and the other through…

The self-teaching text in map reading covers those skills needed by readers of military maps and map substitutes. It provides a foundation for personnel whose training program will require specialized or more advanced skills. Practical experience in the field with map and compass should supplement the text. The six parts of the text are meant to…

The purpose of the project was to gain information with which to improve the quality of tactual maps for the blind. Empirical studies of the pair-comparison type were conducted, using blind students as subjects, to determine discriminable sets of areal, linear, and point symbols made in plastic and to identify discriminable sets of linear and…

This learning exercise was designed for a seventh grade geography class in Western Pennsylvania using highway maps from a local service station. It is designed to provide practice in skills in using the key, the grid system, the mileage scale for finding distances, and to develop an appreciation for the variety of information a student can obtain…

Considers aspect of Muchow's work that are relevant for developmental psychology, including her emphasis on the contextual matrix of child behavior, her interest in the sphere of children's action in relation to their cognition of the environment, and methodological implications in her work. (Author/SO)

This paper traces the history and growth of air photo interpretation and remote sensing within the field of geography. Courses offered in these fields, factors influencing growth, research findings, and professional geographic interest are discussed. (JH)

Secondary teachers should find these guidelines useful in helping students to become more map conscious and critical of maps. Various ways in which map elements can be manipulated to make maps persuasive and how such maps have been used are examined. Tips for identifying these maps are provided. (RM)

Indicates in-class and at-home math projects for sixth graders. Activities focus on map-making and exploration of maps. (RH)