Spatial and temporal variability of riparian areas, as well as potential impacts from climate change, are concepts that land and water managers and stakeholders need to understand to effectively manage and protect riparian areas. Rapid population growth in the southwestern United States, and multiple-use designation of most riparian areas, makes…

Greenways are prominent features of many urban landscapes and synthesize several geographic topics: human-environment interactions, urban ecosystems, and the promotion of sustainability within riverine corridors. Greenways are easily accessible and provide an opportunity for students at various grade levels to study interactions across physical…

The climatic water budget model provides an analytical framework to help geography students examine the processes shaping the environment. Examples illustrate how the model can be used in geography classes. Two flow diagrams are presented to help students master quantification of water budget variables. (RM)

Urges that college level geography students will develop greater appreciation of population projections when they are directly and systematically involved in making and using them. An exercise is described in which students are directed to make several population projections, compare their projections with published projections, and explain…

Secondary students can study time and the motions of the sun by plotting an analemma, a graphic representation of the declination of the sun and the equation of time for every day of the year. They can collect data by measuring a dowel stick's shadow in the noon sun. (KC)

Fifth grade students can become familiar with images of earth generated by space sensor Landsat satellites which sense nearly all surfaces of the earth once every 18 days. Two false color composites in which different colors represent various geographic formations were obtained for the northern Ohio region where the students live. The class had no…

Describes an innovative geographic location activity in which students trace and correct a mimeographed map of the United States two times. The first time, the state names are given. The second time, the student must fill in and correctly spell the name of each state. (Author/DB)

Describes an introductory college level course in soil and vegetation which uses lecture, audiovisual tutorial, individualized instruction, field trips, films, and games. The course consists of three segments: basic concepts of soils, basic concepts of plants, and soil and vegetation concepts in a spatial context. (KC)

States that firsthand observations of the dynamic process that shapes landforms are important to understanding physical geography. Posits that locally planned, short-duration field exercises to study miniature or fourth-order landforms will enhance instruction about these fundamental geographic concepts. (DB)

Presents activities to familiarize junior high school students with the processes behind and reasons for volcanism, which is generally a planet's way of releasing excessive internal heat and pressure. Students participate in the creation of four important volcano-related simulations: a lava flow, a shield volcano, a cinder-cone volcano, and a…

Learning place geography is an important part of school geography. Reports on research findings addressing effective ways to teach place geography. Finds that research indicates significant differences between mnemonic and non-mnemonic treatment groups. (CFR)

A packet of resources for helping students develop map skills is presented. The packet includes: 18 stencil masters of mapping exercises for elementary students; an aerial photograph; the course guide, entitled "A Course to Understand Maps," designed to help secondary students understand maps through problem solving; and a teacher's…

Designed for students in grades 7 through 10, this teaching unit presents illustrative resource materials depicting the multi-factor nature of a geographic region. The unit focuses not only on climatic factors, but also on introducing other regional factors in an informal way. A blackboard summary of a class discussion of the different regions is…

A Canadian elementary level social studies curriculum combines the study of home, school, and community with the broader study of the nation and world through a multi-spiral approach. Described are the following units: the primary grade level (orientation, self, home, neighborhood, and school), grade 1 (families), grade 2 (communities), grade 3…

Encourages geography teachers to use biographies to reveal a sense of place and life in a given geographical context. Highlights the life of John Mullett, a surveyor during the settlement of Michigan as a model for using biography in geography instruction appropriate for grades 6-12. Includes surveyor maps and sources of additional biographies.…