Map skills are included in the curriculum of different courses in basic education and secondary education, although they are more involved in the Social Sciences Curriculum (SSC) and Geography Curriculum (GC). Based on this situation, the research aimed at a comparative examination of the mapping skills included in the SSC and GC, which were…

Numerous ideas for school social studies units focus on providing a framework for the teaching of topographic map skills, initiating an interest in history, and understanding population concerns. (CM)

Simple but innovative strategies that fourth-grade California teachers can use for building student knowledge of California geography while reinforcing map skills throughout a typical fourth-grade state studies curriculum are presented. (RM)

This research was based on an instructional module developed and used to investigate whether GIS can be used to enhance fourth grade students' geographic knowledge and map skills. Another goal was to identify challenges the teacher and the students face using GIS. Findings from the study suggest that using GIS in the classroom helps students…

Presented is a model for teaching elementary students how to associate place names with their referents on a map. The model has six steps: motivate, demonstrate, mnemonic devices, practice, test, and review. Described is a sample lesson for teaching about western states. (RM)

Designed for students in grades 7 through 12, this teaching unit presents illustrative resource materials depicting concepts related to climate and geographic regions. Emphasis is on giving students an understanding of climatic elements and factors, not as isolated, disjointed entities, but as a dynamic interplay of forces having a very definite…

This subunit, consisting of an introduction and geography of the USSR, is part of a unit on the USSR, one of four resource units for an eleventh grade course on area studies. The introduction contains suggested teaching procedures for each part of the USSR unit and objectives for the introduction. The section on geography focuses on developing an…

Describes the following teaching ideas: note writing; books supplementing a unit on measuring; parents' activities calendars; quick phonics inventory; map reading; language experience chart stories; predicting activities with titles; summer mail for learning disabled students; role playing; teaching guides for novels; sentence transformation; and…

This activity is one of a series of 17 teacher-developed instructional activities for geography at the secondary-grade level described in SO 009 140. The activity investigates resource management and economics. It employs the student-activity approach to inquiry learning by using group work, simulations, and team research reports. Given data about…

The goals of the 30 activities in this booklet are to help students become aware and to understand the increasing interdependence of nations in modern society. Three introductory sections explain how the pamphlet can be used by department chairpersons and by state education department personnel, as well as by social studies teachers. For example,…

This instructional guide suggests a way for teachers of fourth grade students to organize a social studies unit related to the study of Maryland. The eight to ten week unit is divided into four sections. Section I, a general unit outline, presents organizing concepts and questions, instructional objectives, and suggested topics for study. Section…

Five units are designed to assist kindergarten teachers in developing and implementing social studies programs which focus on introducing children to the world, its resources, and its peoples. Designed as a readiness program to help prepare kindergarten children for the primary grade social studies program, these units identify instructional…

Designed for use in grades 6, 7, and 8, this curriculum guide provides 11 individual units for teaching Kentucky history and geography with the recommended text "Kentucky Heritage" published by Steck-Vaughn. Unit titles are The Blue Grass State, Early Explorations of Kentucky, Development of the Government of Kentucky, The Constitution…

This book contains 33 supplementary activities on U.S. history. Although the activities were written for junior and senior high school students, most activities are adaptable for use with elementary school students also. The activities attempt to develop skills in three areas: (1) discovery skills (collecting, analyzing, and evaluating data;…