Suggests the essential characteristics of the five fundamental themes of geography and provides related learning activities for elementary grades. States that use of these complementary and overlapping themes will result in balanced and comprehensive geographic instruction. (LS)

Lists essential information about the Arctic Ocean which should be taught in elementary social studies courses, and which teacher training programs should cover. Discusses popular misconceptions regarding the Arctic Ocean and factors, such as the coloration on maps and globes, which lead to these misconceptions. (LS)

Describes the second map printed in Europe which appeared in 1475. Provides background information that teachers to help students grasp the fundamental aspects of the map. Explores the map as a whole, its details and parts, and the significance of the map for studying the world view of Europeans preceding Columbus's discoveries. (DK)

Suggests that geographers can serve their communities as Boy Scout merit badge counselors. Identifies several merit badge projects that are closely related to geography topics. Discusses projects involving (1) environmental science; (2) geology; (3) oceanography; (4) orienteering; (5) weather; (6) U.S. cultures; (7) community citizenship; and (8)…

Discusses the teaching of geographic concepts through the use of childrens books. Suggests following up the books with a geographically focused activity to increase children's geographic awareness and knowledge. Includes an extensive annotated bibliography. Links specific books to the geographic themes of place, location, movement, regions, and…

Describes the ethnic makeup and traditional models of culture origins of Caribbean natives before 1492. Suggests that archaeology and linguistics show that the islands were most recently populated in three migrations of a single group. Argues that frontiers were within rather than between large islands because of the seafaring nature of the Arawak…

Presents two puzzles based on Canadian geography intended for use in secondary classrooms. The crossword puzzle is based primarily on place-name geographic knowledge. The word find puzzle focuses exclusively on Canadian rivers. (CFR)

Discusses the concepts developed in a mapmaking unit for kindergartners, including representation, symbolization, perspective, and scale. Describes classroom activities of constructing a model of the classroom, a map of the classroom, maps of children's bedrooms, the immediate community, and a map of the children's day. Asserts that mapping…

Since the beginning of the 1970s the under-representation of women in geography has been questioned in several publications. Most articles refer to the situation in English-speaking countries. This paper examines the vertical and horizontal gender segregation in human geography departments in Dutch universities. In spite of several policy measures…

A critical geographic pedagogy of writing can help students participate in public life by gaining access to the means of knowledge production. Drawing on pedagogical and composition theory, this article analyzes student papers from an introductory-level geography course to show how geography teachers can create assignments that broaden the scope…

The slippery downhill slide of geography as a taught subject in Tasmanian schools is a lamentable case of lost opportunity. Curriculum reforms reported in previous Forum papers for IRGEE (Robertson, 2003a, 2003b) highlight the time lag in responses to these changes by geography educators. Perhaps because they have steadfastly held to the belief…

The Revised Primary School Curriculum, if implemented, will change the nature of teaching and learning about countries in primary classrooms in the Republic of Ireland (ROI). This research aims to listen to children's voices about distant countries in order to reflect on their experiences and ideas on learning about distant places. (Contains 4…

This paper explores both substantive and methodological issues relating to research investigating Year 9 (age 13-14) pupils' conceptions of geography in one English comprehensive school. Posters, a questionnaire and interviews were used to generate a variety of forms of data. Findings indicated that the pupils saw geography as about the world,…

G. Stanley Hall (1844-1924), founding president of Clark University, was a leader in the child study movement and a significant figure in psychology and education in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Hall had pronounced opinions on many educational subjects, including the teaching of geography. His criticisms and program for the…

Determining the direction in which to face another location on the globe is a problem with significant social and religious meaning, and one with a rich and interesting history in the Western world. Yet a fully satisfying geographic solution to this problem is hindered by our intuitive perception of the world as a flat surface-where a "straight"…