Offers background material for teachers and learning activities that are designed to integrate tactile and visual learning for elementary school students. The purpose of the activities is to foster a stronger and more stable understanding of the basic geographical concepts of relative position and direction. (JDH)

Arguing that students need to have knowledge about places and regions to understand current and past world affairs, a college-level geography course (University of Wisconsin Eau Claire) which teaches physical and cultural place names is described. Presents course objectives, topics, and activities and states that it serves student needs and…

Presents two activities, an in-class project and a road rally, which are designed to give high school and college students a better knowledge of the layout, geography, and history of their towns. Using West Chester (Pennsylvania) as an example, the article includes project descriptions, maps, and a sample road rally form. (GEA)

This article shows how to convert expository textbook material into puzzling mysteries for students. The five-step instructional process is illustrated with two sample lessons. Includes student handouts. (JDH)

Rural and small-town Ontario, Canada is introduced through illustrations and discussions of seven typical elements that helped shape the province: cemetery, house, barn, hall, fence, roadscape, and main street. Having students make and discuss sketches is an excellent way to help them learn about the human geography of an area. (RM)

Discusses how instructors can design a local field trip for undergraduate students enrolled in an economic geography class. The purpose of the field trip is to help students observe and interpret familiar scenes in terms of geographical concepts such as central place theory, changing land use, and spatial competition. (RM)

Identifies William Pattison's four traditions of geography (spatial dimension, area studies, people-environment interaction, and earth science); discusses how geography instruction at secondary level has been one dimensional; describes High School Geography Project's efforts to revise geography curriculum by unifying Pattison's traditions (1960s);…

The national parks of the United States are widely known for their unique physical environments. Described are 10 sets of slides that will acquaint students with the parks' landforms and geologic processes. (RM)

Many areas of the world are engaged in linguistic and cultural conflict. This cultural complexity is a geopolitical reality which should be included in the human geography curriculum. The teacher can emphasize balanced accounts of cultural discord and can ask students for recommendations on how conflicts may be resolved. (CS)

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)

This book examines trends in current educational literature and how they impact geography instruction. The volume contains 22 articles divided into 5 sections addressing geography innovation and educational research in geography. The introduction by Hans van Westrhenen and Gerard Schoenmaker delineates the foundation for the book and the theme…

This annual meeting site guide is the fourth to be published by the National Council for Geographic Education as part of the "Pathways in Geography" series. The chapters illustrate some of the interactions between people and place that have helped shape the Santa Barbara (California) region over the centuries. The book includes an…

A traditional world regional geography course inescapably entails a flow of information that many community college students find overwhelming. This paper delineates five strategies developed over 30 years of teaching to help students cope with this fundamental problem: (1) using study guides or a manual to help students understand assigned…

This activity book highlights recent changes in international political and economic systems of the world. Teachers of geography, history, economics, political science, current issues, foreign languages, and journalism will find these activities useful in integrating the "State of the World Atlas" into their curriculum. Two introductory activities…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is the most recent reauthorization of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) and was signed into law in January 2002 by President George W. Bush. This educator's guide was commissioned by the Geography Education National Implementation Project (GENIP) to help geography educators…