This document defines what Kansas students should know and be able to accomplish in civics--government, economics, geography, and history. The document focuses on knowledge and skills related to the human experience and is intended as a framework for curriculum, instruction, assessment, and teacher preparation. In democratic societies, a working…

The Geography Educators' Network of Indiana's 2001 Exploring and Teaching Institute led 23 educators from around the state on a six day traveling adventure. Participants explored art, literature/folklore, historical sites and archives, physical environments, architecture, economics, politics, and cultures associated with the Underground Railroad…

The Age of Exploration, beginning in the late 1400s, was an important era in the discovery and development of land unknown to Europeans. Students initially participate in geographic literacy activities by comparing and contrasting the European geographic view of the world in the 1400s with present-day information. Focusing on pre-Columbian…

This study focuses on the ways composition pedagogy emerges out of and gives way to the dynamics of space. At one level, the study describes the attempts of one community college instructor to create a writerly space for his students, and at another level, it describes how those attempts resonate with broader conceptions of academic space.…

You (the student) have been selected to be the school librarian's helper today. You are going to help her shelve books about moose. But you will have to read the books before you shelve them to decide if they are fictional storybooks about moose or nonfictional books about moose. You will decide if the books are real (nonfiction) or make believe…

California State Standard 7.1 is delineated in the following manner: "Students analyze the causes and effects of the vast expansion and ultimate disintegration of the Roman Empire." One important legacy of ancient Rome is the foundation it set for the development of modern democracies. The Roman Stoics built upon the Greek Stoic model by…

U.S. educators recognize that the study of history is a vital part of a child's overall education and that parents are in the best position to encourage their children's natural interest in history. This booklet is designed as a tool for parents to use in stimulating their children's interest in and knowledge about history. The booklet includes:…

This guide, designed for use in upper elementary and junior high classrooms focuses on literary works by authors Cynthia Voigt, Elizabeth George Spear, Katherine Paterson, and Marguerite Henry, as a means of developing map skills and exploring the roads, towns, homes, landscapes, and eras of the authors. The geographic setting of each story is…

This simulation allows students to learn about the lands and customs of the people living in the countries found along the western rim of the Pacific Ocean. The class is divided into eight teams. The phases of the unit include: (1) research; (2) activities; (3) race; and (4) summing up and festival. Each stage of play involves completion of tasks…

This unit for high school social studies and Spanish language students deals with Mexico's transition toward democracy. Lesson activities include: (1) "What Is An Early Democratic Family Incident That You Remember?"; (2) "What is Democracy?"; (3) "Locating the Five Nations of Mexico"; (4) "Scenes from the Five…

This one semester course syllabus entitled, "The Integration of Mexico and the United States: Societies in Transition," is interdisciplinary and taught by the Departments of Geography, Management, Foreign Language/Spanish, and Sociology/Archaeology at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse Institute for Latin American Studies. The course…

This paper discusses diverse approaches to be used in assessing student achievement in geography. Criterion-referenced tests (CRT) are generally developed at the state level, and 48 of the 50 states have some form of CRT. As a result, objectives for teachers to use in teaching geography have been written at the state level, and the CRT is aligned…

This document contains five middle school lesson plans that teach about East Asia, focusing on Japan, China, and Korea. Lessons deal with geography, history, cultural comparisons, and trade relations. Lesson plans include background information, materials needed, extension and enrichment ideas, a lesson script, a rubric, a list of resources, and…

This curriculum project focuses on ancient civilizations, especially the various cultures that have inhabited the territory that is now Jerusalem, Israel. The project gives objectives for students to aim for and outlines the following 4-part procedure: (1) Background and Preparation; (2) Archaeology; (3) Group Research Project; and (4) Jerusalem…

This booklet focuses on eight elements of population dynamics: "Population Growth and Distribution"; "Natural Increase and Future Growth"; "Effect of Migration on Population Growth"; "Three Patterns of Population Change"; "Patterns of World Urbanization"; "The Status of Women";…