Intended as a current statement for improving geographic education, these guidelines suggest major changes needed to counteract a prevailing illiteracy in geography among U.S. citizens. A preface and problem statement provide a rationale for including geography education as a subject of study in the schools and as a scientific mode of inquiry. A…

Geography helps one understand the physical and cultural characteristics of the world. Geographic education provides the values, knowledge, concepts, and skills to better understand ourselves, our relationship to the earth, and our interdependence with other peoples of the world. There is a great need to increase the quantity and quality of…

Presents a model for structuring writing in the geography class with a focus on using maps to prompt writing that will promote student interaction with geographic concepts. Delineates four components of successful writing as fluency, flexibility, frequency, and formality. Includes suggestions for geographic writing activities. (MJP)

Summarizes methods from a high school geography class that used examples from local geography to teach basic geographic concepts. Maintains that these illustrative examples can be used even in courses where the content is not local geography. Provides examples of local landscapes illustrating concepts applicable to the Brazilian rain forest. (MJP)

Provides annotated reference materials from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) database designed to help middle and high school social studies teachers incorporate the five major themes of geography into their classrooms. Includes materials on the United Nations, lesson plans on place geography, as well as interdisciplinary themes…

Provides a lesson plan on the geographic and civic aspects of municipal wastes. Offers action activities for students. Maintains that students will become familiar with the geographic, moral, and political features of municipal waste disposal. (RW)

Cites reports pointing to a lack of geographical literacy in the United States. Provides a lesson plan on the identification of countries in the Middle East, utilizing repetitive drill and mnemonic devices. Describes this activity as one way of helping students remember place-name geography facts. (RW)

Addresses the problem of geographic literacy with respect to the Caribbean Basin. Provides a lesson plan, including maps and charts, that encourages and challenges students to learn the geography of the Caribbean Basin, and to think about the problems that develop when large numbers of legal and illegal immigrants enter the United States. (RW)

Outlines the essential elements of a textbook. Analyzes geography textbooks in terms of their commitment to global interdependence, and treatment of a wide range of geographic concepts. Identifies components of a well-integrated textbook program. (RW)

Recommends including geography in history instruction. Suggests that the theme of time is implicit in the five fundamental geographical themes of location, place, relationships within places, movement, and regions. Observes that maps enable students to visualize historic events. Concludes that geography can help students connect past and present.…

Presents group activities for learning geographic terminology. Includes (1) learning basic terminology and definitions; (2) evaluating and selecting by consensus; (3) creating models to illustrate terms; (4) challenging classmates to identify terms; (5) grouping models into categories; and (6) explaining the meaning of terms in writing. Discusses…

Describes a lesson plan for use in physical geography, earth science, and social studies classes. Suggests that students will find the problem solving approach interesting and will use knowledge of earth-sun relationships, absolute location, and place. Includes objectives, two days of learning activities, evaluations, resources, and an activity…

Presents lessons on the geography of the desert designed to teach that different subjects are interrelated and dependant on each other. Explains that the goal was to help students understand that geography is a way of looking at the world not just a study of maps. Includes activities in reading, mathematics, art, and science. (DK)

Describes the content, structure, and instructional characteristics of video programs and print materials prepared by the author with the Agency for Instructional Technology for teaching geography within the context of U.S. history in high school courses. Each of 10 video programs focuses on a major period of U.S. history. Discusses the…

Maintains that the concept of scale is fundamental to geography, yet the definitions for scale and other spatial terms are confusing to researchers in other spatial science disciplines. Provides a terminology of scale that can be used for a multidisciplinary lexicon of accepted scaling terms. (CFR)