Afghanistan and its people are not well known or understood by the United States, yet many U.S. people now consider the U.S. and Afghanistan to be at war. How is it possible to know the enemy? This book offers a complete, but not exhaustive source of information about Afghanistan, the land and its people. The book is intended as a guide for anyone…

As one in a series of test item collections developed by the Assessment and Evaluation Unit of the Directorate of Studies, items of value from past tests are made available to teachers for the construction of unit tests, term examinations or as a basis for class discussion. Each collection was reviewed for content validity and reliability. The…

Examines the representation of South Africa in geography and history textbooks currently being used in American schools. Asserts that these books are flawed with misleading, inaccurate, and racist texts and illustration. Offers recommendations for revising the view American students are given of South Africa. (KH)

North Korea is a country about the size of the state of New York, inhabited by about 23 million people. It came into existence after the conclusion of World War II following decades of occupation of the Korean Peninsula by the Japanese empire. Dividing the peninsula into North and South Korea was the politically expedient solution to one of the…

Current U.S. policies toward Central American nations motivated this examination of the presentation of the region in 12 social studies textbooks. In order to determine if each text's treatment of Central America was representative of the entire book, three regions, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean were selected for comparison purposes. The…

Accused of harboring and supporting terrorists, Saddam Hussein's country of Iraq sits at the top of a short list of targets in United States war on terrorism. Iraq is a country about twice the size of the state of Idaho with a population of over 22 million. The country relies on oil for its economic well-being and controls what some estimate to be…

This paper is part of a larger study entitled "A Comparative Geography of Three Ecologically Similar Regions," which compares the Chesapeake Bay region of Maryland with the Murray River region of South Australia and the Rio de la Plata region of Uruguay. Readings with accompanying questions are intended for classroom use. Teachers are…

This speech bemoans the deplorable state of geography education in the United States. American students' geographical knowledge is far inferior to that of European, Russian, Japanese, Canadian, or Australian students. This nation's young people literally do not know where they are, what other cultures are like, or how things fit together. A recent…

This book contains blank outline maps of the continent or region, tables, and graphics depicting various aspects of Africa. Sections of the book include: (1) "Same Scale Maps, Silhouettes, Distances, Area"; (2) "Population"; (3) "Demographics, Education, Ethnic, Religion, Health"; (4) "Climate, Land,…

This book contains blank outline maps of the continent or region, tables, and graphics depicting various aspects of Asia and Oceania. Sections of the book include: (1) "The Land and Population Figures"; (2) "Cities and Countries"; (3) "People: Languages, Literacy, Ethnic groups, Demographic Statistics and Projections,…

This collection of lessons about the geography, languages, and social issues of several African countries is intended for use with students in grades 6-12. The collection contains five lesson plans: (1) "Africa Physically" (Mark Stahl); (2) "Comparisons of Education in Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Oklahoma" (Rita Geiger) (Handout…

This collection of lessons about the geography, languages, and social issues of several Latin American countries is intended for use with students in grades 6-12. The collection contains five lesson plans: (1) "Cold in the Tropics?" (Marilyn Kesler); (2) "Going beyond the Map: Comparing Geographic Characteristics and Related Social…

These unit lessons are designed to supplement a study of India. The lessons provide enrichment activities in history, mythology and religion, social customs, and demographics. Though originally designed for ninth-grade world geography students, the lessons are appropriate for use in grades 6-12 by students with a variety of skill levels and…

Real-life expeditions to several regions of the world, offered online by GlobaLearn, Inc., provide social and cultural connections, along with curricular materials that help teachers engage students in active inquiry. Through the eyes of real explorers making actual expeditions, students can discover and become familiar with people and places…

This unit introduces students to the historical tradition of a non-Western nation seen within the comparative concept of feudalism. This is done partly through a look at Tokugawa Japan and partly through a comparative examination of the concept of feudalism. Although the unit deals mainly with a specific time span in Japanese history, it also…