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…

Describes three college level simulations designed to help students understand geographic location. Presented for each simulation is an abstract map, a set of rules, geographic principles illustrated in the game, and explanation of how the game relates to a real-world situation. Rule simplification for use in grades 3-12 is discussed. (Author/DB)

This program presents a method for improving geographic literacy in a logical and meaningful way and for inclusion of geography in every social studies class. The third grade program utilizes six questions per week over a period of 32 weeks and is designed to be used during the first five minutes of each social studies class. The program focuses…

This program provides a way to enhance student understanding of social studies subjects by increasing their basic knowledge of geographic information. It enables teachers to make geography a part of every social studies class and is designed to be used during the first five minutes of each class period. An important aspect of the program is to…

Student understanding of geographic aspects of the world will be enhanced by utilizing these questions during the first five minutes of each social studies class. One goal of the program is to improve students' ability to locate geographic features, such as landforms and water bodies, natural and political boundaries, and capitals. This method…

Offers suggestions about what to teach within the five themes of geography in California's History-Social Science Framework (1988). States that the use of these themes (location, place, relationships, movement, and regions) along with the 15 basic concepts of geography provide a structure for understanding the substance of geography and its…

Learning place geography is an important part of school geography. Reports on research findings addressing effective ways to teach place geography. Finds that research indicates significant differences between mnemonic and non-mnemonic treatment groups. (CFR)

Asserts that teaching principles and concepts related to global time is a test of student comprehension and an instructor's teaching ability. Describes how teachers can create an International Date Line Wheel for classroom demonstration purposes. Includes 11 figures illustrating how to make and use the wheel. (CFR)

Provides an activity in which teachers can combine mental mapping with the five themes of geography (location, place, relationships within places, movement, and regions) in order to help students develop an understanding of their world. Explains that the activity can be concluded by asking students to draw a mental map of the world. (CMK)

This paper is part of a larger study, conducted as part of a Christa McAuliffe Fellowship research project, "A Comparative Geography of Three Ecologically Similar Regions." The study compared the Chesapeake Bay region of Maryland with the Murray River region of South Australia and the Rio de la Plata region of Uruguay. The project was…

This paper shows comparisons among the Chesapeake Bay region of Maryland, the Murray River region of South Australia, and the Rio de la Plata region of Uruguay. Through comparative geography, students are to draw their own conclusions about the similarities and differences of the three regions. Teachers are encouraged to use other resources to aid…

This report describes a program for improving student geographical skill components identified as place and orientation, cultural geography, economic geography, physical geography, and plants and animals. Middle school students in a middle class community in the midwest participated in the study. Three major categories of interventions were…

Explains a way to introduce geographic concepts concerning the Great Plains through nineteenth-century folksongs. Folksongs relate what is geomorphologically true and reveal values and attitudes that are true for the region and time. A geographic understanding includes both the human and physical aspects of the region. (GG)

Discusses how questions dealing with location and place are important to the process of geographic inquiry. Argues that understanding the fundamentals of location and place is necessary to understanding the geographic and historical factors that interact at any place. Emphasizes that location is useful in understanding global relationships. (KO)

Asserts that writing a critical atlas review is often a requirement for cartography courses because it forces students to think analytically about cartographic presentation and theory. Presents a choropleth map review exercise that can be used as an alternative to the atlas review or as an independent instructional activity. (CFR)