This resource paper on spatial allocation analysis is part of a series designed to supplement undergraduate geography courses. Spatial allocation analysis is the study of the distribution of economic flows and transactions over geographical space. This account represents a general introduction to the process and its application in geographical…

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…

Presents a classroom mathematics project for preservice teachers or secondary school students in which students investigate roughness or ruggedness of the boundaries of a state. (MKR)

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)

Provides a lesson that enables students to explain the global importance of mountains by applying the five themes of geography (location, place, relationships within places, movement, and regions) to a particular mountain range. Explains that students work in teams to prepare a brochure about their mountain range. (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 lesson focuses on student use of magazine pictures of a region in Australia to understand the region and discover more about it. The students begin by mental mapping of the area to discover what they already know, then proceed to explore the pictures for verification or for new ideas which they had not considered previously. This is an…

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…

Notes the various and evolving definitions of the term "frontier" as it applies to border regions, advance settlements, and developing areas. Traces the idea of frontier back to its original meaning, provides a critical perspective on experiments for redefinitions of frontiers, and draws some conclusions from these redefinitions. (MJP)

This teaching guide offers educators glimpses into the value of remote sensing, the process of observing and analyzing the earth from a distance. Remote sensing provides information in forms to see spatial patterns over large areas in a more realistic way than thematic maps and allows a macro-scale look at global problems. The six instructional…

This lesson plan is intended to be a model for teaching the geography of any area of the world. The unit attempts to teach the five themes of geography (location, place, region, human-environment interaction, and movement) while also teaching the geography of Asia and India. The volume also recommends that teachers canvas magazines, travel…

This activity book for teachers contains lessons designed to motivate students to master world geography. Questions on geographic concepts are formulated as mysteries for students to solve. The materials are written with seventh-grade students in mind, but could be adapted for use with other grade levels. Some of the lessons are more challenging…

This resource paper on political geography is part of a series designed to supplement undergraduate geography courses. Starting with a broad outline of the relationship between human spatial and societal organization, it examines cross-cultural perspectives on the political organization of space and the emergence of the nation-state as a…

Outlines an exercise dealing with the geographic concept of regions. Suggests this activity as a means of relating theory to students' personal understanding of the world. Provides a lesson plan which helps students appreciate the concept of region as an analytic tool through a "hands-on" exercise. (KO)