The article focuses upon an experiment in a university class designed specifically to teach geographic concepts. Attention is placed on the degree certain concepts can be learned and some factors which affect the degree of learning. (Author)

Discusses geography's rather low status and relatively poor public image in the United States and some of the consequences. Among the world's educated industrial nations, the United States ranks among the least literate in a geographical sense. (RM)

Maintains that military geography should have a place in an overall college geography curriculum. Describes how several war games can help students relate geography to land warfare. (Author/DB)

Describes a California State water project intended to transport water from the northern half of the state to the southern half. Assesses major features of the project, explains agricultural uses of the water, identifies other project activities, and surveys problems affecting the project. Explains the stances of various environmental groups,…

Describes a model for generating solution features, or karren, on gypsum blocks within 24-48 hours in order to illustrate terrain-forming processes. This method for replicating landforms provides hands-on experience for students, and can be varied to demonstrate a number of principles. (LS)

Describes the development by the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCGIA) of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) teaching materials. Explains that the demand for GIS professionals and the need to distinguish between the practical and theoretical aspects of GIS motivated the project. Examines the results of and prospects for…

Discusses problems that students have in appreciating the relevance of the philosophy underlying geography instruction. Presents an activity that requires students to apply geographic concepts to decisions concerning the location of urban retail outlets. Includes details on implementation, rationale and background, and procedures. (SG)

Presents a middle school lesson on the geographic theme of human-environmental interaction. Explains that the natural environments of the Dominican Republic and the gulf region of Alabama are compared and contrasted in the production of sugar cane. Includes maps, graphs, a historic speech, and suggested texts. (DK)

This study is an investigation into the place names of West Virginia to see if they reveal a record of the history of the state. It was found that the study of place names is indeed a study of the history of the land, because the people who inhabit the land give names to it that commemorate themselves, their deeds, and their passions. The study of…

This ERIC Digest discusses "Geography for Life: National Geography Standards 1994." The standards specify what students in U.S. schools should learn and be able to do with regard to geography. There are six essential elements of geography into which 18 standards are grouped: (1) the world in spatial terms; (2) places and regions; (3)…

Two lesson plans designed to teach the geographic theme of movement to third grade students are presented in this document. The first lesson involves the study of a can of fruit cocktail, and explores the ways in which the production of the fruit cocktail and its transportation connects the students' town to other towns. The second lesson involves…

Discusses how geographic information is organized into regions. Defines several functions of regions and describes how they are determined. Presents exercises to teach students about regions and lists 10 suggestions for teaching regional geography. (AEM)

Presents five day teaching unit on Michigan's experience with Principal Meridian and Base Line, attempting to focus on reality instead of ideal situations. Especially applicable in areas where rectangular land survey is employed, the unit focuses on the evolution of prime lines and the reading of surveyors' field notes. Provides for a field…

Models the creation of a complex mental geographic map to illustrate the geography teacher's instructional task to students. Cites 12 elements of a well-organized geography course that emphasizes spatial analysis, synthesis, and explanation of features and patterns that give geography its uniqueness among social science disciplines. (TRS)

Paper presented in Ottawa, Ontario, October 13, 1972. (DS)