This activity, the fifth in a set of elementary teacher-developed units for geography, is intended to help teachers in developing an ecological unit. It examines pollution problems in the United States through observation and inquiry. An environmental walk activity is outlined that can be performed in any area near a school. It provides an…

Reported is how junior high school students, prompted by the construction of a local housing authority scheme, produced an information booklet for new residents which covered the history, facilities, and services of the community. Outlined are procedures, activities, problems, and results. (DC)

The five units on American Urban Studies presented in this curriculum guide are designed to examine the development, present conditions, and alternatives for the future of urban areas. Major emphasis in these units is on contemporary urban problems and possibilities for their solution. The major objectives covered in this course outline are: (1)…

Describes an interdisciplinary program which uses simulation to investigate social, cultural, economic, and political dimensions of environmental change. Summarizes the underlying process, outlines topics and activities for each of the four phases of the program, and presents one sample activity for each unit. (DC)

An activity, suitable for eighth grade, has students investigate a mythical city's development. Maps depict the city's transition from rural village to town to complex urban center. (LP)

This report describes a project designed to develop geography based activities that could be used to supplement an ongoing social studies program. The purpose was to help secondary social studies teachers in the Memphis, Tennessee area develop geography based activities dealing with concepts of urban spatiality. The project staff organized and…

This paper analyzes an instructional approach based on a student-designed and constructed model of a city and describes how this approach was used in a college-level sociology class on ethnic relations in the city. The approach is called 'City Building.' The major objective of this approach is to bring social life into the classroom. Students…

This activity, the fourth in the elementary set of teacher-developed instructional activities for teaching geography, focuses on knowledge and cognitive processes of economic and social diversity within an urban setting. Content includes the economic and social structure and problems of American cities as exemplified by Gary, Indiana. The…

This sourcebook for teachers contains resources and learning activities to help middle and high school age students learn about Boston as an international and multicultural city. The materials can easily be adapted by teachers for use with elementary students. Staff of the Global Classroom Project developed the sourcebooks. For the past two years…

The introduction of nontraditional teaching techniques into a solid framework of traditional teaching can greatly increase student motivation and attention. Nontraditional methods involve students as dynamic actors in the educational process in three ways: by increasing student motivation, maximizing the level of subtlety or detail achieved, and…

This unit, one in a set of elementary teacher-developed materials for geography, is on land use in cities. It contains follow-up activities to the "Cities at Work" filmstrips, which are part of the "Our Working World" program published by Science Research Associates (SRA). The filmstrips deal with resource allocation and zoning problems in cities.…

This course of study offers to seventh grade pupils themes which are designed to clarify the meaning and importance of the urban environment in which they live. The guide is about people in the cities and about the planning, growth, and problems of cities. Themes cover the Baltimore city area, urbanization in Maryland, urbanization in the United…

The purpose of this monograph is to present some recent trends on current issues that should be taught in elementary social studies courses. It is designed to provide information for teachers who wish to make their social studies programs more relevant to the times. The topics under consideration have been selected because they are relatively new…

In this activity, one in a set of teacher-developed materials for elementary geography, students investigate the selection of recreational sites in urban areas. Given characteristics of four areas of a fictitious city called Urbo, students are asked to recommend sites for public recreational facilities. The personal and social values of the…

This grades 7-9 unit is part of the series of population education materials for Baltimore public schools. Focusing on urban studies, the unit traces the historical growth of Baltimore and examines recent trends affecting the city, while projecting possible solutions to enhance its quality of life. Although specifically focusing on Baltimore as a…