Explores the interplay between geographic concepts and geographers' Web site design. Draws on the work of Maurice Merleau-Ponty and phenomenologically oriented geographers to propose the structure of cyberplace. Explores two examples of virtual field trips, "Virtually Hawaii" and "Bosnia Virtual Fieldtrip", stating that three…

Identifies teachers as primarily responsible for increasing geographic literacy, and suggests newspapers as a valuable source for geography lessons. Gives lesson plan ideas that include the use of the sports, news, travel, and weather sections of the paper. Lessons should enhance appreciation and knowledge of geography in everyday life. (RW)

Discusses the educational benefits of map usage in social studies classrooms. Recommends approaches to teaching map skills, including instruction in location, distance, scale, and direction. Presents activities which utilize neighborhood resources. Describes an activity in which students devise maps of their local community. (RW)

Discusses a study of sixth grade children's preferences regarding the portrayal of houses on maps. Reports that there were no significant differences between boys' and girls' preferences for the manner in which rooftops and streets were oriented. Concludes that apparent sex differences found previously may have been a result of the preferences of…

Discusses the unique perspective that the built environment brings to the study of history. Presents questions that can be used to analyze a building to examine identification, form, function, and impact. Suggests that studying a building is like conducting a micro study of the development of a society. (DK)

Presents a unit on volcanoes and experiences with volcanoes that helps students develop geography skills. Focuses on four volcanoes: (1) Rangitoto Island; (2) Lake Pupuke; (3) Mount Smart; and (4) One Tree Hill. Includes an answer sheet and resources to use with the unit. (CMK)

This document contains a set of curriculum standards to guide social studies curricula, teaching, learning tasks, and assessment. These social studies standards are organized to incorporate learning experiences from many disciplines. This book presenting the social studies standards is designed to serve three purposes: (1) to serve as a framework…

The paper suggests that the five fundamental themes of geography can serve as a good starting point for understanding how geography affects lives everyday in every way. Geography serves to remind people how interwoven geographic concepts are in individuals' lives. Ten activities are suggested to incorporate the five fundamental themes into a…

Providing practical learning activities for parents to use to teach geography to children under age 10, this profusely illustrated handbook is organized in terms of 5 major themes of geography: (1) physical location; (2) physical and human characteristics of places; (3) relationships among people and places; (4) patterns of movement of people,…

Presents a six day activity unit for upper elementary grades to develop an understanding of the value of knowing geography and to teach the five geography themes and their meaning. Completion of the unit will enable students to apply all five themes in describing a place geographically. Includes a test for student evaluation. (LS)

Identifies themes necessary for geographical literacy: location, place, relationships within places, movement and interaction, and regions. Discusses three traditional social studies approaches to organizing geographic instruction: topical, social science, and reflective. Illustrates the richness and depth created by combining all three approaches…

Argues that regionalization is a scientific classification of the earth's surface and crucial to the study of geography. Identifies seven key concepts which are associated solely with regionalization. Suggests a method for introducing the concepts in the classroom. (KO)

Provides educational resources from ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) to help teachers find the material to teach the five themes of geography. An annotated bibliography of seven ERIC documents on geographic location is provided. (LS)

Focuses on a video pen pal program between seventh- and eighth-grade classes in North Carolina and Alabama. This exchange is structured around the objectives of developing an understanding of the fundamentals of geography, an analysis of information about the local area, and a recognition that geography differs from place to place. (KO)

Highlights ideas from urban geography that may be used to teach students about the interaction of people and space. Students will learn to better relate geography to their own lives if they understand how the concept of accessibility relates to competition for commercial land, and if they consider questions related to the use of urban space. (LS)