A cross-cultural approach is used to foster an understanding of modern China in this 8-part handbook of supplementary social studies materials for grades 5 through 12. Part 1 focuses on students' perceptions of China. Following a pretest, in which students consider their own stereotypes, three exercises help students gain a sense of the Chinese…

Many students in the United States do not possess a sound geographic vocabulary. This study compared two instructional methods, drill and varied activities, that might be used to develop that vocabulary. Eighth-grade social studies classes at three sites (one urban, one rural, and one transitional) were used to assess learning of the 50 United…

The paper describes a study of the scope of geography achievement tests and the social studies components of national achievement tests. The research examined whether the tests' items were (1) directed primarily toward testing knowledge at the recall/memory level, and (2) comprehensive in their treatment of the discipline. Ten tests were analyzed,…

Five resource units constitute the Kindergarten level of the Project Social Studies curriculum. The five units, on the theme of earth as the home of man, are preceded by a grid showing the concepts, generalizations, sequential development of skills, and attitudes appropriate to each unit. All the units follow a similar format, consisting of an…

Urban Geography was selected as the discipline for studying the physical structure of a city, as reported in ED 066 350. This second progress report presents a resume of the activities of the team and reflects upon the processes involved in curriculum building and instructional planning: 1) clarifying the nature of students involved, 2) finding…

In this curriculum unit, students create an itinerary and describe an Internet road trip from California to the East Coast. The student guide provides an overview of the activity, detailed instructions, a list of online resources, and reflection questions. The teacher's notes describe the unit's purpose, its correlation to historical and social…

Presents the results of an experiment that asked 53 middle school children to identify continent shapes and to arrange them to form a map of the world. Australia, Europe, and Asia were the most recognized. Misidentified and misaligned most consistently were Africa and Antarctica. Discusses possible reasons and teachers' responses. (MJP)

Suggests enhancing geographic education by teaching geography as a relationship between humans and the environment. Explores how to use the geographic themes of location, place and relationships, movement, and regions in the classroom. Provides suggestions for teaching geographic skills and developing geographic tools. Argues geographic awareness…

Four lessons for secondary school geography instruction focus on creative thinking through generating alternatives, imagining consequences, generating analogies, and creating products. In lesson 1 students lay out alternatives to solving a problem and decide the best course of action. Suggested activities include consideration of alternatives in…

This student workbook offers a third grade social studies program about the geography, history, and contemporary life of Alexandria, Virginia. It is divided into eight chapters, which present background information and learning activities. Chapter I places Alexandria in the county, state, United States, western hemisphere, and world through…

Building upon Course I, this teaching guide for the first of four units of Course II introduces the secondary student to geographic concepts and generalizations of the physical world to which man has related over time. All units of the second course emphasize the process of development whereby man, coping with given conditions in his physical…

In this Learning Activity Packet (LAP) students examine the geographic and ecological bases of the Eastern international region. The overall objective of activities is to help students comprehend the man-earth relationship concept. By studying this familiar relevant region students gain geographic knowledge and skills applicable to other areas.…

This instructional package, consisting of a text and 13 transparencies, is designed for high school classrooms. The five lessons in the instructional package relate to the "Five Themes of Geography" (Location, Place, Human-Environment Interaction, Movement, and Region) as promoted by the National Geographic Society. The lessons are…

The Arctic is covered with ice and snow for most of the year. Animals that live in Alaska's arctic region must be able to survive long winters and very cold temperatures. Surprisingly, many animals live in the harsh, cold climate. This first-grade activity plan helps students learn about the animals of the far north. The plan gives six steps for…

Focuses on the Nile, the Rhine, and the Mississippi, the greatest rivers of Africa, Europe, and North America, respectively. Highlights the rich diversity of subjects associated with rivers including geography, history, literature, and art. Includes 12 learning activities for each river. (MJP)