This project examined the development of the physical structure of a city in preparation for the designing of a unit of study on Urbanization for grades five through twelve. The rationale is focused on the effect physical structure has on the processes and functions of urban life. Recognizing the need for a method or process to examine city forms,…

Provides background information on the layers of the earth, the relationship between changes on the surface of the earth and its insides, and plate tectonics. Teaching activities are included, with some containing reproducible worksheets and handouts to accompany them. (TW)

Provides background information on various agents that change the landscape. Includes teaching activities on weathering, water, wind and ice erosion, plate tectonics, sedimentation, deposition, mountain building, and determining contour lines. Contains reproducible handouts and worksheets for two of the activities. (TW)

Presents an activity which helps students investigate how the ocean affects air temperature. Includes temperature data and a map for students to use in plotting and analyzing the temperature ranges of selected cities in Oregon. A supplementary laboratory activity is also offered. (ML)

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…

Describes a simulation game in which the objective is to highlight the social, political, economic, and environmental factors related to the building of a natural gas pipeline. Groups of players represent private enterprise, government, local people, environmentalists, and news media. For journal availability, see SO 507 287. (Author/CK)

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)

Addresses concern that students in North America and Europe do not know place name geography. Discusses the use of mnemonic learning in geography and maintains that it is a positive teaching aid. Illustrates the use of mnemonics in instruction and recommends mnemonics workshops at geography education conferences. (CFR)

Discusses beavers and their geomorphic impacts on their environment. Considers dam building, bank burrowing, and canal building. Suggests using the beaver as a classroom and field trip example to illustrate animals' effects on the physical landscape. Provides a review of published works on beavers in their roles as geomorphic agents. (DK)

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…

This curriculum unit teaches students about the basic physical and political geography of Africa and introduces or reviews fundamental geographical concepts and vocabulary in an African context. The unit offers a geographic introduction to the map of Africa with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa in terms of its examples and information. Each of the…

This curriculum unit introduces students to the travelers and traders from the early part of the Han-Roman times up to the 14th century who took great risks in pursuit of silk. A variety of activities explore the development of the Silk Road trade routes, including journal writing, small group reading and writing activities, role play and…

This curriculum unit teaches students about the basic physical and political geography of Asia and introduces or reviews fundamental geographical concepts and vocabulary in an Asian context. Each of the unit's five lessons can be integrated into the curriculum where it best suits students' needs, but it is suggested that the unit be taught as a…

These lessons, designed for high school classrooms, focus on the country of Germany in teaching the five themes of geography (location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and region). The lessons can be used individually via integration into the curriculum or collectively used as a complete stand-alone unit. The lessons are desigend…

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…