This world geography curriculum guide is designed to help teachers improve the quality of secondary level geography instruction. The guide contains Louisiana's social studies curriculum goals and information about the scope and sequence of the state's social studies program. Part 1 discusses the major geographical concepts of: (1) map and globe…

Provided are some perspectives, ideas, and resources for teaching about Japan and the Japanese. A major objective is to provide an opportunity for K-12 students to study a culture that can be both compared and contrasted to their own. Following an introduction, which provides a rationale for teaching about Japan, there are three major parts.…

Eighteen essays discuss applications of geographic research covering a variety of topics and methodologies. All authors are faculty, graduates, or graduate students of the geography department at Michigan State University. The most frequently discussed themes include economic, political, social, and medical uses of geographic research. Two papers…

The document focuses on the relationship of land and water in the Netherlands. Information, presented in expository, tabular, photographic, and cartographic form, is arranged in four major sections. Section I, which contains the bulk of the document, discusses water and landscape in geography; water in the Netherlands as a source of food,…

This 12th grade course in world geography is based on the philosophical assumption that human beings on earth make up a global village of interdependent people. It is world geography with a planetary perspective--an inquiry into the nature of the planet and its dominant species, Homo Sapiens. Seven units cover the following topics on physical and…

The nine-week course for sixth graders concentrates on map skills and the cultural and historical geography of Egypt, Mexico, and Latin America. Having completed the course, the learner will be able to list several ways in which 1) power has led to conflict; 2) new inventions lead to changes in ways of living; 3) man influences his environment and…

The role of geography in the elementary school curriculum is examined in this paper, which is arranged in four parts. Part 1 briefly sketches the characteristics of geographic instruction at different periods in U.S. history. Intellectual development and social education are identified as two widely accepted goals for elementary education today.…

In this unit, students from grades 4 through 12 study the cultural areas, traits, and life-styles of the North American Indians before settlement by the white man. Students examine the cultural traits of the Indians who live in 12 cultural areas to note the cause-and-effect relationship of traits to the environment and to make comparisons between…

Techniques for making geography more relevant to elementary students are discussed. For example, the abstract ideas of latitude and longitude can be taught by having students "live" a grid system, i.e., evenly spaced letters and numerals posted on the classroom walls. An interdisciplinary approach is needed. (RM)

This instructional package is targeted at students in grades 3 and 4. The package, presented to students as a travelogue, stresses basic map, globe, and geography skills, and presents case studies of communities (cities/towns/villages) across Germany. It contains three lessons: (1) "One Germany in Numbers: Size, Population and…

This packet is a primary/elementary instructional package targeted at grades 3-4. The four lessons address physical and cultural geography, basic needs, community services and community helpers, transportation and communication, and political symbols. The materials focus on a comparative U.S./German perspective. The lessons include: (1)…

This packet is a primary/elementary instructional package targeted at grades 3-4. The lessons are presented as a travelogue, stressing basic map and globe/geography skills and presenting case studies of communities (cities/towns/villages) across Germany. The materials focus on a comparative U.S./German perspective. The lessons include: (1)…

Provides an interesting overview of the philosophical changes initiated in geography over the last 50 years. Argues that dissatisfaction with environmental determinism and its variant of regional geography inspired a quantitative and theoretical revolution in the subject. Recent developments have questioned even the foundations of that revolution.…

Analyzes the causes and conditions of the major sources of conflict concerning the three major international river basins in the Middle East: the Tigris-Euphrates, the Nile, and the Jordan-Yarmuk. Investigates possible solutions. Includes maps and population statistics of the major countries involved in the conflict. (MJP)

To measure and report on the extent and quality of students' understanding of geography, the National Geographic Society initiated and provided support for a national assessment of students 17 years old and in the 12th grade. Since 1969, the Nation's Report Card, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), has been responsible for…