This student magazine gives maps and a geographic description of Umatilla and Morrow counties in Oregon, paying particular attention to those features that attracted various ethnic groups, and especially Mexican Americans, to this location. Topics presented are: "Ethnic Communities"; "Ethnic Folklife"; "Traditional…

This study explores students' conceptual thinking by examining the extent and complexity of their concept identification and organization in geography. The study investigated students' conceptual thinking through identification of salient geography concepts and construction of individual concept maps at three academic achievement and grade levels.…

The voyage of Columbus in 1492 is a turning point in world history. After 1492, people and civilizations of long-separated regions began to develop connections that have led to the incipient global community of the 1990s. It is their global significance that justifies a prominent place in today's curriculum for the four voyages of Columbus to the…

This unit, designed for use with students in grades 6-12, concerns the diverse and unifying forces that characterize life in Brazil's urban centers. Comprised of seven lessons and used with a set of slides, lesson 1, "Geography," distinguishes Brazil from other South American countries through an examination of the country's geographic…

Inspired by America 2000, the educational reform initiative proposed by President George Bush, these materials describe a way of rethinking the place of geography in the curriculum. It is proposed that both natural geography and social geography be taught, and that both should be taught in science and social studies classes. Activities to be used…

This document is the second curriculum development project of the Connecticut Geographic Alliance. The Alliance focuses on equipping teachers for more effective geographic instruction by providing leadership training so teachers can conduct workshops in local districts, and offering institutes for teachers that focus on important geographic…

This booklet draws on the findings of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) geography survey of 1988 and shapes recommendations for practices that will make teachers more effective in stimulating student excitement about this increasingly important subject. The assessment surveyed more than 3,000 high school seniors in…

A packet of resources for helping students develop map skills is presented. The packet includes: 18 stencil masters of mapping exercises for elementary students; an aerial photograph; the course guide, entitled "A Course to Understand Maps," designed to help secondary students understand maps through problem solving; and a teacher's…

Three-dimensional (3-D) aerial photographs viewed with cardboard filter glasses (anaglyphs) aid elementary and junior high school students in recognizing physical features, offer a realistic vertical perspective, and have motivational values. A review of research on cognition, perception, and the use of anaglyphs reveals that pictures are an…

The first of two volumes, this book contains complete texts of 61 papers presented at a 1988 symposium on geographical education. The papers cover many aspects of geographical education in several countries in Western Europe, Africa, and Asia, and are divided into eight sections: (1) "Developing Skills for Living through Geographical…

The development and initial standardization of a two-part geography assessment test designed to measure student knowledge and understanding at the secondary level is the focus of this study. Intended to provide information about groups of students rather than to assess individual students, Part 1 of the test measures geographic skills and a…

Examples of computer programs illustrate how instructors can introduce students to geographic concepts and models while creating a thinking environment in the classroom. The programs are designed to assist students in computational tasks and to provide both graphic and numeric output which will be stimulating. A population pyramid program…

An examination of five social studies textbook series for grades one through four reveals a lack of consistent application of geographic concepts from publisher to publisher as well as a lack of reinforcement of previous learning within the individual series. This disjointed presentation of textbook materials contributes to a disjointed learning…

The study of geography should not be tedious or boring for students. There are many activities to motivate students while teaching them place location and geographical information. This document describes three activities or games that can be adapted for grades 4-8. "Mappits" requires students (individually or in teams) to determine the state or…

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…