The report identifies regions in which deserts and arid zones are increasing; discusses social and climatic causes of deserts; and suggests ways to cope with and reverse problems of famine, malnutrition, and drought. Increasingly, land is being sapped of its ability to sustain agriculture and human habitation north and south of the Sahara, in…

The increasingly important role of transportation and its environmental impact is given major emphasis in this curriculum unit for secondary students. Four purposes of this unit are to describe and show (1) the historical development of transportation in America; (2) the effect of current transportation practices upon the environment; (3) some…

This subunit, consisting of an introduction and geography of the USSR, is part of a unit on the USSR, one of four resource units for an eleventh grade course on area studies. The introduction contains suggested teaching procedures for each part of the USSR unit and objectives for the introduction. The section on geography focuses on developing an…

Considers the characteristics of beaches, rocky shores, coral reefs, and kelp forests. Discusses plants and animals that live in these habitats. Activities include life between the tides, reef buddies, sea forests, seaside adventure, and four copycat pages. (RT)

In this grade 4 interdisciplinary unit, students are instructed to consider water issues in the city of San Francisco (California). Using Internet and other resources, participants are required to prepare a detailed letter to a U.S. Congressional committee dealing with water issues, and possibly to testify before Congress. Students may represent…

This resource guide provides a list of materials available from public and private sources on agriculture and related issues. More than 300 organizations and publishers were asked what materials they were producing that could help regular K-12 classroom teachers incorporate more information about agriculture into their instruction. This guide is…

This packet contains five lessons related to the five themes of geography: location; place; human-environment interaction; movement; and region. The lessons are designed to support the teaching of courses in world geography, U.S. government/civics, and economics from a comparative U.S./German perspective. Lessons include: (1) "Location of…

Discusses the development and implementation of small group work focusing on seminar presentations and term papers in a microclimatology class. The class utilized peer- and self-assessment strategies developed in conjunction with a university department of education. Responses both from teachers and students were positive. (MJP)

Presents the Middle East as a circumterral (rimmed by interpenetrating inland seas) rather than circumthallasic (lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea). Contends that, in a circumterral setting, domination by a single nation is made difficult by the weight of the land masses that project into the seas. (CFR)

Describes two basic types of software for beginning geology classes: general programs used to illustrate geologic phenomena (for example superposition) and programs written for specifically for geologic applications. (PR)

Provides instructional materials, tasks, and activities to supplement a unit on map reading. Presents a two-page color topographical map of Arthur's Pass (New Zealand). Includes learning activities covering reading grid references, estimating distances, cross-sections, and sketch mapping. Briefly discusses and illustrates digital terrain models.…

Briefly explains the 10 standard objective statements that characterize geography curriculum reform in China. The standards reflect a rigorous and scientific orientation incorporating mathematics, physics, geology, and demographics. No social education component is present. (MJP)

This curriculum unit teaches students about nationalism within the context of Europe and is designed to help better understand the history of Yugoslavia and why Yugoslavia fell apart. The unit focuses on Yugoslavia as a multinational state and how the federation was organized during different historical time periods. There are three lessons in the…

This booklet, one of a series featuring the Canadian provinces, presents a brief overview of Prince Edward Island and is suitable for teacher reference or student reading. Separate sections discuss geography, climate, history, early trade, development, agriculture, the potato industry, forests, fisheries, aquaculture, industry, tourism, energy,…

Geographic illiteracy is prevalent in schools today. The objectives of this practicum were to increase 85 percent of the target group's geographic knowledge by 40 percent and to increase parental involvement with the academic success of the student by 40 percent. Activity sheets were created covering political boundaries, landforms, neighboring…