Vol. 39, No. 2, Fall/Winter 2001- "Geography for Elementary Schools"
USING CHILDREN'S BOOKS TO MEET THE (PROPOSED) K-3 PENNSYLVANIA GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS
(pp. 3 - 17)
Dr. Sandra F. Mather
Professor Emerita
West Chester University
West Chester, Pennsylvania
Abstract
Children's books can be a valuable tool for helping children meet the (proposed) geography standards that are presently before the State Board of Education. Strong visual images produced by illustrations or text can help children make sense of the world around them and understand the complex physical and human features of the geographical landscape. Authors of fiction books have a unique ability to look at the landscape and focus on such things as human/environmental interaction, rural/urban tensions, migration, or the cultural changes brought about by a changing physical setting. Authors can develop the uniqueness of a region, whether it be a uniqueness in beliefs, language, economic systems, physical features on the landscape or adaptation to a special environment. This article suggests ways in which children's fiction books can be used to help young children use basic geographic skills to meet the goals of the (proposed) state geography standards.
TEACHING AND LEARNING THE LOCATION AND PLACE GEOGRAPHY OF MIDDLE AMERICA
(pp. 18 - 29)
James F. Petersen, David Rutherford, and Richard G. Boehm
Grosvenor Center for Geographic Education
Department of Geography
Southwest Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas
Communicating Author David Rutherford
Abstract
The general public and virtually all curricular guidelines expect geography students to know location and place. As in the learning process of mastering a foreign language in which vocabulary is crucial to functioning in that language, proper geographic education must be based on a knowledge of where features and places are located. However, traditional methods of teaching place/location information have required memorization of isolated facts coupled with short answer quizzes; such methods are unappealing for students and ineffective in improving knowledge retention. This paper presents a means for the teaching and learning of place/location geography that should stimulate the interest of students at elementary or middle school levels through a constructivist approach using a "map of errors." The approach is contextualized and described using an example from Middle America. Maps and lesson instructions are provided
MAKING SENSE OF MAPS: WHAT PART OF THE MAP ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?
(pp. 30 - 37)
Sr. Madeleine Gregg
University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Abstract
This paper reports an analysis of systematic errors made by fifth, sixth, and seventh grade students engaged in a map-based problem posing task. Pairs of students in fifth, sixth, and seventh grades generated and answered questions based on maps. Results indicate that four kinds of errors that systematically occurred ("bugs") when the students' reasoning was derailed were found in the data. The bugs were: dealing with bounded space, slippage between the symbol and the landscape which the symbol represents, inflexibility with open-ended questions, and rigid interpretations that did not take the generalization of information on maps into account. The paper describes these errors, gives examples of them, and tries to understand where the reasoning process of the students went awry. Suggestions for helping teachers diagnose and counteract the errors even before they appear are given.
A NEW CALCULATION OF THE GEOGRAPHIC CENTER OF PENNSYLVANIA
(pp. 38 - 47)
Francis P. Boscoe
Department of Geography and Planning
University at Albany, State University of New York
Albany, New York
(pp. 48 - 64)
Alexander C. Vias
Department of Geography
University of Northern Colorado
Abstract
This research shows how exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) can aid in the analysis of geographic scale and regional change, and of the socioeconomic processes that influence change. ESDA and migration data for Colorado's counties are used to determine if large clusters of negative or positive net migration (dis)appear in the state between 1940-1990, perhaps indicating that the scale of the socioeconomic processes driving migration are changing over time. Results show that strong patterns of regional migration have emerged and disappeared in the state. More importantly, the results indicate that ESDA can provide important insights on regional growth and change.
LEARNING GEOGRAPHY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THROUGH FIELD TRIPS
(pp. 65 - 76)
Elizabeth Chacko
Department of Geography
The George Washington University
Washington, D.C.
Doreen Moses John
Eaton Elementary School
Abstract
Field trips afford elementary school students the opportunity to experience their surroundings and gain geographical insights in an enjoyable manner. This article uses a case study to investigate the role of field trips in introducing the concepts of location, place, region and population/environment interactions to 1" and 2ndgrade students. From their pictorial and written work, as well as models, it was clear that the students had developed an understanding of the fundamental geographic concepts of situation and location, the embeddedness of regions, connections between places and cultures and interspatial relationships. The authors suggest that field trips can be used as an educational tool for gaining contextual geographic knowledge and application skills in any setting or society.
PERRY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: A MODEL FOR SUCCESS IN GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION
(pp. 77 - 94)
Michelle Humber
Department of Geography
Southwest Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas
Abstract
In the age of an increasingly global society, kindergarten to grade six (K-6) geographic education should be at the forefront of educational concern. This article describes a school at which geography is a part of daily instruction and is integrated across the elementary curriculum. Perry Elementary School in Erie, Pennsylvania is also known as America's first geography theme-based elementary school, in which geography is used as the gestalt that induces ownership and enthusiasm in learning for its inner-city students. This article describes the learning environment that Perry School provides for its students and demonstrates that integration of geography across the curriculum at the elementary level can be an exciting and enriching educational experience.
(pp. 94 - 109)
Diane M. Miller