Vol. 39, No. 2, Fall/Winter 2001- "The Pennsylvania Geographer"

USING CHILDREN'S BOOKS TO MEET THE (PROPOSED) K-3

PENNSYLVANIA GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS

Dr. Sandra F. Mather

Professor Emerita

West Chester University

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.