This article consists of two parts. The first part provides an overview of Muslim Americans and the role of Islam in their lives. The second part of the article includes a classroom exercise about how to teach Islam and Muslim Americans. The main vehicle for this exercise is a PBS documentary titled "Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet." The exercise…

This article discusses how poetry can be used for teaching geography. The rational for using and writing poetry, its relationship to the National Standards for Geography, grade levels, pedagogical concerns associated with poetry writing, and subject integration are discussed. There are also classroom activities, sample discussion questions, lesson…

Uses four traditions of geography (spatial, area studies, human-environment interaction, and earth science) to show how poetry can be used to enhance the teaching of geography. Illustrates the explicitly spatial concepts present in selected poetry. (DAJ)

Describes a lesson plan to develop the students' mental mapping skills that was used with preservice elementary teachers in a social studies methods course. Students deduce the location of a particular Centerville among the 38 throughout the United States. The lesson can be used with fourth grade students and above. (CMK)

Describes a lesson that connects geography and mathematics in which students develop an understanding of large numbers. Students listen to a story about the number one million, cut and paste faces on tagboard to estimate one million, and use blocks to represent the population of each state in the United States. (CMK)

Presents a lesson plan in which students explore ideas about rural and urban areas by examining census data and advertisements from magazines. Discusses how the students collect and record the census data and calculate percentages, representing them on circle graphs. Includes an extension activity. (CMK)

Presents a lesson for high school students in which they collect and analyze data using questions from the actual Census 2000 long form and then participate in a simulation of a local planning council meeting to consider the short- and long-term community needs. Includes the Census 2000 long form. (CMK)

Observes that students cannot be expected to make critical judgments on controversial issues like the global environment without some instruction in the logic of critical reasoning. Describes two argument forms, convergent reasoning and inference, and provides instructions for an interactive activity that uses examples from industrial ecology and…

Describes an assignment that immerses students in regional study based on the belief that students' learning is enhanced when they acquire a personal sense of travel in that region. Asks students to research and write narrative travelogues describing vicarious travel in a region. Discusses student reactions and pedagogical outcomes. (DSK)

Details how to create a low-cost groundwater field station for a college hydrogeology course. Discusses how students use the station to collect and interpret data from wells and to study spatial hydraulic-head measurements to comprehend groundwater flow. Explains why hands-on activities are a valuable addition to the course. (DSK)

Investigates quilts as objects of material culture with unique regional characteristics. Selects the Amish quilt as an example of how quilts can reflect the dimensions of a folk culture. Explains how to include quilts in a unit on folk culture. Provides an example lesson and bibliography. (CMK)

Considers the geographical issues involved in industrial disputes as a means for teaching economic geography. Highlights the 1998 dispute between General Motors (GM) and the United Auto Workers (UAW). Explains how to use the GM/UAW dispute to teach economic geography. Discusses Internet resources. (CMK)

Argues that introductory texts in population geography overlook many important issues and current debates. Suggests that teaching population geography would benefit from reading and discussing Malthus' actual words; examining fertility dynamics and influences on reproductive choice; and considering gender issues. Presents a classroom activity to…

Presents an activity designed to improve students' basic mathematics, reading, and reasoning skills while involving them in the application and understanding of human geography concepts. Describes the activity's background, place in the curriculum, development, implementation, and learning outcomes. Provides the activity in a form ready for…

Argues that hands-on, project-oriented teaching offers an ideal approach to integrating Geographical Information Systems (GIS) education and training. Presents a project-oriented GIS teaching experience as an instructional paradigm that can be used to ensure balance between conceptual GIS learning and software-based hands-on training in…