Writing is a challenge, no matter the subject or grade level. Most students have not had their writing graded against a rubric that contains very specific language and content. Many are paralyzed by the scope of the course, and the idea of answering a free response question is very intimidating. This lesson plan introduces a writing boot camp…

The aim of this lesson plan is to explore effective methods that students can use to dispose of wastes around them in their communities. The guiding question for this lesson is: What are possible solutions to increase effective decomposition of waste in our society?

The author assigned their students to keep a weekly cloud journal. Each week, for seven weeks, students were required to take a picture of a cloud, identify the location and name, and give the scientific definition of the cloud. The author added a Sense of Place Inventory to each weekly entry. Using the GeoCamp Iceland Field Guide as an example,…

While students generally understand how humans impact their physical environment, it can be challenging for them to explain how this key geographic theme is "bidirectional." How does the land influence the people and vice versa? This exchange is what creates a sense of place for every spot on our planet. Being so physically and…

The National Council for Geographic Education GeoCamp Iceland is a unique field experience designed to energize, inspire, and edify experienced and novice geography teachers. The 2015 institute (nineteen participants from fourteen states) was designed for K-12 educators and in 2017 (twenty-one participants from eighteen states and Washington, DC)…

A lot of the activities of daily living require energy, playing video games, making dinner, turning on the lights, using a computer, and perhaps even brushing our teeth requires energy. In this unit students discover what energy is, think about where it comes from, analyze options for making energy evaluate feasibility in different parts of the…

In 2015, nearly 18 percent of undergraduate students enrolled in online courses at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS; UCCS 2016a). Human geography is taught at the UCCS Department of Geography and Environmental Studies in both traditional face-to-face and online settings. Roughly 40 percent of students who take the Introduction to…

Teachers play a vital role in advancing LP research in geography, regardless of whether they teach geography on its own or integrate geography into other subjects (e.g., social studies, science, language arts). The goal of this work is to inform geography educators about LPs and how teachers factor into this endeavor. This article is intended to…

The Advanced Placement® Human Geography (AP HG) course has shown tremendous growth since 2001, the first year students took the end-of-course exam. Slightly more than 3,000 students took the exam that year; the number exceeded 163,000 in 2015 (Lanegran and Zeigler 2016) and is expected to grow further still. The College Board describes the course…

Online tools provide creative and exciting opportunities for accessible and student-centered learning in higher education. Online formats are also lauded for their ability to make higher education more student-centered. The research presented in this article was conducted at a large-enrollment public research university that supplements its mostly…

It is important that preservice educators have an awareness of geography, including city, county, state, and the broader globe. Ensuring that preservice educators are aware of new technologies to promote K-12 students' knowledge of geography is important. K-12 students can benefit by gaining 21st-century skills using problem solving, critical…

Sustainability is an important topic of discussion in geography as society faces increasing challenges from depletion of natural resources and degradation of the natural environment (Yates 2012; Goudie 2013). A primary goal of educators is to prepare students to address complex issues such as these in their personal lives and professional careers.…

Contamination occurs when a hazardous substance is released to the soil, water, or air at a particular location. Sometimes former industrial properties are abandoned and the status of the land is not known. The term brownfield is generally applied to contaminated or potentially contaminated properties. Superfund refers to the money that Congress…

This 45 minute inquiry lesson can be used for a high school world geography or AP Human Geography course when the class discusses various issues regarding world energy resources. The lesson focuses on two particular issues: fossil fuel dependency and the growing energy demand. Students will examine the geographic distribution of current energy…

This activity is part of a larger set of activities and presentations developed by the Michigan Geographic Alliance to help teachers meet the proposed Social Studies standards in 6th and 7th grade. The Michigan Geographic Alliance website also has explanatory presentations, supplementary maps, and readings. In this 10-20 minute intermediate…