GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

How have I not found National Geographic FOUND until now?  The curators post approximately 2 pictures a day that generally have never been published before; the result is an archive that is a wonderfully eclectic treasure trove.  There are simply too many great teaching images to share them individually.  Pictured above is the Sutherland Falls which thunders down a 1,904-foot drop from Lake Quill in New Zealand (January 1972, Photo by James L. Amos).  I consider National Geographic FOUND as a must see and will include it in my list of best scoops (filed under the tag zbestofzbest). 

Tags: perspective, National Geographic. images, zbestofzbest.

Pollution is becoming ubiquitous in our urban environments.  If your primary concern is the environment, it is clear that this situation in Hong Kong must be changed.  But what if the environment is not the concern of policy makers?  What economic and planning arguments could you make in favor of a more sustainable course?

Tags: pollution, China, development, economic, megacities, East Asia, industry, sustainability, urban ecology.

This is a quiz that leaves out the most obvious contenders (London, Paris, NYC etc.) in a gallery of cities around the world – it’s harder than you might expect.  Can you recognize the city just from a skyline?

Tags: urban, landscape, place, trivia.

What is the geography of hijab?  Covering one’s head pre-dates Islam in the Middle East but many associate this practice strictly with Islam and only for women–read this article (with teaching tips and supplemental resources) for more context on this cultural and religious practice.

Tags: Islam, perspective, religion, culture, National Geographic.

The Stanford History Education Group has amassed some great resources for social studies teachers.  Their chief resources is a program called Reading Like a Historian.  The program has 71 stand-alone lessons for U.S. History organized within 11 units. These lessons span colonial to Cold War America and cover a range of political, social, economic, and cultural topics. They are continuing to expand the Reading Like a Historian program to World History.  Currently there are 15 lessons from across the world history sequence with more lesson plans under development that will be released in the next few months.

Tags: historical, teacher training.

This interactive map with a ‘spyglass’ feature   Chicago is displaced during a economic boom period as the U.S. was expanding westward.  Where where the railroads located then?  Why have some of them vanished today?  Notice anything curious about the coastline along Lake Michigan?  Follow this link to see similar interactives of other major U.S. cities.

Tags: Chicago,  historical. 

What physical forces create hurricanes?  What spatial patterns are evident? How does this map impact settlement patterns or hazard mitigation efforts? 

Tags: physical, disasters, environment,