Geographic Connection
News of the California Geographic Alliance
August, 2009 - Vol 1, Issue 9
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Join Us Online!
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Become a Fan on our new Facebook Page. We'll be posting links and sharing ideas throughout each month. Don't miss out on the latest news.
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Quick Links
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Check out Show/World for a different way of looking at data. When you click on a type of data, the map changes to reflect the value each country has in that particular set. Check out the CO2 emissions map under planet, then environment.
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| Quick Links II |
Are you ready for the next Big One? Check out this Earthquake Quiz to see if you are prepared.
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Director's Message
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![teachers working 2]() How dense can people be? A July trip to Mexico City showed that people
could be incredibly jam-packed. While Mexico City proper counts 8
million, the surrounding urban agglomeration swells to 22 million
people. Located at 7,349 feet (2,240 meters), the dramatic and volcano-ringed
Valley of Mexico has been a center of commerce since the Aztecs settled
it in 1325 on an island of Lake Texcoco.Today, it boasts the largest
GDP of any Latin American city.
Counting heads is difficult in super-cities because 5-20 percent of the
population lives in slum tenements (barrios in Mexico). While
Tokyo-Yokohama is clearly the largest with 32 million people, Seoul (23
m), Mexico, Delhi and Mumbai (22 m each), New York and São Paulo (21 m
each), Manila (19 m), Los Angeles and Shanghai (18 m each) comprise the
top 10. Although census estimates shuffle cities two through nine up
and down the list, Tokyo always appears on top.
![Mt. Popo]() I travelled south to help officiate the ninth National Geographic World
Championships held at the National Museum of Anthropology. Of the 21
nations that agreed to participate, visa problems and fear of swine flu
culled the number to 15 teams, each with three participants. The
spirited Canadians eventually prevailed, with the United States second,
and Poland, just one point behind, was third. Hungary, Russia, and
Australia were the other top finishers.
Students were eligible by winning or being a top finisher in the
national competitions of their home regions. The nine other teams
competing were Brazil, Bulgaria, Chinese Taipei, Czech Republic,
Germany, Mexico, Romania, Slovakia and the United Kingdom.
Stephen
Dr. Stephen Cunha
Photo by Stephen Cunha. From our hotel rooftop we see Popocatepl rising above Mexico City on Sunday morning. This volcano is still active.
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Legislative Update
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![teachers working 2]()
We still need more support for the Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act in Congress. Geography is the only unfunded core subject in No Child Left Behind legislation. Support from California legislators is spotty at best so we need to get more lawmakers on board. So far neither of our senators has stepped up to the plate to support this legislation (a sample letter is below for you use to contact Senators Feinstein and Boxer). We thank Representatives Susan Davis, Mike Honda, Doris Matsui, and Mike Thompson for supporting this legislation that has strong bi-partisan support. We are particularly interested in getting the following members of the House to sign on to the bill: Nancy Pelosi Jim Costa Barbara Lee Loretta Sanchez Please contact your local Representative to encourage them to get on the bandwagon and support geography education in the United States. Feel free to use the sample letter in your communications. Representative Letter Dear REPRESENTATIVE I am a teacher at SCHOOL and teach GRADE. I serve hundreds of TEACHERS/STUDENTS who are TEACHING ABOUT/LEARNING ABOUT what it means to be a productive, active, and engaged citizen in STATE. Without proper professional development in geography, educators will not be able to meet the needs of our learners. It is troubling that geography is the only core discipline named in the No Child Left Behind legislation, which receives no federal funding. I would appreciate your effort to help ensure our teachers receive the knowledge and support necessary to prepare our students for the 21st Century. As an advocate for improving our children's global awareness and skills, I would be proud to see you co-sponsor the Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act in the 111th Congress. Please note that the Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act (H.R. 1240) has been introduced by the following bipartisan set of lead sponsors: Rep. Chris Van Hollen (MD), Rep. Roy Blunt (MO), Rep. Tim Walz (MN), and Rep. Vernon Ehlers (MI). To date, the bill enjoys a total of 82 additional bipartisan co-sponsors. Please let me know if you would be willing, on behalf of STATE's students and teachers to co-sponsor H.R. 1240. Thank you for your time and attention to this issue and for your ongoing service to our state. Sincerely, YOUR NAME Senator Letter Dear SENATOR NAME: I am a teacher at SCHOOL and teach GRADE. I serve hundreds of TEACHERS/STUDENTS who are TEACHING ABOUT/LEARNING ABOUT what it means to be a productive, active, and engaged citizen in STATE. Without proper professional development in geography, educators will not be able to meet the needs of our learners. It is troubling that geography is the only core discipline named in the No Child Left Behind legislation that receives no federal funding. I would appreciate your effort to help ensure our teachers receive the knowledge and support necessary to prepare our students for the 21st Century. As an advocate for improving our children's global awareness and skills, I would be proud to see you co-sponsor the Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act in the 111th Congress. I am pleased to report that the Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act (TGIF) has been introduced by Sen. Thad Cochran and Sen. Chris Dodd as S. 749. To date, the bill enjoys a total of 17 additional bipartisan co-sponsors. Please let me know if you would be willing, on behalf of STATE's students and teachers to co-sponsor S. 749. Thank you for your time and attention to this issue and for your ongoing service to our state. Sincerely, YOUR NAME |
Back to School Geo-Tips
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If you're not already back to school, that time is just around the corner. To help get you back in the geography groove, we've assembled a few Back to School Geography Tips to get you going. These tips can be adapted for all grade levels. You can check for more tips by grade level on our website and our Facebook page! Ideas for all grade levels: - Reserve one bulletin board for "Geo Connections": Place a world, U.S., state, or local map (depending on your grade-level content) at the center of the bulletin board. Identify units of study (Social Studies, literature, habitats, etc.) for the year on index cards around the perimeter of the map. When those units are being studied, use colored yarn and push pins to connect the units to the places on the map. Refer to the map frequently and ask students to share their thoughts about "where" their studies take them and why these connections are important. contributed by Regional Coordinator Emily Schell
- "mental mapping" before you put up all those maps, ask your students to draw their mental map of the world. Have them close their eyes and imagine a world map in their minds. They will balk as they are not sure, but then explain how these maps will be put aside until the end of the school year when they will be asked to draw another; the comparison will show how much they will have learned! contributed by Regional Coordinator Ann Henry
Don't forget to check out our website and Facebook pages for more great tips. Do you have a Geo-tip to share? We'll publish more tips in upcoming issues of the Geographic Connection. Send it to newsletter coordinator Natalie Wojinski at natalie.wojinski@gmail.com.
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Education and the Environment Initiative Draft Curriculum Available
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![EEI 4th grade cover]() New curriculum resources are available for K-12 teachers through the California Education and the Environment Initiative. The 2003 initiative required that Environmental Principles and Concepts be created and integrated into K-12 standards across the core subjects. In turn, curriculum units would be developed, giving teachers an "alternative strategy for using their adopted instructional materials." Final draft curriculum is now posted and available for public comment. If you're interested in making comments, please use the form provided on the EEI website.
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Balboa Park inspires Kimball students
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![Joy Raab]() With CGA support, sixty second and third graders from Kimball School had the opportunity to attend the Greater San Diego Reading Association's Authors' Fair. This annual event, held at the San Diego County Office of Education, provided county students with a fun-filled day of storytelling, meeting authors, and an opportunity to share projects based on their author of focus.
The students from National City met Joy Raab, the author and illustrator of Kate Sessions: The Mother of Balboa Park. During their sessions, Mrs. Raab shared information about Kate Sessions' life and her influence on the changing landscape of San Diego and City Park, which has since become Balboa Park. Mrs. Raab's engaging storytelling style included visual clues of important events in Kate Sessions' life and when her story was complete, students were rewarded with a delightful likeness of Kate herself.
To prepare for their trip, Kimball students studied about Kate Sessions and her efforts to create green spaces that would incorporate plants she had discovered on her many travels and that would thrive in the San Diego climate. They were amazed that one person could pick plants from so many different places around the globe and make them look like they belonged together in such a beautiful place. (This led to many discussions about how our physical environment is modified by human activities and what we value!)
As their contribution to the Fair's student display, Kimball students wrote poetry and created paintings of trees found in Balboa Park. They also decorated "A to Z" tiles inspired by the historic San Diego landmark.
A final "Thank you!" goes out to CGA for providing the transportation funding for the trip and the ultimate "Wow!" of a personalized autographed copy of her book for each and every student.
Submitted by Stephanie Buttell-Maxin, TC
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Back to School Bookshelf
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![thumbnail book]() Begin
a collection of literature and trade books you can reach for when you
have a few moments between activities, to teach the five themes of
geography. These might include:
Books that have a strong sense of place or region, such as My Great Aunt Arizona, by Gloria Houston, Sierra, Heartland, and Mojave, by Diane Siebert, Sarah Plain and Tall, by Patricia Maclachlan, and Ox-Cart Man, by Donald Hall
Books that emphasize map skills, such as Me on the Map, by Joan Sweeney, Maps and Globes, by Jack Knowlton, Pigs on the Move, by Amy Axelrod, Amelia's Fantastic Flight, by Rose Bursik, and How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World, by Marjorie Priceman.
Books that depict landforms, such as Geography from A to Z - A Picture Glossary, by Jack Knowlton, Legends of Landforms, by Carole Vogel, and M is for Majestic - A National Parks Alphabet, by David Domeniconi. Further suggestions for the secondary classroom could include: Grade 6-Hans Baumann's I Marched
with Hannibal-focus on human utilization of the environment. While this book is currently out of print, you might be able to find it at your local used bookstore.
Grade 7-Scott O'Dell's The Captive-focus on winds and currents, foods that could ![thumbnail book 2]() be carried on long
sea voyages, and human utilization of the environment Grade 8-Irene Hunt's Across Five Aprils-focus on differences between the North and South and communication
and transportation issues Grade 10-Elie Wiesel's Night-focus on
using gazetteers and historical atlases Grade 11-F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby-focus on regional social and cultural differences
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Upcoming Events
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National Council for Geographic EducationSan Juan, Puerto Rico September 23-27, 2009 Check out all the details at NCGE's conference page. Geographic Literacy in the 21st CenturyInstitute dates: Thursdays, 9/24, 10/8, 10/22, 11/5, 11/19,
12/3
Time:
4:00 - 7:00
Location:
CSU Dominguez Hills The
Dominguez Hills Region of CGA is sponsoring a fall institute, Geographic
Literacy in the 21st Century, for Grade 3-5 teachers. Participants
will experience activities and games to teach the Five Themes of Geography in
the upper elementary grades. Participants will also become familiar with
up-to-date websites and technology to enhance geography instruction. Each
participant will receive literature books and other resources for teaching geography.
The
registration fee is $25; one semester unit is available for an additional $45 fee.
Please contact Diane Hembacher at dhembacher@csudh.edu
for a registration form. |
Regional Coordinator's Contact Information
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![teachers working 2]() When you're looking for assistance, don't hesitate to contact your
regional coordinator. She can get you materials, help put on geography
workshops or assist you in setting up a family geography night and much
more! Ann Henry, Bay Area and Northern California, abnh1@comcast.net
Rosaleen Zisch, Silicon Valley, ROZISCH@aol.com
Roni Jones, Sacramento, ronijjones@gmail.com
Veray Wickham, San Joaquin, vwickham@sjcoe.net
Mary Miller, Greater Los Angeles, mary_miller@earthlink.net
Diane Hembacher, Dominguez Hills, dhembacher@csudh.edu
Emily Schell, San Diego, eschell@mail.sdsu.edu
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