National Council for Geographic Education

Writing Name, Reading Hip Hop: Igniting a "True School" Hip Hop Pedagogy in the Classroom
2022-05-19 19:00 - 19:45 (America/New_York) | Webinar
In this workshop, Led by G.B. Rodriquez, JD Ph.D., teachers will explore and engage in the self-naming practices and pedagogies of StyleWriting (Rossomando 1996), the element of Hip Hop culture and global movement also known as aerosol or spray can art, urban hieroglyphics, street/urban calligraphy, or simply Writing, as it is called by its practitioners. Tied to the 60-minute talk titled “Burnin’ Blackbooks, Blazing Name Styles,” here participants will gain hands-on experience with the transformative “True School” Hip Hop cultural model for teaching and learning developed in my innovative doctoral research and deepened across the pedagogies and practices of a 9th-grade Geography classroom.
A student co-presenter will begin the session with a performative presentation and co-facilitate the practice-based portion.

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2022-2023 Bellringers: Insights, Strategies & How to apply in the Classroom
2022-08-17 19:00
NCGE is calling all APHG Teachers to join us for this free webinar on August 17, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. (EST).
In preparation for the 2022-2023 school year, Laura Kmetz, Bellringer author, and AP reading table leader will discuss the application of Bellringers. Jane Highley and Lori Napier will join Kmetz and will provide insights and strategies that will help you effectively apply Bellringers in your classroom.

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Developing a spatial thinking lesson: Tips and tools for teachers
2022-08-31 19:00 - 19:45
Teaching students to think spatially requires key components of spatial thinking to be integrated into the curriculum instruction, and assessments in an explicit manner. In this Webinar, Injeong Jo and April Bannert will share tips and tools for incorporating the three components of spatial thinking into your instructional plan systematically. A lesson created to teach students about diffusion while also practicing spatial thinking skills will be used as an example.
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Geography Activities for a World of 8 Billion
2022-09-14 19:00 - 19:45
The U.N. announced that we will reach a new population milestone on November 15, 2022, the “Day of 8 Billion.” This is just 12 years since we reached the 7 billion mark, and a complete doubling of the world population in just 48 years. World population history and projections for future growth are integral to human geography instruction, factoring into lessons on urbanization, natural resource use, land use, climate, health, education, and more. In this interactive webinar, discover simulations, role-playing activities and digital tools to include this teachable moment in your classrooms this fall. Also, learn about student engagement ideas including an international video contest that enables teens to explore population-related issues in more depth.
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Teaching Success on the FRQ
2022-09-21 19:00 - 20:00
Please join the Chief Reader, ETS Test Developer, and both Assistants to the Chief Reader and APHG teachers for a discussion and strategies that help you teach your students how to be successful on the FRQs (Free-Response Question).
Presenters Include:

Jon Moore, ETS
Lisa Benton-Short
Dan Synder
Allison Cecil

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Asylum Seeking at the US-Mexico Border
2022-09-28 19:00 - 20:00
This presentation will provide an overview of who the migrants are coming to the US-Mexico border and how the demographics of this population have changed over the past decade or two. It will also discuss US asylum law and how the current asylum system excludes many Central American and Mexican asylum seekers.
Presenter:

Dr. Sarah A. Blue
Texas State University
Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Sarah Blue is an Associate Professor in the Geography Department at Texas State University. Dr. Blue received her B.A. in Geography from the University of Denver, M.A. in Geography at the University of Minnesota, and Ph.D. in Geography from UCLA. Dr. Blue’s research has mainly focused on immigration from Latin America to the United States, refugee and asylum issues, and socio-economic inequality for underrepresented groups in the United States, Central America, and Cuba. Dr. Blue has been the director of the Race, Ethnicity, and Place (REP) Conference since 2016 and is Chair of the AAG Nominating Committee. She also is Vice President and a long-time board member of the Conference of Latin American Geographers (CLAG).
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Open Street Mapping
2022-10-26 19:00 - 20:00
In this webinar OpenStreetMap will be introduced and how it can be used to engage students in and out of the classroom while building geospatial skills, social relationships, and digital citizenship.
Participatory mapping includes all who wish to contribute to the mapping process. Community mapping typically is what the traditional version of participatory mapping is with a common goal of social change at the center of the initiative
Please join us to learn how you can get your students involved in the mapping revolution.
Presenters: Greg Hill and Celeste Reynolds

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ESRI ArcGIS Online Competition-Getting Started
2022-10-27 19:00 - 20:00
Esri challenges US students to conduct and share a research project about something in their home state. Esri’s ArcGIS Online Competition is open to high school (“HS,” gr.9-12) and middle school (“MS,” gr.4-8) students in participating states in the US who can gather, create, analyze, interpret, and present data via an ArcGIS StoryMap.
ESRI is hosting a quartet of meetups (=webinars) for state leaders and educators. These are aimed at adults who want to help students participate effectively. (Hint: There are instances where you can see “the power of one,” but best success “takes a village.”) Meetups will be recorded and available to the public. Each session will include Q&A time.
Each session is free but registration is required.

iScore 5 All Year Long
2022-11-02 19:00 - 20:00
Teaching students how to read and understand quantitative and qualitative data is a skill that must be repeated constantly and used throughout the year. Four veteran teachers of AP Human Geography share their strategies on how to teach students to efficiently learn content. Using data to provide students with constant formative feedback while also preparing students for success on the AP Human Geography exam. Participants will learn about Verbal FRQing and how to use NCGE’s bell ringers in your classroom as strategies to help students grow
Presenters: Paul Gray, Greg Sherwin, and Ken Keller
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Beyond Reading the Definition From a Slide: Teaching Sense of Place and Place Making
2022-11-08 19:00 - 19:45
Geographer Yi-Fu Tuan’s work focused on the human aspects of human geography. He wrote about the spatial concepts of space and place in his landmark work Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience. Learn how to guide your students in using your school as a field study to understand and evaluate a sense of place and place-making. Students will build upon their field study with a guided visual discovery activity that helps them understand how regional patterns of religion, ethnicity, and language contribute to creating a sense of place.
About the Presenter:
Laura Kmetz has been teaching AP Human Geography since 2014 at Booker T. Washington High School, an arts magnet in Dallas, TX. She is the current author of the NCGE bell ringers, the lead APHG teacher for Dallas ISD, and a table leader at the AP reading. Laura loves sparking students’ curiosity about our complex world and their place in it.
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GeoCamp Iceland: Professional Development in the Land of Fire and Ice
2022-11-09 19:00 - 20:00
This webinar introduces NCGE’s GeoCamp Iceland professional development program. Past program leaders Ellen Foster and Jeff Lash are joined by 2021 participant Debra Troxel to introduce the program, share experiences, discuss registration, and address potential GeoCamper questions and concerns.
Presenters: Jeff Lash, Ellen Foster, and Debra Troxell

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Water Politics and Environmental Justice
2022-11-14 19:00 - 19:45
Water quenches thirst, sustains crops, generates power, cools industry, conveys ships, carries waste, and maintains ecosystems. This webinar examines the political, social, and cultural dimensions of each of these facets of water resources management. We’ll explore the political dynamics of water distribution, access, and use. We also investigate questions of urban water management, river restoration, water-related hazards, shared transboundary waters, and the threat of water wars.
Presenter: Dr. Jessica Barnes is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and the School of Earth, Ocean, and Environment at the University of South Carolina. She is the author of Cultivating the Nile: The Everyday Politics of Water in Egypt, also published by Duke University Press, and co-editor of Climate Cultures: Anthropological Perspectives on Climate Change.
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Electoral Maps and Legislative Elections: Resources for teaching about redistricting
2022-11-16 19:00 - 20:00
The 2020 Census and redistricting cycle will manifest itself in the United States Congress and state legislatures across the country. Consider the analysis of the midterm elections has been in your state. Yet even though it seems as though discussions about redistricting should be over, every year new students need to learn about elections at the federal, state, and local levels, including where lines are drawn to create electoral districts. This overview of the GeoCivics project will provide educators with materials to engage students in hands-on exploration of this process, from understanding population movement to analyzing current maps. Redistricting may be taught through historical, legal, economic, and geographic frameworks, providing an opportunity to introduce students to online mapping tools, which are increasingly prevalent for understanding, collecting, and analyzing a variety of data.

Presenter: Rebecca Theobald
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Agriculture in APHG: Making Connections to Food, Land & People
2023-01-11 19:00 - 19:45
Summary
Participants in this webinar will explore free resources aligned with APHG Unit 5: Agricultural Patterns, Spatial Organization, Changes, and Impacts. These resources include classroom tested lessons and hands-on activities that are designed to connect geography to the agricultural production of food, clothing, and shelter that we depend on each day. Attendees will discuss strategies for utilizing these resources and actively engaging their students to investigate the economic, social, political and environmental impacts of geography and agriculture.
Presenter

Sue Knott
Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom (MAITC) Education Specialist
Webinar Access
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GeoCamp Amazon
2023-01-18 19:00 - 19:45
Summary
This webinar introduces NCGE’s GeoCamp Amazon professional development program. Past program leaders will introduce the program, share experiences, discuss registration, and address potential GeoCamper questions.
Webinar Access
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Basics of Cartography: Mapping Infrastructure in the Occupied West Bank
2023-01-23 19:00 - 20:00
Summary:
This webinar will demonstrate basic geo-processing tools and cartography using open source software (QGIS) and data/shape-files to map the inadequate provision of infrastructure in the West Bank. Participants will be provided with relevant data, a live demo, and written instructions. The presentation will cover basic map-making principles and explore how to integrate map-making exercises in the classroom.
About the Presenter:
Danielle Katz is a senior studying Geography and GIS at the George Washington University. She is interested in open source software and collective data management, especially in issues of land and food sovereignty. She is a part of the YouthMappers Validation hub at GWU, where she works closely with OpenStreetMap projects to improve data quality for various projects. On campus, she is an organizer with Jewish Voice for Peace, where she facilitates teach-ins, programming, and protests. Beyond her work, she enjoys traveling, inventing recipes, tending to her plants, and a good sewing project.
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GeoCamp Iceland
2023-01-31 19:00 - 19:45
Summary
This webinar introduces NCGE’s GeoCamp Iceland professional development program. Past program leaders Ellen Foster and Jeff Lash are joined by 2021 participant Debra Troxel to introduce the program, share experiences, discuss registration, and address potential GeoCamper questions
Webinar Access
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Your State in 5 Maps
2023-02-01 19:00 - 20:00
Summary
Harnessing the digital scholarship tools and resources of New American History, explore history, geography and civics in your own backyard through a series of digital maps and tools designed to engage students through inquiry-based learning.
About the Presenter:
Annie Evans is the Director of Education and Outreach for New American History at the University of Richmond. She feels most at home engaging with teachers and students both in and outside of the classroom, where she has spent over half her life teaching history, civics, and geography. With over 30 years of classroom and educational leadership experience, she designs curricula and facilitates professional learning for K-16 teachers and museum educators, focusing on Historical Thinking Skills, GeoLiteracy, Instructional Coaching, Project and Place-Based Learning, and Performance Assessments.
Embracing inquiry and place-based learning as both a young learner and later a teacher, she continues to serve as co-coordinator of the Virginia Geographic Alliance and is a National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow and Certified Educator.
Exploring new landscapes, historic sites, or museums is her “happy place,” and she hopes New American History will inspire the next generation of educators, public historians, and engaged citizens.
New American History is led by Dr. Ed Ayers with generous support from the University of Richmond.
Webinar Access
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Interactive Clickable Maps for K-12 Geography
2023-02-22 19:00 - 20:00
Summary
Interactive (“clickable”) maps are a tool to focus student attention on just one or two selected topics at a time. Reducing distracting clutter can make it easier for students to acquire and use specific skills of spatial reasoning. Careful selection of topics can promote thoughtful inquiry in primary school and at the same time provide a strong factual foundation for more complex studies in later grades. Participants in this webinar will explore examples of clickable maps designed to support K-8 learning progressions in geography, U.S. and world history, economics, and earth science.
About the Presenter:

Phil Gersmehl is emeritus professor at the University of Minnesota. One of the third generation of “Teacher Gersmehls,” he received a BA in Education from Concordia Teachers College, River Forest, Illinois, and a PhD in Geography from the University of Georgia, then taught at Concordia for five years before moving to the University of Minnesota. There, he helped develop several distance-learning courses and large-enrollment classes, including an innovative general-education course on the Language of Maps, which led to an Annenberg Public-TV project and a course manual that is now distributed by the National Council for Geographic Education. In 1990, the Association of American Geographers asked Phil to serve as Director of ARGUS (Activities and Readings in the Geography of the United States), ARGWorld (Activities and Resources in the Geography of the World), and the Teaching Geography Project. During 12 years of funded projects, Phil authored a number of interactive computer simulations and made presentations in summer institutes and other teacher workshops in 34 states, Canada, Japan, Korea, and Russia. Meanwhile, his research about erosion control, soil productivity, GIS applications, and the neuropsychology of spatial cognition has resulted in four healed gullies, some kindergarten and first-grade teaching units, a package of curricular scaffolds and interactive maps, and his election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. A third edition of his book, Teaching Geography, was published by Guilford Press in 2014. Recently, he has been working with teams of Michigan teachers to develop and test lessons to meet the new social-studies standards in that state.
Webinar Access
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AP Human Geography: Tricks and Tips for Unit 6, Urban Patterns
2023-03-01 19:00 - 19:45
Summary
This webinar will share some strategies and activities for teaching the urban models in Unit 6. This is always challenging for the students. The presenters will provide teaching strategies and applications of the models.
Presenters:
Seth Dixon, Kelly Glos and Corey Merril
Webinar Access
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Geography and Identity in the 2022 World Cup
2023-03-06 19:00 - 20:00
Summary
In this webinar, discussion on how geography can shape identity and vice versa (ex: how the Moroccan world cup team was claimed by both Arab fans/audiences as an ‘Arab’ team and also by African audiences – as well as the myriad political and cultural issues that surround the distinctions).

About the Presenter:
Graham H. Cornwell is a historian of the Middle East and North Africa based at George Washington University. You can follow him on Twitter at @ghcornwell.

Webinar Access:
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Embedding Outdoor Learning into everyday Geography lessons
2023-03-08 19:00 - 20:00
Summary
This presentation will focus on identifying opportunities that exist to utilize the outdoors as a part of geography education. Geography teachers and practitioners are known as some of the best in using the outdoors to enhance teaching and learning outcomes; however, this field is rapidly evolving. Join this session to engage in conversations surrounding topics such as identifying opportunities for outdoor learning, structuring outdoor learning programs, and the benefits of outdoor learning programs before focusing on 20 – 40 activities that can be implemented within any curriculum. All attendees will receive a copy of a teaching toolkit dedicated to embedding outdoor learning into both elementary and high school education.
About the Presenter
Meet Luke Parker; after undertaking an undergraduate degree in teaching, he taught in various schools in Australia before moving into higher education. Parker was a lecturer at an Australian university for five years and developed a passion for research and teaching the use of the outdoors in education, in addition to being the project officer at Outdoors Victoria, leading grants dedicated to creating resources to embed outdoor learning in all Australian schools. In 2021 he moved to the University of Kansas to undertake a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, focusing on researching the use of Outdoor Learning within education, specifically investigating how many schools in the USA use the outdoors as a part of their everyday teaching and learning.
Webinar Access
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ESRI Map Competition
2023-03-09 19:00 - 20:00
Summary
2022-23 Competition Meetup Series
A quartet of meetups (=webinars) for state leaders and educators. These are aimed at adults who want to help students participate effectively. (Hint: There are instances where you can see “the power of one,” but best success “takes a village.”) Meetups will be recorded and available to the public. Each session will include Q&A time. Each session is free but registration is required.
Webinar Access
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Strategies for Teaching the Internal Structures of Cities
2023-03-22 19:00 - 20:00
CANCELLED:
Due to unforeseen circumstances this event has been cancelled. A reschedule date coming soon, please check back.
Summary
This presentation will share the popular teaching strategy and activity of Speed dating. See how the presenter uses this strategy for teaching Topic 6.5 – the Internal Structure of Cities and how this strategy can be used in other parts of the course. It is also a great review strategy
The Presenter:

Paula Woods,
Clark County School District. Advanced Technologies Academy High School
Webinar Access:
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AP Review
2023-03-25 12:00 - 13:30
Summary
In partnership with College Board, this webinar will provide strategies and ideas to help prepare your students for the AP exam. There will be McQ strategies, review of the FRQ task verbs and an overview of the exam itself.
Presenters:
Lisa Benton-Short, David Valdez, and Julie Wakefield
Webinar Access
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Webinar: APHG StoryMaps - The Travels of a T-Shirt
2023-03-29 19:00 - 20:00
Summary
ArcGIS StoryMaps from ESRI are an engaging way to allow students to interact with a variety of different content. StoryMaps incorporate text, graphics, videos and maps to tell a compelling story that students are able to peruse at their own pace. This presentation will show how to use them in class and ideas of how to get the students started in working on their own.
About the Presenter
Matt Poleski is a teacher, husband and father living in Henderson, NV. He graduated with his teaching degree from the University of Nevada – Las Vegas (UNLV) and earned his master’s degree in GIS from Elmhurst College in Illinois. He has been teaching AP Human Geography for twelve years and has been an AP Reader for seven years. He is passionate about incorporating technology into the classroom and creating opportunities for his students to “do” geography. When he isn’t in the classroom, Matt loves reading and playing with his two little boys and traveling the world with his wife, Kristyn.
ArcGIS StoryMaps from ESRI are an engaging way to allow students to interact with a variety of different content. StoryMaps incorporate text, graphics, videos and maps to tell a compelling story that students are able to peruse at their own pace.
He belongs to the Geographic Alliance in Nevada (GAIN), National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) and American Geographic Society (AGS). In 2019, Matt was chosen as one of the AGS Geography Teacher Fellows for the Geography 2050 Symposium.
Webinar Access
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AP Review News You Can Use
2023-04-12 19:00 - 20:00
Summary
Do you need advice on how to prepare students for the AP exam? Or do you have a great strategy you want to share? Then come to the AP REVIEW webinar question and answer session where expert teachers (insert names here) will share their strategies and offer advice on the best way to prepare students for the exam. This will be an open-ended discussion-based format with Juile Wakefield moderating questions from the community.
Presenters
Ken Keller, Paul Gray, Greg Sherwin, Laura Kmetz
Access
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Teaching Food and Famine
2023-05-15 19:00 - 20:00
SUMMARY
This seminar will offer an overview of Middle East food studies and tools for teachers to implement in the classroom. We will work with an exercise that incorporates recipes for active student learning that bridges theory and practice. Questions of nationalism, class, and gender will be at the center of our inquiry.
PRESENTER INFORMATION

Graham Auman Pitts, PhD BIO
Graham Auman Pitts is a historian of food, famine, and environmental history. His work focuses on Lebanon and the modern Middle East but the major themes of his research: capitalism, disease, foodways, and migration demand a global framing. Among his recent publications (as co-editor and co-author) is Making Levantine Cuisine: Modern Foodways of the Eastern Mediterranean (UT Press, 2021), a book project that he developed as a collaboration between scholars, food writers, and chefs. Pitts’ current book manuscript concerns the famine that struck Lebanon during World War I. Before coming to the University of Mississippi, Pitts held faculty positions at North Carolina State, Georgetown, and George Washington. For two years, he was honored to be the American Druze Foundation fellow at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies. He completed his PhD in history at Georgetown University.
WEBINAR ACCESS
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APHG Bellringers Webinar
2023-08-17 19:00 - 20:00
Summary
Are you an APHG Teacher preparing for the 2023-2024 school year? Don’t miss this chance to learn from Laura Kmetz, the NCGE Bellringer author and AP reading table leader, along with Eric Rodgers and Kelen Weathers. Get ready for an enlightening discussion on how to effectively apply Bellringers in your classroom for the 2023-2024 school year. Your students will thank you
Webinar Access
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