National Council for Geographic Education

Inquiry into Pre-War Jewish Life as a Study in Cultural Geography
2025-10-17 13:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | Conference Room: Nebraska
Summary
This session will focus on the outcomes shared in the forthcoming chapter, “Inquiry into Pre-War Jewish Life as a Study in Cultural Geography,” that is part of the University of South Carolina’s release, Teaching Holocaust Geographies in Middle and Secondary Schools. Participants will hear about approaches to this topic and experience hands-on activities that can be replicated in their own classrooms/schools.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels| Curriculum and Instruction| Holocaust, Pedagogy, Cultural
Conference Room
Nebraska
Meet the Presenters
Jennifer Gross

If You Give a Teen a Nuke...Geographic Scenario Gameplay in the Classroom
2025-10-17 13:00 - 15:00 | Conference Room: Flannigan
Summary
Inspired by our favorite educational philosopher, Ms. Frizzle, I sought an immersive way to engage my teenage students in the global issues we explore in class. Simply showing pictures of immigration, war, or international relations can only go so far before these topics begin to feel distant and abstract. Enter Geo-Strat!, an online strategy game I designed for classroom
integration. This game places students in national leadership roles, challenging them to navigate complex global issues and discover how geography shapes our world. As their nations face refugee crises, natural resource depletion, and political conflicts, students actively engage with geographic concepts, asking “where?” and “why?”, fostering critical thinking. Join us for a fast-paced play through of Geo-Strat, where you will take on a national role and explore how this interactive tool brings geography to life. Participants will leave with practical strategies for incorporating the game into their curriculum—and a FREE join code!
In order to get the full benefits from this workshop, your personal laptop is required.
Session Focus
Secondary/High School | Global Issues| World/International
Conference Room
Flannigan
Meet the Presenters
Hello! I’m Dr. Ashley Penir, a geography and teacher educator out of California. I have a passion for teaching the power of geography and building geographic thinkers. With over 16 years of teaching geography in high school and at CSU, Fresno, I am convinced geography is essential to our curriculum and have dedicated my studies to exploring ways to understand and teach geography’s use and purpose. Geography is alive and I endeavor to teach it that way! I can’t wait to think through exciting ideas in geography education with everyone here at the NCGE!

Why Are There So Few Black Farmers in America? A Look At The History Of Racism In Rural Land Use
2025-10-17 15:15 - 16:00 | Conference Room: Clark
Summary
Participants in this session will examine the history of racism in US rural land use and farm systems, attempting to answer the question, “Why are there so few Black farmers in America today?” It wasn’t always this way, so how did we arrive here? This session aims to develop educators’ content area knowledge and is suitable for all grade levels but best applies to secondary school US History or AP Human Geography teachers. Participants will leave the session with a grab-and-go unit plan that is ready to use directly with students.
Session Focus
Secondary/ High School | U.S. History/Human Geography | Diversity in agriculture
Conference Room
Clark
Meet the Presenters
Leah Hood (she/her) grew up the sixth generation of Hoods on R. G. Hood Family Farms Inc. in NE Iowa. After earning her B.A. in Geography & History from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, she began teaching secondary social studies in 2008. Leah completed her Master of Arts in Teaching in 2013 from Hamline University (St. Paul, MN). She has spent the last 18 years teaching middle school and high school social studies & adult basic education in the Twin Cities, as well as undergraduates at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN. Leah is passionate about turning a spotlight on the history of the intersections between US agricultural systems and civil rights movements, and takes very seriously her responsibility as a farm owner and an educator to act with social responsibility to support diverse and emerging farmers.

Mundane Magnificence: Artifacts, Food, and Everyday Objects in Geography!
2025-10-17 15:15 - 16:00 | Conference Room: Iowa
Summary
Mundane Magnificence: Artifacts, Food, and Everyday Objects!! Get ready for this fast-paced and engaging session. Leave with ready-to-use strategies and resources for your K-12 Geography classroom. This session is designed to engage and challenge participants by exposing them to out-of-the-box teaching strategies for teaching both physical and human geography.
During this session, participants will learn how to use everyday materials to engage students and learn geography through a new lens by using artifacts. Through experiential activities, participants will learn how to engage not only the mind but also the senses while learning how food and geography go hand in hand. Participants will leave with actionable activities for their classroom.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels | Inquiry | Engaging, Strategies, Resources
Conference Room
Iowa
Meet the Presenters
Nathan McAlister is the Humanities Program Manager – History, Government, and Social Studies, Library, World Languages, Indigenous Education, and Financial Literacy for the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE). Prior to his time with KSDE, Nathan taught middle and high school social studies for 24 years. In the classroom, his students created and led several civic and historical preservation projects. These include three pieces of Kansas Legislation, an African American Civil War mural, and multiple National History Day and Lowell Milken for Unsung Heroes projects.
In 2010, Nathan was named Kansas and National History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History. Nathan has also been named a Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Master Teacher Fellow, Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, Fellow, and a George Washington Library, Lifeguard Teacher Fellow. He currently serves on the boards of several state and national organizations, including the Kansas Council for History Education, Council of State Social Studies Specialists, Council on Foreign Relations, and the iCivics National Educators Network.
Co-Presenter, Amy Walker

Empowering Geo-Inquiry: How the Science of Reading Can Strengthen Secondary Student Participation
2025-10-17 15:15 - 16:00 | Conference Room: Nebraska
Summary
In 2022, our nation’s 8th graders scored at mere 29% proficient readers. 71% of our 8th grade students are below reading level and yet we know as Educators that a strong Geography based curriculum revolves around the ability for students to learn to independently access knowledge. Geo-Inquiry not only opens students to the possibilities of the World, it allows them to think
critically about the knowledge they acquire both in and out of the classroom. But how can we expect our students to reach these levels with only 29% able to read at proficient levels in the 8th grade. Participants will be spurred to action with simple, research based strategies that will teach them how to bring basic literacy skills into the Geography classroom. This session will introduce participants to Scarbourgh’s Reading Rope along with the Simple View of Reading.
Together the session leader and participants will engage with the basics of reading instruction focusing on how to build background knowledge, vocabulary, and literacy knowledge that will allow them to enhance their students reading skills during geography lessons, resulting in students who are confident in their ability to read texts and maps for a greater understanding of how geography impacts their lives and those around them. This session will focus on participants to discuss, analyze and determine how to enhance their lessons with the strategies presented in their own Geo-Inquiry lessons.
Each participant will walk away with tips and tricks, along with a Google drive folder of lesson plans designed by the presenter to guide them through the process of teaching students reading comprehension through geographical inquiry.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels | Inquiry | Geo-Literacy, Geo-Inquiry
Conference Room
Nebraska
Meet the Presenters
Kendra Miller is an experienced educator, curriculum designer, and speaker based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She has a strong background in teaching history at various levels, from middle school to advanced placement, and has also worked extensively in curriculum design. Kendra holds a Master’s in Curriculum and Instructional Design and is currently pursuing a PhD in Literacy Studies, Literacy Instruction and Staff Development Concentration.She has received several awards for her research on improving reading in the content areas and is actively involved on the Executive Board for the Tennessee Council of Social Studies.

AAG - A Workshop on the Geography Pipeline from High School to College
2025-10-17 15:15 - 16:15 | Conference Room: Winnebago
Summary
The AAG task force on undergraduate geography education (aka the Gen A Project) seeks to develop strategies to address the challenge of declining undergraduate geography majors in the US today. This interactive workshop will provide some basic background information on the problem and the work of the task force. The organizers will then facilitate an interactive dialogue on the best ways to strengthen the geography pipeline from high school to college. The goal is to capture the collective wisdom of our community on this issue.
Session Focus
Secondary/High School | Higher Education | Geography Majors
Conference Room
Banquet Level – Winnebago
Meet the Organizers

Bill Moseley,
Greg Hill
Samantha Serrano

Teaching Holocaust Geographies
2025-10-17 15:15 - 17:15 | Conference Room: Flannigan
Summary
This session will focus on the interdisciplinary relationships between geography education and Holocaust education. The session will begin by focusing on an edited book (co-edited by the presenters) that features geographers, historians, and education experts, including many voices from NCGE members, on the benefits, obstacles, and methods of teaching the Holocaust using the perspectives and tools of geographers. Then, session participants will put these discussions into practice by working with one another to evaluate and modify existing resources for teaching the Holocaust to include geographic skills, concepts, and tools. Holocaust education professionals, primarily from Nebraska, will be present for this working session. These discussions and hands-on interactions with a variety of resources is designed to benefit those seeking to teach geography and/or the Holocaust as a means from promoting civic engagement.
Session Focus
Secondary/High School | World History | Holocaust | Multidisciplinary
Conference Room
Flannigan
Meet the Presenters
Michael Mewborne
Jeff Eargle is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at the University of South Carolina, where he also serves as the Secondary Social Studies Program Coordinator. As a high school social studies teacher in the South Carolina public school system, he taught a range of social studies courses across both grade and learning levels. Additionally, Eargle was an Education Associate for K12 Social Studies Education at the South Carolina Department of Education where he implemented state-wide policy, provided professional learning for teachers, and was involved in the development of the current state standards. He is the coeditor of the forthcoming volume Teaching Holocaust Geographies in Middle and Secondary Schools: Promoting Inquiry into Space, Persecution, and Civic Engagement.

Art, Dance, Theatre, Oh My! Using Arts-Methodologies in the Geography Classroom
2025-10-17 15:15 - 17:15 | Conference Room: Winnebago
Summary
Come explore how art, dance, theatre, and other creative methodologies can deepen student understanding of geography! In this session, participants will engage in hands-on activities that bring historical narratives, social movements, and global issues to life through tableau theatre, protest art, and cartographic storytelling. Attendees will walk away with ready-to-use lesson ideas, creative assessment strategies, and a renewed vision for incorporating art into their classroom.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels | Curriculum and Instruction | Art, Literacy, Engagement
Conference Room
Winnebago
Meet the Presenters
Jessica Flach is a Ph.D. student at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC. Prior to graduate school, she taught AP Human Geography and AP United States History in Pensacola, FL. Jessica works with the South Carolina Geographic Alliance in organizing professional development for K-12 geography teachers in South Carolina. Her graduate research focuses on youth geographies, travel, and citizenship. She is especially passionate about data literacy in geography classrooms, and strives to help geography teachers create engaging, inquiry-based lessons.

Bethany Sanders is a Secondary Social Studies teacher at Dutch Fork High School. She teaches a wide variety of classes including Human Geography, AP European History, and AP Comparative Government. She is currently an education doctoral student at the University of South Carolina where her research is focused on visual arts integration and visual literacy in the geography classroom. When she isn’t teaching, she is either coaching her school’s dance team or traveling!

Beltrami on Expedition: Exploring Minnesota in 1823 in search of the Headwaters of the Mississippi River
2025-10-17 15:15 - 17:15 | Conference Room: Lewis
Summary
Throughout the 1800’s, as the United States expanded north and west after the Louisiana Purchase, there were numerous explorers who came to northern Minnesota searching for the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Though the mouth was well known and much of the lower and middle river well charted, it proved to be difficult to find and map the ultimate source of the river which was though to be in the new northern territory of Minnesota. Members of the Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education have been engaged in researching this history and creating a documentary series reenacting these various important expeditions, and the Italian explorer Giacomo Beltrami’s expedition of 1823 is the first to be completed. The hour long documentary will be shown, followed by hands-on activities on a giant NGS classroom floor map of Minnesota to learn experientially why the river’s source was so difficult to determine. Why is the “True Source” of the Mississippi River still a scientific and geographic question today? Where, Why There, Why Care? Join us to explore and learn more about this exciting topic in US historical geography, and learn how you too can use the film and associated activities with your students.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels | U.S. History | Cartography, Exploration, Headwaters
Conference Room
Lewis
Meet the Presenters
Dr. Janet Rith-Najarian is a biogeographer and educator living in the northwoods of Minnesota, among the “Sky-Blue Waters” of her home state’s storied 10,000 lakes. Along with her past work doing surveys and research for various natural resource agencies, she is a certified National Geographic educator and teacher-consultant who has served many years on the steering committee for the Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education.
She is also a Minnesota Master Naturalist, a “Teacher-Ranger” with the National Park Classroom program, a naturalist and instructor with the international Wild Wonder Foundation, and a mentor with the “Take Me Outside” Outdoor Learning Project. With an interest in historic cartography and scientific illustration, she has recently become an active member of the “Arts in Exploration Collective” of the RGBS. In her free time, she loves to go camping with her family and explore new places with her adventurous Geo-Dog.
Along with her colleague and fellow explorer and filmmaker Norwood Hall, Janet’s most recent work is as a geographic and environmental storyteller. Janet and Norwood are in the process of creating several documentaries, podcasts, and presentations about expeditions and famous explorers and natural scientists of the past, with a special focus on Minnesota explorers on the Mississippi River. Today’s NCGE workshop will include a screening of their documentary about early Minnesota explorer Giacomo Beltrami, along with inviting workshop participants to join in on an experiential expedition of Minnesota using an NGS Giant map and models of plants, animals, climate and more to build 3-D GIS layers of Minnesota’s landscapes and watersheds.

Globalizing the ‘Yellow Peril’ and Anti-Asian Racism with Human Rights Education
2025-10-17 16:15 - 17:00 | Conference Room: Iowa
Summary
This presentation examines how human rights education (HRE) can help teachers frame and globalize themes related to anti-Asian racism. This session will demonstrate how human rights concepts can help teachers identify stereotypes and discrimination faced by Asian people across the globe, and promote citizenship that interrupts these forces. Following a brief overview of HRE and its utility in approaching issues of social justice, examples of how teachers can use human rights concepts to examine anti- Asian racism will be provided. Each of these examples connects topics and events in the United States with similar matters abroad. Subjects include the internment of Japanese citizens in Brazil, Canada, and the United States during World War II, the deportation of Koreans from the Soviet Union, the expulsion of South Asians from Uganda, massacres of Chinese miners in Mexico, Canada, and the United States, as well as anti Asian/xenophobic stereotypes and legislation in all of these countries.
Session Focus
Secondary/High School | World/International | Human rights education, Anti-Asian racism, Global perspectives
Conference Room
Iowa
Meet the Presenters
Sean Corrigan

Beyond the Hype: Critical AI Literacy for Geography and Social Studies Educators
2025-10-17 16:15 - 17:00 | Conference Room: Clark
Summary
The rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has sparked both optimism and unease within education. For geography and the broader social sciences, GenAI tools such as ChatGPT promise efficiencies in curriculum design, data analysis, and feedback, yet they also produce errors, false citations, and cultural oversimplifications. The use of large language models poses ethical dilemmas that risk undermining core disciplinary practices in the social sciences. This session situates geography educators within this tension, emphasizing the need for AI and data literacy that is critical rather than uncritical. Drawing on recent research in geography and social studies education, I propose a framework of “error typologies” that reveal how GenAI can reshape knowledge production and interpretation of curricular content. The session will engage participants in considering ways to integrate AI that fosters critical inquiry and civic literacy, without outsourcing essential human judgment to machines. Rather than treating GenAI as a shortcut for assessment or content delivery, educators are invited to explore how it can serve as a tool for critique, revealing questions of bias, representation, and the implications for its use in the social studies classroom. Attendees will leave with some practical strategies for guiding classrooms to critically evaluate GenAI outputs and apply disciplinary thinking to AI-generated claims. Bring your questions and comments!
Session Focus
All Grade Levels| Curriculum and Instruction| Technology
Conference Room
Clark
Meet the Presenter
Samantha Serrano

The Journey Begins: Building a State Atlas for Iowa
2025-10-17 16:15 - 17:00 | Conference Room: Nebraska
Summary
State atlases are a tool to teach students about the social, cultural, and natural history and current affairs within the context of a state’s geography. Maps help students make richer connections to a subject by engaging students to connect events to an actual place. In 2024, several members of the Geographic Alliance of Iowa (GAI) decided to create a state atlas for Iowa students. Their approach included enlisting the help of members of the Iowa GIS community from the Iowa Geographic Information Council (IGIC) to help gather data and make maps for the atlas.
During this session, you will hear from the Iowa Atlas team participants about this approach’s strengths and challenges. The Iowa Atlas team will share the vision for the Iowa Atlas, our progress and hope for the future, and how we are using the Iowa Atlas to build partnerships within the geographic and education communities. To finish our time together, we would invite a discussion including seasoned state atlas creators to share their experiences, and those interested in starting or updating a state atlas to join the conversation.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels | State Atlas | Promote Geography through Partnerships | Shared Knowledge | Curriculum and Instruction
Conference Room
Nebraska
Meet the Presenters

Thomas Larsen, Assistant Professor of Geography, University of Northern Iowa

Amy Logan is a GIS Research Scientist at Iowa State University and the IowaView state coordinator, an AmericaView remote sensing consortium affiliate. Her work spans various areas, including geospatial education and outreach, social science research, digital storytelling, and web app development. Amy has hosted workshops on integrating GIS technologies into the classroom. She is passionate about connecting people to GIS resources to improve their work or learning.
Rachel Hansen (she/her) is the K-12 Education Coordinator at the State Historical Society of Iowa. Prior to her current role, she taught 7-12 social studies in public schools in Iowa for 15 years. In 2021, she was recognized by NCGE with an AP Human Geography Distinguished Teaching Award. Rachel is passionate about designing learning experiences that compel students to engage in meaningful, authentic projects within their communities. Her work focuses on storytelling through podcasts, maps, and heritage education. Rachel’s current research explores how students use spatial thinking when creating counter-maps. She received her B.A. in History from the University of Iowa and her M.A. in Geography from the University of Northern Iowa.

Poster Session: Minnesota State University and the Founding of NCGE
2025-10-18 | Banquet Level – Mezannine Area
Summary
The National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) was founded in 1915 by George J Miller and Cora Sletten, both teacher educators at the then State Normal School in Mankato, Minnesota (today Minnesota State University, Mankato). Both taught Geography in the Social Science Division during their tenure in Mankato.
While it was originally called the National Council for Geography Teachers (NCGT), the purpose of this new organization was to “increase the effectiveness of geography teaching in America.” It was not until 1956, that NCGT changed its name to become the National Council for Geographic Education.
One of their main goals was to bridge the gap between the subject expertise of college professors and the pedagogical training and insights of K-12 teachers. Both Professors also believed that not all learning occurs in the classroom but actually viewed the whole world as a place for students to learn. Along with running some of the first national geographic education conferences and workshops, Miller
Session Focus
All Grade Levels |History | curriculum | Inquiry
Conference Room
Banquet Level – Mezzanine Area
The Presenters
Dr. Kyle Ward started his career as a 7th-12th grade Social Studies teacher and taught in Minnesota and Indiana. He has a master’s in History and his Ph.D. is in Curriculum and Instruction (emphasis Social Studies Education) from Indiana State University. He currently serves as the Director of Social Studies Education at Minnesota State University.
Kaitlyn Zaske-Simning is a student in her final year at Minnesota State University-Mankato. She is part of the Social Studies Teaching program, with a focus on history. Kaitlyn has experience working in curation and research at the Redwood Falls County Museum in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, and will be finishing her student teaching experience in December.

Joseph Jensen is a student at MSU where they are majoring in SOST with an emphasis in history. He is a member of history club and has gone to the colonial Williamsburg teachers institute. He Has student taught at Waseca High school in Waseca Minnesota.

Noah Sather is a senior at MSU Mankato. He is majoring in Social Studies Teaching with an emphasis in history. A highlight in his collegiate and professional development has been going to the Bob and Marion Wilson Teachers Institute at Colonial Williamsburg.

Katy Pearson

Poster Session: Teaching with Primary Sources Midwest Region
2025-10-18 | Banquet Level – Mezannine Area
Summary
The Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) is the premier educational program by the Library of Congress. The TPS Midwest Region at Illinois State University has helped distribute funding to over 180 unique organizations, including education networks like the Geographic Educators of Nebraska (GEON) in 2023. Across its 11 states, which span from Nebraska to Ohio, the Midwest Region offers grants of up to $25,000 to organizations interested in utilizing Library of Congress materials in their educational programming. The Midwest Region would like to identify possible future grant recipients in the state of Nebraska and surrounding states through this poster session.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels |Primary Sources | Grant Funding | Library of Congress
Conference Room
Banquet Level – Mezzanine Area
The Presenter
Joseph Skotzke works as the Associate Director of the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Midwest Region, a grant program the provides funding to organizations to integrate the use of the Library’s digitized primary sources. As a former secondary-level English teacher, he believes in the importance of inquiry in the examination of any document, be it maps, books, or photographs.

Poster Session: Drones in Geography Classrooms: Advantages and Challenges
2025-10-18 | Banquet Level – Mezannine Area
Summary
Drones as remote sensing platforms have changed the way geographers map the world. Given the low cost and ease of use of drones, the need to educate
geography students on scientifically sound and ethical use of drones has never been greater. As university geography departments develop drone
courses to attract new majors and provide desired instruction, the academic community knows little about drone curriculum in geography (either in whole or as a part of a course) and how such courses are being taught. This study, through a Web-based survey of forty-five instructors, provides a baseline understanding of drone instruction within geography higher education. We outline who is teaching geography courses with drone content, and, more important, what and how drone content is being taught. Findings reflect differing instructional approaches and content-related uncertainties connected to courses potentially lacking remote sensing principles.
Session Focus
Higher Education | Technology | Drones | Geography Education
Conference Room
Banquet Level – Mezzanine Area
The Presenter
Adam Mathews
Grayson Morgan

Poster Session: Geographic Thinking in Interdisciplinary Research: Examining Conceptualization, Experience, and Communication
2025-10-18 | Banquet Level – Mezannine Area
Summary
Geographic understanding is essential in academia, providing frameworks to interpret natural phenomena. Geoscience research often requires interdisciplinary collaboration and an appreciation of interconnected processes across spatial scales. However, limited research has explored how geographic methods influence scholars’ research and communication strategies. This study investigates the impact of geographic thinking among graduate students in the Watershed Scholars program, comparing those with geoscience and non-geoscience backgrounds. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Watershed Scholars Program at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville aims to dismantle financial barriers and promote diversity in STEM through support, mentoring, and professional development. The program fosters scholars researching environmental challenges through interdisciplinary approaches and skills valued by employers. Graduates are equipped to address issues from human interventions and watershed alterations.
This study seeks to determine if Watershed Scholars understand the broader geographic context of their research, engage in interdisciplinary thinking, and integrate geographic perspectives. It also assesses their efforts to communicate findings to diverse audiences. By answering these questions, the study advances geoscience education and promotes a deeper understanding of geography’s role in science and society. The comparative analysis highlights how geographic understanding influences students’ preparedness and communication skills, promoting better integration of geographic perspectives in scientific inquiry.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels | STEM | Geographic Thinking
Conference Room
Banquet Level – Mezzanine Area
Meet The Presenter
My name is Hunter Hansen, and I recently graduated with a Master of Science in Geography from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). My research, Exploring the Impact and Interdisciplinarity of Geographic Backgrounds among Graduate Students: A Comparative Study of Geosciences, explores how Watershed Scholars engage with geographic thinking and how this shapes their preparedness and ability to communicate across disciplines.
As a Graduate Assistant for the Watershed Scholars Program, I had the opportunity to conduct qualitative research, manage program data, and support student learning and mentoring. I am passionate about making connections through geography education, and I view research as a way to continuously learn, grow, and share knowledge with others.

Esri Bring Your Own Device Lab & Workshop
2025-10-18 | Conference Room: Missouri, Omaha, Nebraska
Saturday, October 18, 2025 | 8:00 AM – 4:45 PM
Each lab is 45-minutes long with a 15-minute break between sessions. Esri Representatives will use training accounts on the T3G ArcGIS Online org
Full Lab Schedule
8:00 – Introduction to National Geographic MapMaker
Learn about MapMaker data and tools in this entry level session. Teachers will explore the no login experience – using existing content, creating, and sharing!
with Charlie Fitzpatrick
9:00 – Physical geography activities for the classroom
Discover Earth science activities and resources from Esri.Topics include a wide range of instructional topics taught throughout the year
With Charlie Fitzpatrick
10:00 – Introduction to StoryMaps for Teachers
Explore storymaps from authoritative authors around the world. Learn about common teaching techniques with storymaps and create your own basic storymap.
with Tom Baker
11:00 – Creating StoryMaps – intermediate techniques
Create basic to advanced storymaps in this session, where we will explore some of the newest features in storymap construction, including: AI, templates, 360 images, infographics, and more.
with Tom Baker
1:00 – APHG resources from National Geographic Learning
Explore the new storymap-based resources for studying human geography from National Geographic Learning.
with Anita Palmer
2:00 – Utilizing National Geographic Learning resources: World Cultures
Discover storymaps based content supporting world cultures curriculum from National Geographic Learning.
with Anita Palmer
3:00 – Map Viewer – Basic map making
Learn to create basic point and polygon maps with your own data. Incorporate data from the LIving Atlas of the World and share your map.
with Joseph Kerski
4:00 – Designing projects with Survey123
Learn how to design, create, and share Survey123 applications to support student collection and projects.
with Joseph Kerski
Conference Room
Banquet Level – Missouri Conference Room

Field Mapping: Engaging Students by Collecting Data using Street Surveys
2025-10-18 08:00 - 08:45 | Conference Room: Flannigan
Summary
Field data collection remains one of the most important ways to collect geographic information. An increasing number of commercial applications rely on OpenStreetMap so adding pedestrian-level detail to OpenStreetMap yields broad-based benefits for everyone in a community. Field mapping is a fun way to learn about the landscapes as well as how to collect geographic field data which is used to produce maps. Field mapping guides students to discover new geography in familiar places when mapping on foot. The geographic
detail becomes more apparent when students have to decide what to put on the map. This session will walk educators through the process of Field Mapping which can be used to engage their students in collecting geographic information using OpenStreetMap. Students will begin to understand how maps are produced today, identify types of data presented in maps, and analyze spatial patterns in maps.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels | Curriculum and Instruction | Mapping and Engagement
Conference Room
Flannigan
Meet the Presenters
Celest Reynolds

Mapping Majdanek: A Topographic Inquiry into the Bystanders of the Holocaust
2025-10-18 08:00 - 08:45 | Conference Room: Winnebago
Summary
Using geo-literacy skills, students can engage in learning about the Holocaust in new ways. How we map the Holocaust can both answer and raise important
questions. Knowles (2024) identified five challenges of mapping the Holocaust. Among the challenges, Holocaust maps tend to represent the actions of the perpetrators, perpetuate outdated narratives of the Holocaust, and ignore the complexity of the Holocaust. In this presentation, participants will engage with a lesson using the proximity of the Majdanek killing center to the town of Lublin as a case study. In this lesson, addressing inaction of bystanders explores the question: Could the residents of Lublin have witnessed the perpetration of genocide at Majdanek? The lesson unfolds in three phases. First, students interrogate historical maps of Lublin and maps from USHMM of Majdanek. Second, students then create their own topographical map of the Lublin area using GIS tools.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels | World/International | Holocaust, Inquiry, Geo-literacy
Conference Room
Winnebago
Meet the Presenters
Bethany Sanders is a Secondary Social Studies teacher at Dutch Fork High School. She teaches a wide variety of classes including Human Geography, AP European History, and AP Comparative Government. She is currently an education doctoral student at the University of South Carolina where her research is focused on visual arts integration and visual literacy in the geography classroom. When she isn’t teaching, she is either coaching her school’s dance team or traveling!

Jeff Eargle is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at the University of South Carolina, where he also serves as the Secondary Social Studies Program Coordinator. As a high school social studies teacher in the South Carolina public school system, he taught a range of social studies courses across both grade and learning levels. Additionally, Eargle was an Education Associate for K12 Social Studies Education at the South Carolina Department of Education where he implemented state-wide policy, provided professional learning for teachers, and was involved in the development of the current state standards. He is the coeditor of the forthcoming volume Teaching Holocaust Geographies in Middle and Secondary Schools: Promoting Inquiry into Space, Persecution, and Civic Engagement.

Spiraling to help students interpret random internet “facts”
2025-10-18 08:00 - 08:45 | Conference Room: Clark
Summary
“Students can find facts on the internet; we should focus on teaching skills.” This observation is common, but it is also naive and dangerous. If students lack a framework of accurate and well-connected facts for comparison, it is hard to teach a skill of evaluating new facts for accuracy or relevance. The key word in that sentence is framework. A remembered fact might contradict a new observation or internet page, but the key test is how each new fact fits with accepted knowledge. A discussion like this might seem abstract, but it has gained new urgency as the internet makes all kinds of “facts” both easier to access and more memorable. One plausible response is to create spiral curricula — to build knowledge frameworks by deliberately revisiting core topics in different grades, building a foundation of basic skills and facts in early grades and then refining and extending in later grades. A short presentation, handouts, and a website provide examples that deal with topics as varied as climate change
NCGE 2025 Conference Session Proposal 50 Abstract continued:: , pre-Columbian trade, and redlining. Participants in small groups then use templates to build learning progressions for topics of personal interest.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels | Curriculum and Instruction | Activities, Curriculum, Learning progressions
Conference Room
Clark
Meet the Presenter
Phil Gersmehl is in the third generation of “Teacher Gersmehls.” He earned a BA in Education from Concordia Teachers College, 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 (300+ students). These included a new 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. 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 and online resources to meet the new social-studies standards in that state.

Publishing in NCGE Journals
2025-10-18 08:00 - 08:45 | Conference Room: Nebraska
Summary
The editors of the two NCGE journals – the Geography Teacher and the Journal of Geography – invite you to learn about the publication process for the journals and how you can become a successful author. Take half an hour to learn about preparing and submitting manuscripts, completing the publishing process as an author, and supporting the discipline as a reviewer. Attendees will be able to ask questions and solicit publication advice for the rest of the session.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels | Publishing | Journal of Geography, Geography Teacher
Conference Room
Nebraska
Meet the Presenters
Dr. Injeong Jo is a Professor and Coordinator of the Online MAGeo in Geographic Education Program at Texas State University’s Department of Geography and Environmental Studies. Her research focuses on spatial thinking education, the use of geospatial technologies for teaching and learning, and teacher education. She currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Geography.

Dr. Gregory Chug, is widely recognized for his contributions to geography, with expertise in geographic information science, cartographic design, and educational strategies. He served as Department Chair and Professor at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse and as a Program Director for Geography and Regional Science at the National Science Foundation. In addition to numerous scholarly publications, he is the author of two middle school geography textbooks, MyWorldInteractive and Contemporary World Cultures. As the editor of The Geography Teacher, Dr. Chu brings extensive experience and visionary leadership to advance the journal’s role as a vital resource for educators and scholars.
Alex Oberle (PhD Geography) is Professor of Geography at the University of Northern Iowa. His research specializes in geography education, specifically inquiry in geography, internationalizing teacher education, and GIS/geospatial technologies in geography education. Email: alex.oberle@uni.edu

Dr. Mary D. Curtis is an Assistant Professor at the University of Houston-Clear Lake in the College of Education where she coordinates the Social Studies teacher preparation program. Dr. Curtis is a geography educator with over 20 years of experience and service from local to international levels. She currently serves as the Vice Chair for the Association of American Geographers Geography Education Specialty Group and as Associate Editor for the Journal of Geography.
Jody Smothers-Marcello has a long record of endeavors in geography education including serving as president of
NCGE in 2002, editing The Geography Teacher for two terms, co-chairing the AP Human
Geography Development Committee, and serving on the social studies-history standards
committee for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). While teaching
in the Sitka School District in Alaska, she was recognized with multiple state and national
awards for her innovative teaching. She has also written a wide array of curricula and
presented at numerous national professional development venues. Jody currently serves as an
associate editor for the Journal of Geography.

Exploring Climate Change Through Play
2025-10-18 08:00 - 08:45 | Conference Room: Iowa
Summary
In this session, participants will explore one of the consequences of climate change, that of sea-level rise. Attendees will participate in a lesson which uses blocks to model the topography of various coastlines, and then document the effects of various levels of sea-level rise around the world. Participants will brainstorm possible solutions coastal communities might take in the face of possible sea-level rise. At the end of the session, participants will receive a lesson plan for conducting this activity in their classroom.
Session Focus
Secondary/High School | STEM | Climate-Change, Mapping, Analysis
Conference Room
Iowa
Meet the Presenters
Cynthia Bloom and Lisa De-Chano Cook, PhD

Chicago Today: Effects of Redlining and Urban Renewal
2025-10-18 09:00 - 09:45 | Conference Room: Flannigan
Summary
Cities change their structural space and are a part of globalization, but how does this affect residents across a city? This two-part session discusses the challenges of urban growth, both in the past and present by centering on our third largest city, Chicago. The first part focuses on the effects of redlining in Chicago and showcases a student research project. This project requires students to conduct preliminary research using the HOLC maps from University of Richmond’s Mapping Inequality website. From there, students explore seven major effects of redlining that affect residents today. The effects include displacement, education, health, and the wealth gap. The second part discusses the major changes occurring in Chicago’s central business district as a means to revitalize the urban core. With many downtowns struggling with occupancy since the height of Covid, the City of Chicago voted to develop the LaSalle Street Reimagined Initiative. Maps, videos, and information are used to demonstrate
Session Focus
Secondary/High School | Curriculum and Instruction | Redlining, Urban Renewal, Urban Land Use
Conference Room
Flannigan
Meet the Presenter
Jeanne Shin-Cooper has been a public high school educator for twenty years. Over the course of her career, she has taught multiple disciplines in the social sciences in addition to work within the field of EL. She is currently a consultant and exam reader for AP Human Geography and a part of the Test Development Committee. She received her Masters in Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University and her Masters in Geography through the EDGE Program at University of Oregon. She has served on the Educator Advisory Committee for Harvard’s Religion and Public Life in conjunction with teaching College World Religions Dual Credit. For the past two years, she was invited as a keynote speaker for Harvard University’s Global Studies Outreach Workshop and she is overjoyed to return to the wonderful community of NCGE.

Teaching About Taiwan: Crossroads of Culture and Empire
2025-10-18 09:00 - 09:45 | Conference Room: Winnebago
Summary
This session will provide participants with practical, engaging activities about Taiwan for the geography classroom. Taiwan is an island that mixes unique indigenous cultures with Chinese, Japanese, European, and American influences; it provides an interesting and topical area of study for human and physical geography students. The participants on this panel spent two weeks in the summer of 2025 on a study tour of Taiwan, and are eager to share the curriculum they developed with other teachers. The session will conclude with a discussion of Taiwan’s present and near future.
Session Focus
APHG | Curriculum and Instruction | Taiwan and East Asia
Conference Room
Winnebago
Meet the Presenters

Alex Northrup teaches AP Human Geography, AP Environmental Science, AP World History: Modern and more at Foxcroft School, an all-girls high school in Middleburg, Virginia, where he is the Director of the Innovation Lab. He is a table leader for the AP Human Geography reading and an instructor for Chesapeake Bay Climate Institute. He recently returned from a study tour in Taiwan sponsored by the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia.

Dawn Schmidt teaches in Tempe, Arizona at Corona del Sol High School. This is year 28 for her and she has been in the same district for her entire career. Schmidt is currently teaching at the same school she attended for high school. This year she is teaching World Geography and Honors World Geography to 9th graders, AP Human Geography, an elective for 10th-12th graders, and Honors United States History to 11th graders.
Schmidt is a former board member of the Arizona Council for Social Studies for six years, and currently, a Teacher Consultant for the Arizona Geographic Alliance as well as a member of NCGE. She was awarded the NCGE K-12 Distinguished Teaching Award in 2021, the Isidore Starr Outstanding Social Studies Teacher by ACSS in 2016, and the Flinn Foundation Outstanding Teacher Award in 2013 and 2008. Schmidt had the opportunity to participate in educational study tours in Japan, Tajikistan, Honduras, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates. She currently serves as a co-liaison for the Rio Salado College dual enrollment program at her school.

Enhancing Capabilities Through Racially Literate Curriculum Making
2025-10-18 09:00 - 09:45 | Conference Room: Lewis
Summary
Through a Spencer-funded research project, 14 social studies teachers from the Midwest and 3 teacher educators collaborated with the goal of enhancing teachers’ racially literate curriculum making in the social studies. The eighteen-month endeavor draws from the international GeoCapabilities project and the recent book “Race, Racism and the Geography Curriculum” (Morgan & Lambert, 2023).
This session will summarize what was learned about racial literacy in geography teaching and about expanding teacher and student capabilities in the current political climate. Session participants will explore conceptual and practical tools, including sample curriculum artifacts and vignettes developed by geography teachers. By the end of the session, it is hoped that participants have a vision for how they might adapt and adopt the presented tools for contexts ranging from secondary geography classrooms to initial teacher preparation.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels | Curriculum and Instruction | Racial literacy, Curriculum-making, Teacher-agency
Conference Room
Lewis
Meet the Presenters
Kelly León is an Assistant Professor of Social Studies Education at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB). Prior to moving to UWGB, she worked for nineteen years as a social studies teacher in a large urban school district in southern California. She led efforts to reconceptualize and update her district’s required 9th grade human geography course and also taught human geography for many years. Kelly completed her undergraduate degree, bilingual teaching credential, and M.E.d in Policy Studies in Language & Cross-Cultural Education at San Diego State University and her PhD in Education for Social Justice at the University of San Diego. Kelly is passionate about the role geography can play in a young person’s education and issues related to educational justice.

World Regions: Revisited, Rename, Redrawn?
2025-10-18 09:00 - 09:45 | Conference Room: Clark
Summary
Join us for a “re-exploration” of regions, those mental constructs that shape how students learn about their world. Can regions be constructed to be more accurate, fair, and useful? Regionalization, and the relationships between power and space, are an important part of AP Human Geography and other geography courses. Geographers have long questioned the regional frameworks typically used in world regional geography courses (and other social studies courses) in middle-school, high school, APHG, and college offerings. This topic is especially significant now as a new political regime in the United States realigns allegiances and trading partnerships to create new regions (or to rename established regions). Gerrymandering, for example, is a form of regionalization. Teaching students to “make” regions themselves may assist in understanding the dynamics that go Into that process. Just as some communities of color or indigenous peoples engage in “counter-mapping” – creating maps that challenge dominant power structures – we suggest students should be able to engage in their own “counter-regionalization.”
Session Focus
All Grade Levels | World/International| Regionalization, Counter-Regionalization, World Regions
Conference Room
Clark
Meet the Presenter
Sarah Bednarz and Mark Bockenhauer

Teaching Physical Regions with Interactive Mapping
2025-10-18 09:00 - 09:45 | Conference Room: Nebraska
Summary
Interactive maps, spatial data, and web based GIS tools can enhance and enliven inquiry and instruction. In this hands-on workshop you will be empowered to use these resources and tools to teach about landforms, biomes, ecoregions, climate zones, oceans, and other physical regions of Planet Earth.
This workshop will focus on instructional tools and methods that require no sign-in, only a web browser is needed. The workshop is most appropriate for university and secondary level .
Session Focus
Higher Education | Technology | Landforms, Ecoregions, Climate zones
Conference Room
Nebraska
Meet the Presenter
Joseph Kerski is a geographer with a focus on the implementation and effectiveness of GIS And spatial thinking in education. He has served in all four sectors of society… Academia, federal agencies, private industry, and nonprofit organizations. He served as NCGE president and Vice President, has authored 8 books, and has given 2 Ted talks on the whys of where.

Insights, Tips and Results from a Teaching with Primary Sources Funded Grant
2025-10-18 09:00 - 09:45 | Conference Room: Iowa
Summary
In the winter 2023, Geographic Educators of Nebraska obtained funding from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Documents (TPS) grant to conduct a summer workshop and fall follow-up activities. The workshops took place in the summers of 2023 and 2024, The workshop focused on the “Historical Geography of the City” which used the cultural landscape as a primary document. Presenters will explain the results of the workshop, lessons learned, how to apply for funding, and what we regard as some of the keys to a successful application.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels | Curriculum and Instruction | Cultural Landscape, Funding Opportunity, GIS
Conference Room
Iowa
Meet the Presenter
Harris Payne began his career at Omaha Public Schools, teaching geography to 9th graders at Nathan Hale Junior High School in 1979. He also taught at Omaha North High School and Burke High School. In 1990, he was one of the founding members of the Nebraska geography alliance, Geographic Educators of Nebraska (GEON). In 1990, he attended the National Geographic Summer Geography Institute and was on staff at the institute during the summers of 1991 and 1992. His Omaha North High School geography students competed in the American Express Geography Competition and placed 3rd, 2nd, and 1st three times. In 2005, he became the Supervisor of Social Studies for Omaha Public Schools. During his tenure as supervisor, Mr. Payne obtained funding for three Teaching American History Grants, which provided funding for over eighty teachers to obtain a master’s in historical studies degree, revised the district assessment system from bubble tests to performance assessments, and created the Making Invisible Histories Visible program. He retired from OPS in 2012 for six days and began a second career as the Director of Social Studies for the Nebraska Department of Education. His primary responsibility with the department was developing and implementing the 2012 and 2019 Nebraska State Social Studies Standards. He retired from that position in 2020 and was elected president/chair of Geographic Educators of Nebraska (GEON). In 2021, he became the Geography Education National Implementation Project (GENIP) chair. Mr. Payne has a bachelor’s degree in secondary social studies education, a master’s degree in geography, and a master’s degree in educational leadership. He is currently a graduate student pursuing his doctorate. Over the course of his career, he has taught Human Geography, World Regional Geography, Geography of East Asia, Urban Geography, Climate and Waters, Landforms and Soils at Data College, Midland College, and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He likes traveling the world with his wife, Christy, and spending time with his six grandchildren.

Geography Potpourri: “Tried and True” Lessons to DO Geography
2025-10-18 10:00 - 10:45 | Conference Room: Flannigan
Summary
High on engagement, this session will showcase a medley of “kid-tested and teacher-approved” classroom activities that allow students to tap into their place-based knowledge, leverage their cultural capital, and share their geography connections with one another. Participants will engage in a sampler of experiential activities, that foster cultural responsiveness (Multicultural Bingo), build map skills via collaboration (the “ABC’s of . . . ”), and develop geoliteracy skills via personalized learning (Geographize Your Name). Educators will leave this session with “tried and true” classroom-ready lessons that DO solid geography.
Session Focus
Middle School/Junior High | Curriculum and Instruction | Geoliteracy, Place-based, Cultures
Conference Room
Flannigan
Meet the Presenter
Jeannine Kuropatkin has taught World History, AP Human Geography, World Geography, US History, and Holocaust Studies at the junior high and high school levels for the past 35+ years. She currently teaches World History/Geography and coaches the Model UN Team at Red Mountain High School in Mesa, Arizona. Jeannine has been a long-standing Teacher Consultant with the Arizona Geographic Alliance, received the NCGE K-12 Distinguished Teaching Award, is a three-time recipient of the NCGE Nystrom Award for Exemplary Classroom Lessons and has been published twice in The Geography Teacher. She is currently serving her second term as Vice President of the Arizona Council for the Social Studies, is a former recipient of the ACSS Isadore Starr “Outstanding Social Studies Teacher” Award and has received the ACSS “Great Moments in Teaching” Award on four occasions.
Jeannine had the opportunity to participate in educational study programs and fellowships in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Mexico, South Korea, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, as well as two Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad in Morocco and Indonesia. She is an education consultant and has written curriculum for The Arizona Geographic Alliance, National Geographic Society Education Foundation, The GeoCivics Project, Japanese American National Museum, and the Fred T. Korematsu Institute.

Aspects of the Physical and Cultural Geography of Morocco
2025-10-18 10:00 - 10:45 | Conference Room: Winnebago
Summary
Geographers have a unique perspective when it comes to the observation of places. This presentation focuses on the Landscapes and Culture of Morocco as was observed by the Presenter, through recent travel. Specific cities in Morocco will be highlighted, and cultural aspects unique to each areas of the country will be emphasized, including the very important indigenous Berber / Amazigh culture of Morocco. The physical landscapes (including the climates) of the Sahara, the Atlas Mountains and the Atlantic Coast will also be discussed, with the aid of maps, illustrations and personal photographs.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels | World/International | Morocco, Landscapes, Culture
Conference Room
Winnebago
Meet the Presenter
Victoria Alapo, Ph.D. is a Geography Instructor and has taught at the Metropolitan Community College in Omaha, Nebraska for about 20 years. Victoria has a passion for Teaching and for Travel and has been to every inhabited continent! She eagerly looks forward to her presentation on Morocco at the NCGE, this October. This photo was taken at the Library of Congress, in Washington, DC.
