Summary Given the complexity of our world today, it’s never too early to introduce students in the elementary grades to geographic thinking. While it’s not unusual for schools to include as part of their cultural programming an experience of “ethnic” foods, the subject of food can be used in a more substantive way, acquainting students […]

Summary Studies indicate climate literacy remains low across the U.S. K–12 system. Funded by the Virginia and Maryland Geographic Alliances, the Chesapeake Bay Climate Institute has introduced educators to the issue of climate change since 2019. Using America's Estuary as a place of learning, the immersive multi-day, professional development experience includes expert lectures constructed around […]

Summary This engaging workshop explores the vital role of the Amazon and its powerful connections to classroom curriculum at every  grade level encompassing subjects as diverse as geography, social studies, science, language arts, math and global citizenship. Educators will discover how the Amazon influences global climate, biodiversity, indigenous cultures, and why its preservation is critical […]

Summary This session will cover redlining in Omaha as well as the opportunity for highway diets to reconnect a city. It will cover the economics of redlining in Omaha and how the hotel we are in divided the city. The session will end with an uplifting message of entrepreneurship and how teens across Omaha have […]

Summary In this presentation, I demonstrate a mini-lecture and in-class activity I use in my undergraduate World Regional Geography course to introduce students to the concept of a region. On an outline map of U.S. states, they draw the boundaries of “the Southwest” and list physical and/or human characteristics that define the region. They compare […]

Summary In this session, we will discuss how to use laboratory assignments to teach population geography. Population geography connects diverse topics including sustainability, economics, politics, and culture. Using labs to teach this topic allows students to use real world data to deepen their understanding of population geography concepts. In this session, we will begin with […]

Summary The creation of a dedicated student atlas for use in Nebraska elementary grade classrooms will be discussed. This teaching tool began with an initial 2016 limited edition and came to fruition with subsequent revised publications in 2017 and 2022. Mirroring efforts in recent years by several state geography organizations, the process of starting an […]

Summary This lecture will present the findings of two geographers who recently conducted field research in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in preparation for leading professional development in the region. The presentation will provide a foundation for deeper exploration and future engagement with the Balkans, a region shaped by a rich and complex history of […]

Summary Join Lisa Elikan, NCGE 2025 Salvatore J. Natoli Dissertation Award recipient as she shares her dissertation that was conducted under the Department of Geography, Texas State University, San Marcos Texas, USA Session Focus All Grade Levels Conference Room Winnebago Meet the Presenter Lisa Elikan is an independent scholar and non-formal geography educator. Her research interests […]

Summary The erasure of minority stories makes challenging the dominant reading of history important. The Green Book was an annual travel guide used by African American travelers from the 1930s to the mid-1960s to navigate a racially segregated America. A group of 9th graders, social studies teachers, and college students mapped Omaha’s 30 Green Book […]

Summary In this presentation, I will explore how geographic principles enhance Holocaust education, emphasizing spatial thinking, geographic inquiry, and geospatial technologies. Drawing from professional development courses and curricula, I will highlight three key themes: the varying scales of the Holocaust, the geographies of camps and ghettos, and the spatial ideologies behind Nazi policies. Maps, Geographic […]