Summary Examining the Holocaust spatially positions students to think about genocide in new ways. In documenting the Holocaust following World War II, war crimes investigators from the state and the Jewish community asked eyewitnesses to create mental maps of Treblinka. For human geographers, mental mapping represents an opportunity to understand how people perceive a particular […]
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 […]
Summary Teaching political geography can be an especially complicated task as foreign relations issues are now flash points for cultural and academic debate. This session is designed to connect educators with high-quality non-partisan materials to help teach foreign relations, and how to connect to the content and practices of political geography. Using practice-based methodologies to […]
Summary Recent calls from geographers, including AAG President William Moseley—notably in his 2025 NCGE address—emphasize strengthening the vital bridge between K-12 and college geography educators. Despite robust AP Human Geography (APHG) enrollment, geography remains a "discovery degree" with students rarely considering it beyond high school. This presentation addresses this pipeline challenge through a model for […]
Summary AP Human Geography students often possess strong content knowledge but struggle to translate that understanding into effective Free-Response Question (FRQ) responses. This interactive workshop focuses on practical, classroom-tested strategies for scaffolding FRQs while maintaining AP-level rigor and alignment with the APHG Course and Exam Description. Participants will analyze common student breakdown points, unpack FRQ […]
Summary AP Human Geography students often possess strong content knowledge but struggle to translate that understanding into effective Free-Response Question (FRQ) responses. This interactive workshop focuses on practical, classroom-tested strategies for scaffolding FRQs while maintaining AP-level rigor and alignment with the APHG Course and Exam Description. Participants will analyze common student breakdown points, unpack FRQ […]
Summary Population dynamics have been in the news, especially related to falling birthrates and what that might portend for future generations, economics and the environment. This session engages participants with the latest data and projections from demographers and prognosticators but also puts the data into a historical context. The data is included in experiential activities […]
Summary This session will introduce the evolution of place-naming in Virginia. We will start with a hands-on activity using the John Smith Floor Map (large version created by the Virginia Geographic Alliance) to explore Native American and early European toponyms. We will look at the impacts of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars on Virginia place […]
Summary The 1918 Influenza Pandemic killed 50 million people, far surpassing the 16 million lives claimed by World War I. The deadly virus attacked one-fifth of the world's population and killed more people than any other illness in recorded history yet receives short shrift in curriculum about the Great War. In this inquiry-based session, educators […]
Summary Often relegated to the last few days of the school year, Oceania and the Pacific Islands rarely get much time or focus in geography classrooms. This presentation will focus on how educators can infuse their lessons on mapping, spatial thinking, and geospatial technology with indigenous mapping practices to highlight differing approaches to representing geographic […]
