Using Internet Primary Sources to Teach Critical Thinking Skills in Geography

Geography teachers and school library media specialists will find this resource indispensable for providing classroom lessons and activities in critical thinking for geography students in grades 7-12. It is filled with over 75 primary source Internet sites covering such topics as Places and Regions, Physical Systems, Human Systems, Environment and Society, and the Uses of Geography, and will be an invaluable tool in helping teachers and librarians meet the standards set forth in the 1994 publication Geography for Life: National Geography Standards.

Each site is accompanied by a site summary that describes the site contents and usefulness to geography teachers and school library media specialists. Site subjects include: Urban Landscapes, Volcanoes and Earthquakes, Weather, The U.S. Census, and the World Wildlife Fund Global Network. The questions and activities that follow are designed to develop critical thinking skills for both oral and written presentations. An appendix of additional geography resources includes Internet addresses for approximately 25 sites relating to maps, primary sources, and critical thinking. This will provide teachers and librarians with even more resources for developing lessons to help each student meet all 18 of the National Geography Standards.

MARTHA B. SHARMA is a Geography teacher at National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C., and an active member of the National Council for Geographic Education./e She is the 1999 recipient of the George J. Miller Award for Distinguished Service in Geographic Education.

GARY S. ELBOW is a Professor of Geography at Texas Tech University and an active member in the National Council for Geographic Education./e He is author of several geography and social science textbooks.