AbstractsGeography &GIS

A curriculum guide for teaching the cities and urban land use unit of advanced placement human geography

by O'Brien, Robert Vincent, 1970-




Institution: Central Connecticut State University
Department: Department of Geography
Year: 2011
Keywords: Human geography  – Study and teaching (Secondary)
Record ID: 1891555
Full text PDF: http://content.library.ccsu.edu/u?/ccsutheses,1719


Abstract

This Cities and Urban Land Use curriculum unit is intended to provide high school teachers of Advanced Placement Human Geography with a guide to teaching the broad and complex subject of urban geography. It may also add to the body of qualitative research on methods of teaching urban geography to high school students, and is intended to be rigorous in its coverage of content. The unit utilizes Essential Questions to guide reading and content as part of an Understanding by Design curriculum format developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. Original source material is utilized to guide content and a case study approach is employed for student activities. The City of New Haven is often used as an example in order to make content relevant. Based on teaching experience, the author has found that the Cities and Urban Land Use unit should be the last of the seven units taught in Advanced Placement Human Geography because there are important concepts in prior units of the AP Human Geography curriculum that may aid in the discussion and understanding of the Cities and Urban Land Use unit. The various units in Advanced Placement Human Geography curriculum are intended to be interconnected and teachers should take advantage of opportunities to review concepts covered in prior units. The author also recommends a field trip at the end of the unit because a field trip permits students to see firsthand many of the concepts covered in class. It is the author’s experience that a curriculum guided by essential questions is an efficient method with respect to covering content in the Advanced Placement Cities and Urban Land Use curriculum.