NewsletterSpring2001

As coordinator I want to thank those TCs who have taken time from their busy schedules to help with so many things this year. The alliance movement was originally conceived as a "grass roots" organization. Thanks to each and every one of you for all your hard work. Making the GAI the effective organization it is has happened only because Iowa’s TCs are hard working and generous with their time. It does not go unnoticed. You are very special people and I am so glad that I was hired as coordinator of this organization. It is nice to call you "friends."

TC E-mail addresses needed

The GAI office uses e-mail as frequently as possible to communicate with all our TCs. We do this to reduce the cost of postage and telephone calls and are able to give you pertinent information on a timely basis. Effort is made to limit our e-mailings to those items we feel are of importance and useful for you. We don’t like to get a lot of junk mail either. I urge you to e-mail Jane with your current e-mail address so that she can update our distribution lists. Please contact her at <Jane.Gillen@uni.edu>. For those of you who are receiving messages from us, there is no need to contact us regarding this matter.

Check out Geography Alliance of Iowa web site

Have you visited our web site lately? If not, you are missing out on a great resource. The GAI is proud of our web site, but all credit goes to Anne Hoeper. Many thanks, Anne, for a job well done! She has included some of our best resources with many more to follow, as they become available. (See page 10 for Anne’s TC profile.)

Curriculum project underway

Currently a project is underway by Jan Bettin and Hans Goettsch to update lesson plans from the summer institutes. They are generating a matrix to help you easily locate lessons that fit into some of your unit plans. When completed these, too, will be added to the web site. Keep checking the web site for these additions.

North to Alaska: Panning for Gold

by Marcia Hummel

Iowa's weather on January 25 did its best to simulate Alaska: bitter cold, 40-60 mph winds, blowing and drifting snow, icy roads. Nevertheless, about 60 participants braved the elements to attend the GAI's workshop entitled "North to Alaska: Panning for Gold." All found that the difficulties in travel were more than justified by the warmth, enthusiasm, and excitement about learning encountered at the workshop. It would be hard to pick one favorite presentation! Instead, let's look at some of them. Laughter, thoughtful frowns, and movement marked the progression through these presentations.

Some were just plain fun because of their novelty: the two teams that vied with each other to give the most exciting and costly potlatch resulted in a great deal of good-natured teasing. Afterwards, the participants processed what they had learned about the ways of the Tlingit people and their traditional ways of life.

Some caused thoughtful frowns, as the participants assimilated huge amounts of information. For instance, the participants discovered the differences in climate types throughout Alaska by plotting climagraphs for the coastal Sitka, the inland Anchorage, and the Arctic Point Barrow. Not only temperatures, but also amounts of precipitation vary wildly, depending on the location in Alaska! The issue of drilling for oil in the AN WAR was also mock debated by a most select group of individuals, ranging from "the governor of Alaska" to "the Secretary of the Interior." The positions of many different individuals were made a little clearer by having to interpret them for the debate.

Some were marked by movement and hands-on learning: the trek across the United States by the camaraderie and just a bit of greed both seemed appropriate! Cans of food were loaded into a backpack simulating the huge amounts of food that the Canadian government required each prospector to bring into the Yukon before they were permitted to enter legally. A video and some pictures demonstrated the difficulty of toting this food up the mountainside to the first pass. David Den Hartog told of his students' endeavors in climbing this same trail this past summer. All in all, this workshop was one of the most invigorating I've attended in a long time!

Geography News is a free publication of the GAI and produced with the support of the Department of Geography at the University of Northern Iowa. The Alliance is funded by a grant from the National Geographic Society and the Iowa Department of Education. Permission is granted to reproduce any parts of the newsletter

Geography News Staff

Associate Editor	Jane Gillen
ProductionDirector	Mandy Schmillen
GAI Coordinator	Dr. Kay E. Weller

e-mail:

Dr. Kay Weller
Jane Gillen

GAI Website: Geography Alliance of Iowa

Geography Rock & Roll: Human and Natural Hazards
by Amber Lee Porter

In a workshop intended to enlighten GAI members on natural hazards, many found that to attend meant encountering a local Iowa hazard, the ice storm. Luckily, there were no casualties as people skated to and from their vehicles in the parking lot of the Starlite Village in Waterloo, on February 23.

Aside from the ice storm, the winter seminar was well attended by teachers from around the state of Iowa. A well-fed audience received the first presenter, Dr. Phil Suckling, Chair of the Geography Department at UNI, who spoke on Violent Weather Hazards: Tornadoes and Hurricanes, a subject near and dear to many Iowans. Afterwards, poolside was the place to be for good conversation and plenty of laughs.

After breakfast, on February 24, our first speaker, Dr. David May, also of the Geography Department at UNI, spoke on plate tectonic theory. Plate Tectonics: The Boundary Between the North American and Pacific Lithospheric Plates allowed teachers to gain a greater understanding of this theory and how it relates to natural hazards - just in time to be able to more fully understand the earthquake that struck the following Wednesday in Washington State.

Chad Guge entertained all with a presentation of a lesson plan, Lemon Falls - The New Millennium that has students explore the possibility of an earthquake in the midwest. The New Madrid fault zone has produced one

of the more powerful earthquakes in the history of the United States and could very well produce another one in the future. This lesson is based on a fictional town, Lemon Falls, and an earthquake preparedness plan, which the students design, based on what they have learned about earthquakes.

Phyllis Nuehring and Aileen Meyer had the audience on their feet and up to their elbows in icebergs as they presented a lesson, Natural Formations of Alaska. This hands-on activityallowed the participants to learn about the variety and characteristics in Alaska's natural formations - icebergs. This was an excellent example of an interdisciplinary lesson that includes science and math skills with geography skills. Kathy Sundstedt presented an excellent lesson plan, Climatic Hazards, using ARGUS material, (Activities & Readings in the Geography of the U.S.), which had participants use deductive reasoning to match isoline maps to climate hazards. Natasha Cooper brought the seminar to a close with a presentation on What is Shaking? A week with Earthquakes, which was a great interactive, lesson requiring students to plot earthquakes on a map. A hardy thanks to all who participated and especially those who took the time to present. All parted with the morning ice storm nothing but a wet reminder of how natural hazards affect us all no matter where in the world we live.

'Golden Apple Award' Winner

Charles City High School instructor Hans Goettsch was presented with the 'Golden Apple Award' Tuesday by KIMT-TV for 'making a difference in students' lives.' Goettsch, who teaches world geography, economics and American history, was nominated for the award by CCHS senior Brad Lokenvitz who noted Goettsch "goes out of his way to make sure we have all the information on everything and that it is up-to-date, and he has all of these activities to learn from, not just what we read out of a book."

"He's a great teacher and deserves the award."

"We have great students," responded Goettsch, 49, who prior to coming to Charles City taught NIACC in Mason City, Fort Dodge and Seaford, Delaware. "I think it's really nice to receive an honor like this from the kids, after spending 30 years in teaching."

Please take note…

Advance Placement Teacher Training Institute

The GAI has cancelled plans for the Advanced Placement Human Geography Program originally scheduled for June 17-22, 2001 in Waterloo. In lieu of this program, the University of Iowa is offering an Advanced Placement Human Geography Teacher Training Institute, session 3, on July 18-21, 2001. The session cost is $285 for tuition. Participants successfully completing course requirements will receive one hour of graduate credit plus materials. Dr. Jerry Croft, Professor of Geography, will be conducting the program. Wayland Bauer, GAI TC, will also assist with the training. Enrollment is limited.

For further information, please contact the following:
Enrollment Services, Center for Credit Programs
The University of Iowa
116 International Center
Iowa City, IA 52242-1802

For additional registration information, please call 1-800-272-6430. If you have questions concerning program content, please call the Belin-Blank Center at the University of Iowa at 319-335-6148.

2000 GAW Prize Winners

Geography Awareness Week (GAW) was observed November 12-18, 2000 with the theme "Here Today, Here Tomorrow: A Geographic Focus on Conservation." Breaking new ground in 2000, the GAI webmaster, Anne Hoeper, working in collaboration with Beverly Grindeman-Adams, GAW coordinator, provided web site information on GAW. Both classroom activity ideas as well as the GAW report form were available on-line.

Marcia Hummel, Wall Lake View Auburn, was awarded the grand prize for her outstanding GAW promotion in her school. In addition, a large number of teachers were involved in a school-wide GAW promotion from Wall Lake View Auburn. In recognition of Marcia's efforts, she was awarded a scholarship to attend the "North to Alaska: Panning for Gold" workshop January 26-27 in Waterloo, and also "Geography Rock & Roll: Humans and Natural Hazards" February 23-24 at the Starlite Village Best Western motel in Waterloo.

Thank you to everyone that participated in this special week. A special prize was distributed to each one that submitted a GAW report form detailing their classroom activities in observance of GAW week.

Keep up the good work!

Croft to Join Faculty

Dr.Jerry Croft is joining the faculty at the University of Iowa as an adjunct Professor of Geography. Croft is also a Professor Emeritus of Geography at Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK), and he is a specialist in geographic education. Croft has conducted many teacher workshops in geography, several of which were funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). As a newcomer to Iowa, he is looking forward to working with the Geographic Alliance of Iowa in its efforts to promote and improve the understanding of geography in Iowa. Croft is enthusiastic about meeting colleagues in geographic education in Iowa. Croft was also appointed to serve on the GAI Steering Committee in January 2001.

YOUNG CARTOGRAPHERS' INTERNATIONAL MAP EVENT

The Barbara Petchenik International Children's Map Competition The U.S. National Committee of the International Cartographic Association (ICA) invites teachers and students from all over the United States to participate in the Barbara Petchenik International Children's Map Competition. It is held every two years, in conjunction with the International Cartographic Conference. The next conference will be held in Beijing, China in August 2001.

The competition is an excellent vehicle for introducing students to the principles of cartography, and an appropriate way to include cartography into your school's curriculum. It is perhaps the only venue for young American cartographers to have their work displayed with those from children all over the world.

For detailed information on the Petchenik Competition, and to see previous winning entries, please visit the ICA website at <www.icaci.org/en/competition.html>.

The following is a quick summary of some of the rules and guidelines:
· Any student who is 15-years-old or younger may submit a map. z
· The theme of the Competition is "Save the Earth." Entries should depict the whole world rather than part of it.
· The maximum size for maps is 17 x 11 inches, or 42 x 30 centimeters.
· Each map must have a title, and the name, age, school name and address (or home address if home-schooled), and country of the participating cartographers. All this information must be written on a label attached to the backside of the map.
· Special consideration is given to young cartographers, with at least one award given to children younger than 9 and between 12 years old.

Entries must be sent to the following address no later than April 15, 2001:

Leo Dillon
INR/GGI Room 8742
U.S. Department of State
Washington, DC 20520-6510

Questions concerning the Barbara Petchenik Competition may be addressed to Leo Dillon of the U.S. National Committee at the address above or through e-mail at acldillo@us-state.osis.gov.

Note to teachers: A guide for teaching cartographic elements and principles has been developed by officials from the International Cartographic Association. It is available on the Internet; go to the following address:
artsandscience.concordia.ca/ica-ccc/ccc-menu.htm and click on "BARBARA PETCHENIK AWARD TEACHERS HANDBOOK."

American Education
Week 2000

For the eleventh year, the University of Northern Iowa supported American Education Week, November 13-17, 2000. Area educators and their students were offered a variety of activities and presentations hosted by university faculty, staff and students. The national theme was "Children, Teachers and Parents: Helping Students Achieve."

Dr. Kay Weller, GAI Coordinator and UNI Assistant Professor of Geography, is shown presenting the "Underground Railroad" to fourth graders at Orchard Hill Elementary School in Cedar Falls.

- The Geographic Alliance of Iowa presents -

THE GEOGRAPHY OF

MARK TWAIN'S MISSISSIPPI

Two sessions: June 14 - 15 or June 19 - 20, 2001

Experience the natural power, grace and beauty of the Mississippi River aboard the elegant Twilight riverboat. Not only will you enjoy the fine dining, pampering and picturesque scenery, but you'll also learn more about the geography and history of the great river from the experts. You'll even earn one hour of University of Northern Iowa graduate or undergraduate credit at no extra cost! Who can beat earning college credit while cruising?

You'll board the Twilight in Le Claire, Iowa, and cruise up the river to Galena, Illinois, where you'll spend the night at Chestnut Mountain Lodge. Throughout the trip, you'll attend laid-back workshops in a stress-free environment away from the traditional classroom, including an OSAE in Galena and the opportunity to visit the riverboat's pilot house to see the river as Mark Twain saw it in his days as a river pilot. You'll also receive several books about the Mississippi valuing more than $50.

Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to experience the mighty Mississippi as you never have before. Sign up today - seats won't last long!

ALL ABOARD! Enjoy the old-time atmosphere of the Twilight
riverboat as you study the geography of the Mississippi River.

WORKSHOP AGENDA

DAY ONE

Human Environmental Interaction
Learn how riverboats, rafting, rapids, gambling, landmarks, bridges, immigration and more have an effect on rivers and their environments.

Lock and Dam Systems - Location/Region
Explore the past, present and future of lock and dams located on the Mississippi River. Conduct group research and deliver short group presentations on your findings.

S'more Stories, Riverlore & Toasting Marshmallows

DAY TWO

Tour of Galena Sites

Geography Changing the Course of the River
Learn how natural geography, including floods, earthquakes, glaciers and sand bars, have changed the course of the mighty Mississippi. Using one of these topics, create a lesson plan idea (may be developed prior to the workshop) that includes the lesson objective, materials and instructions. Share your plan with the class.

ON-GOING ACTIVITIES

Plus - Minus - Interesting (PMI) Journals

DAM River - Depend Adapt Modify the River
Contribute to a working list developed by workshop participants, as well as Twilight travelers, on how we depend on, adapt to and modify the Mississippi.

WORKSHOP INFORMATION

When
June 14 - 15 or June 19 - 20, 2001 (2nd session information in parentheses.)

Check-in
8:00 AM, June 14 (June 19), Public Boat Landing in Le Claire, Iowa. You will return to the landing June 15 (June 20) around 7:00 PM.

Cost
$199 if you register by May 11 (May 16), $249 after. Includes workshop sessions and materials, one hour of UNI credit or CEUs, Twilight cruise fare, including riverboat activities, one night double occupancy lodging and breakfast, lunch and dinner both days.
You may request a private room for an additional fee.

Financial assistance
Check with your school and school district about available professional development funding and programs.

Professional Development
Underwriting by the Geographic Alliance of Iowa makes it possible for you to receive one hour of graduate or undergraduate credit at no additional cost. You may also elect to receive General CEUs. Please check the box on your registration form. Questions about receiving credit? Contact Kay Weller at 800-601-3899.

Confirmation
We will send a letter confirming your registration and providing you with further workshop details, including a map to the Twilight boarding point in Le Claire.

Cancellation
You may receive a full refund of your registration fee through May 11 (May 16). Partial refund is available through June 12 (June 17). Substitutions are always welcome.

CRUISE TIPS FROM THE TWILIGHT

Dress: The cruise is casual, so sportswear is most appropriate for all activities. Comfortable shoes are a good idea.

Luggage: We recommend one medium-sized piece of luggage and one carry-on bag per passenger. We will collect the luggage from you at the boarding point, and it will be taken by van to Chestnut Mountain Resort, where you will stay Thursday night. Only hand-held bags may be brought aboard the Twilight.

Parking

Adequate free overnight parking is available at our boat dock in Le Claire. This parking is well-lighted and routinely patrolled by the local police.

SPACE IS LIMITED! Registrations are taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign up today!

MARK TWAIN'S MISSISSIPPI REGISTRATION:

Fax:
319-273-7338

Mail:
Kim Andersen
UNI, H-15
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0225

Phone:
1-800-782-9519
or
319-273-6988

Name _______________________________________

Home address ________________________________

City ________________________________________

State______________________ Zip_______________

Phone Number ________________________________

E-mail Address ________________________________

¤ Check here if you do not want the above information

included on aroster distributed to participants.

¤ Check here if you have any special needs, including dietary.

We'll call to discuss how we can best meet your needs.

The Geographic Alliance of Iowa requests this information for the sole purpose of registering you for this program. We do not routinely release any of this information to anyone outside our institution without express permission. We do ask that you fill out all the registration items that apply to you. We are unable to process forms that do not include your name and address.

The University of Northern Iowa is an equal opportunity educator and employer with a comprehensive plan for affirmative action.

JUNE 14-15, 2001

¤ Regular registration
Double occupancy room included

By 5/11/01
$199

After 5/11/01
$249

¤ Registration + private room
Single occupancy room included

By 5/11/01
$229

After 5/11/01
$279

JUNE 19-20, 2001

¤ Regular registration
Double occupancy room included

By 5/16/01
$199

After 5/16/01
$249

¤ Registration + private room Single occupancy room included

By 5/16/01
$229

After 5/16/01
$279

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

I'm interested in receiving

¤ CEUs

¤ One hour of UNI credit

PAYMENT INFORMATION:

¤ Check payable to UNI Geographic Alliance of Iowa
¤ P.O. or Requisition # ________________________________

CONSERVING IOWA'S WETLANDS

JUNE 20-23, 2001

Why wetlands?

By 1980, Iowa had already lost 89% of its wetlands. By 1998, however, Iowa was #1 in the nation for restoring this fragile resource. Virtually everyone agrees that wetlands are critical to our environmental stability. Are we communicating that effectively to our students?

This hands-on learning experience will provide you with great ideas and a working curriculum for teaching your students about Iowa s precious wetlands.

You ll learn about the many types of wetlands in Iowa, as well as the animal and plant life specific to these habitats. Discover how wetlands help reduce flooding and are an integral component of clean water planning.

Who should attend?

If you re a teacher consultant (TC) looking to enhance your wetlands curriculum, now s the time to sign up for one of the best professional development values around! Space is limited to provide the highest quality hands-on experience. Don t miss your chance, sign up today!

What's in it for you?

Enhance your understanding of Iowa s wetlands systems with firsthand experience
Develop fun and exciting Iowa wetlands curriculum materials to share with fellow Iowa teachers
Visit the Missouri River, learn about its wetlands and experience a piece of Lewis and Clark s historic journey
Receive two hours of UNI graduate credit or CEUs
Receive valuable classroom resource materials related to wetlands you'll use over and over
Learn from other highly motivated teachers in a fun and informal atmosphere

CONSERVING IOWA'S WETLANDS

INSTITUTE INFORMATION

When
June 20 - 23, 2001

Check-in
5:00 PM, June 20, Room 610, Iowa Valley Community College Conference Center, Marshalltown, Iowa

Cost
$199 if you register by May 11, $249 after. Includes workshop sessions and materials, two hours of UNI credit or CEUs, double occupancy lodging and breakfast, lunch and dinner most days. June 20 -dinner only; June 23 - breakfast and lunch only.

Financial assistance
Check with your school and school district about available professional development funding and programs.

Professional Development
Underwriting by the Geographic Alliance of Iowa makes it possible for you to receive two hours of graduate or undergraduate credit at no additional cost. You may also elect to receive General CEUs. Please check the appropriate box on your registration form. Questions about credit? Contact Kay Weller at 800-601 -3899.

Confirmation
We will send a letter confirming your registration and providing you with further workshop details, including a map to the Iowa Valley Community College in Marshallown.

Cancellation
You may receive a full refund of your registration fee through May 11 , 2001 . Partial refund is available through June 12, 2001. Substitutions are always welcome.

SPACE IT LIMITED! This hands-on institute has limited enrollment, so sign up today! Registrations are taken on a first-come, first-served basis.

CONSERVING IOWA'S WETLANDS REGISTRATION

Fax:
319-273-7338

Mail:
Kim Andersen
UNI, H-15
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0225

Phone:
1-800-782-9519
or
319-273-6988

Name _______________________________________

Home address ________________________________

City ________________________________________

State______________________ Zip_______________

Phone Number ________________________________

E-mail Address ________________________________

¤ Check here if you do not want the above information

included on aroster distributed to participants.

¤ Check here if you have any special needs, including dietary.

We'll call to discuss how we can best meet your needs.

PLEASE REGISTER ME:

¤ Regular registration
Double occupancy room included

By 5/11/01
$199

After 5/11/01
$249

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

I'm interested in receiving

¤ CEUs

¤ One hour of UNI credit

PAYMENT INFORMATION:

¤ Check payable to UNI Geographic Alliance of Iowa
¤ P.O. or Requisition # ________________________________

The University of Northern Iowa is an equal opportunity educator and employer with a comprehensive plan for affirmative action.

TC PROFILE

Anne Hoeper

I received my BA from UNI in 1971 and my MA from St. Xavier University, Chicago in May 1999. I am employed by Davenport Schools and teach 7th grade Global Studies. I also serve on the Geographic Alliance of Iowa Steering Committee.

I attended the 1997 AGI Summer Institute and have continued to attend activities offered through the Alliance. During the summer institute, I told Kay the GAI needed a web page. She contacted me afterwards and asked me to create a web site for the Alliance. This proved a challenge since I had no idea about creating a web page, but it was a great learning experience.

I really enjoy teaching geography because you can incorporate all curricular areas in its instruction. From the support and guidance I have received from the GAI, I have many interesting lessons to actively engage my students. My goal is to expose my students to the different cultures as possible and stress the importance of understanding others so that they may become accepting, responsible global citizens. I incorporate technology in my classroom by teaching students how to create PowerPoint presentations, implement various Internet activities, and maintain a class web page.
My love of geography began as a child with numerous family trips throughout the United States. As the navigator I figured mileages, routes, and how much longer we would be driving. I enjoyed the responsibility of being in charge of the trip and being able to tell my parents where to go.

In the summer of 1999, I had the honor of being chosen to go to Nigeria with the GAI. It was a rewarding and memorable experience. My love of travel will continue this summer as a delegation leader with an organization called People to People. For three weeks, I am accompanying 35 middle school students to England, Wales, and Ireland.

Yale-Hopkins Summer Seminar 2001

The 20th annual Yale-Hopkins Summer Seminar (YHSS 2001) will take as its theme "Berlin, Moscow, and Europe." An intensive nine days of seminars and workshops in New Haven and New York, July 9-18, will examine both the new relationship between Germany and Russia that is changing the face of today's Europe, and the historical context-political, cultural, intellectual, military-that is necessary to understand that relationship.

Session topics will include: the fall of The Wall; European integration and the EU in the 90s and tomorrow; the expansion of NATO; Aleksandr Nevskii and the Teutonic Knights; Russia, Prussia, and Austria in the Napoleonic wars; Wagner and the Mighty Five - 19th-century nationalism in music; Marxism - German origins, Russian reinvention; Rosa Luxemburg and Lenin; Kandinskii, the Bauhaus, and the Blue Rider - modernism East and West; Two versions of 20th-century totalitarianism; the World Wars; and the Cold War.

During their stay in New Haven, participants will work with professors and master teachers and will be exposed to innovative teaching strategies and to the rich resources in New England for teaching about Germany and the former USSR. The seminar includes a full-day field trip to New York.

The YHSS is planned in accordance with nationwide Continuing Education Units standards, and Yale is a CEU provider. Upon completion of the program, Yale will grant teachers up to 5 CEUs. Like all previous YHSSs, the series is designed for K-12 and college teachers, curriculum specialists, librarians, and administrators in all disciplines. No previous training in German or Russian studies is necessary.

Series organizers are Brian Carter, European Studies Outreach Coordinator at Yale, and a panel of Master Teachers from secondary schools throughout New England. Professor Ivo Banac, Chair of European Studies at Yale, is Faculty Sponsor. Other presenters include noted faculty from Yale and other universities, and German and Russian diplomatic personnel.

Tuition for the program is $250, which includes all texts and materials. Residence during the New Haven program is not mandatory, but housing can be arranged at Yale for $550 or in nearby hotels for $385-$500 double occupancy or $770-$1000 single. A meal plan is available at Yale for $200.

Admission is by competitive application. YHSS application forms are available from: Brian Carter, Yale ES Outreach, P.O. Box 208206, New Haven, CT 06520-8206, phone (203) 423-3424, or by e-mail at Brian Carter. There is no deadline, but applications received by May 1 will have priority.

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES SUMMER INSTITUTE 2001

The Center for the Study of Global Change and the Office of International Programs are pleased to announce International Studies Summer Institutes 2001, two concurrent residential institutes. One is for high school students, and the other for middle and high school teachers. They will be held on the Indiana University Bloomington campus from July 8 - 12, 2001. A variety of academic activities, simulation games, cultural events, and international interactive video links are planned.

The goal of both Institutes is to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills from an international perspective. Students and teachers join Indiana University faculty and internationally prominent speakers in examining such topics as global environmental change, populations at risk, conflict resolution in deeply divided societies, and international economics and trade. During the past five summers, participants have joined in a computer-assisted simulation game on the use of diminishing global resources, examined human rights issues of children around the world, and exchanged views with presenters in Johannesburg, South Africa; Warsaw, Poland; Ottawa, Canada; and Belfast, Northern Ireland via interactive compressed video. In addition, teachers have shared their "best practices" with each other, met as a group to discuss ways in which an international focus can be introduced across the curriculum and worked individually on curriculum projects.

For an on-line application, please visit:
Center for the Study of Global Change and Office of International Programs

For a paper application, please write or call:
International Studies Summer Institute 2001
Center for the Study of Global Change
201 North Indiana Avenue
Bloomington, IN 47408-4001
(812) 855-0756 fax: (812) 855-6271

CHINA

Living and Teaching

If you've ever thought about living and teaching in China, this program is for you. If you have an interest in learning about other places and people, this opportunity is for you!

Consultants for Global Programs (email to: cgpusa@aol.com or on the web at Global Programs) are accepting applications for K-12 American teachers to work with Chinese secondary teachers of English in scenic Guilin, China. Classes are held in the morning, with informal activities arranged on some afternoons. The $2895 cost includes flight from San Francisco, housing, food, weekend trips, and one week of travel in China. E-mail Kathy Sundstedt, if you'd like a personal testimonial!

Price Laboratory School
Only One in Nation to
Represent United States in
Special International Project
from UNESCO

Students at the University of Northern Iowa's Price Laboratory School have been selected as the only school in the nation to represent the United States in a four-year international project, supported in part by UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

In May, three students and their teacher will travel to Brussels, Belgium to participate in the "Universal Forum of Cultures." The forum consists of students and teachers from 15 schools across Europe, Africa, Canada, Latin America and the United States; the common theme for their activities is global citizenship.

Lee Weber, chair of the PLS social studies faculty, will travel to Vienna early next month to attend a planning meeting to finalize for 2002 and 2003. The concluding event will be a conference in Barcelona, Spain, in May 2004. This will be held at the Olympic Village where the city hosted the 1992 summer games.

Freshman Ashley Dorris, Nate Hanson, and Devon Leslie will travel with their ninth-grade world history teacher, Paul Horton, to Brussels. A fourth student, Joe Ellerbroek, was named as an alternate.

Weber said each participating school has created a long-term global citizenship action project that its students will work on during the entire four years. The Price Lab students have chosen "Children and War" as their theme. Additionally, students at all the project schools will conduct specific activities each year. During the current year, three different global citizenship competitions are taking place: story-telling, photography and comic strip creation. Students going to Brussels also will participate in an original play written by a prominent European playwright, specifically for the International Forum Project.

Weber said Price Lab's four full-time social studies faculty members are each supervising and overseeing a different year of the project, beginning with Horton. Barbara (BJ) Herrick, tenth grade American history teacher, will develop next year's project, with third year development by Jason Follett, who teaches eleventh and twelfth grade electives in social studies. Weber, twelfth grade American government teacher, will oversee the final project next year.

The students traveling to Brussels were selected from among nineteen students who applied for the trip. Application packages included a global citizenship essay, his or her individual competition project, two or three letters of reference, and a portfolio on the class-determined global citizen action project, "Children and War." A panel comprised of the PLS social studies faculty and three outside reviewers named six finalists to be interviewed before making the final selection.

Historic Maps
in K-12 Classrooms

The Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography at the Newberry Library is pleased to announce that it has received a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, an independent federal agency, to develop a web site using original historic maps to teach the geographical dimensions of American History. When it is launched at the end of 2002, the web site will include images of at least 18 maps dating from the 15th to the 20th centuries drawn from the renowned collections of the Newberry Library. Modules based on these maps will explore six major themes in American historical geography: discovery and encounter, migration and settlement, environmental history, transportation and communications, political and military geography, and the geography of communities. Each module will include map images with zoom capabilities, historical background and commentary on the maps, interactive student exercises, and lesson plans appropriate for different grade levels (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12). Designed to accommodate a variety of K-12 curricula, these materials will exploit the particular ability of historic maps to excite students' imagination of past landscapes, events, and human geographical experience.

We need your help to make this program a successful and useful one. The Smith Center is developing a nationwide pool of secondary and elementary teachers who are willing to test in their classrooms a preliminary version of the web site during the 2001-2002 school year. This testing will occur on a voluntary basis. If you are interested in helping out or want more information about the program, please contact Dr. James Akerman, Director, Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography, The Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton Street, Chicago, Illinois 60610-3380, by phone 312/255-3523, or e-mail: Smith Center

http://www.thegreenfrognews.com

The Green Frog News is a free, downloadable science and environmental newsletter for kids! Your hosts for each issue, Angie, Blake, Simon and Amigo the Frog, are ready to take kids through exciting educational journeys! The Green Frog News (TGFN) was developed to provide a unique and creative tool to help reinforce science and environmental basics for children.

Every issue of The Green Frog News is complete and cohesive; always topic specific for easy integration into lesson plans and existing curriculum. TGFN is not time, or geographically, sensitive. Each issue is available in a PDF format; perfect for home use, or for reproduction for the classroom. We encourage editorial, artistic and photographic contribution by readers, educational institutions and both professional and governmental agencies.

Content comes from zoos, museums, governmental agencies, educational institutions and professional agencies and organizations.

OUR MISSION: "To inspire, excite and educate children in the fields of science and the environment through unique publications and programs."

Other Hot Sites to Check Out

The Guinness Book of World Records site offers records from the bizarre Mark Hogg of Louisville, Kentucky, USA, holds the record for swallowing the most live worms in 30 seconds. The greatest temperature range recorded is around the Siberian cold pole, in eastern Russia. Temperatures in Verkhoyansk have spanned 105 deg. C. (221 deg F.): from -68 deg. C. (-90.4 deg. F.) to 37 deg. C. (98 deg. F.).
Guiness world records

The Color Landform Atlas of the U.S. offers shaded relief maps (large file size), country maps, black and white maps, satellite image, 1895 maps (Big: 1.92 Mb), and postscript file maps for printing of all 50 states.
Color Landform Atlas of the U.S.

The 2001 Fuel Economy site offers information on fuel efficiency for hundreds of cars. The Honda Insight gets 61 miles per gallon for city driving; the Ferrari 550 Maranello/Barchetta gets 8 miles per gallon in the city. Our car, the Oldsmobile gets 26 miles per gallon on the road, is estimated to cost $1170 in fuel costs, and will emit 8.8 tons of greenhouse gases. The site is easily navigated and there is a clear write up on assumptions used in the calculations.
2001 Fuel Economy

The University of California at Berkeley Museum of Paleontology offers the easily navigable geological time machine with sections on stratigraphy with information about deposition, nomenclature, and strata identification. This site also offers links to K-12 educational resources and museum exhibits.
University of California at Berkeley Museum of Paleontology

NASAs SEAWIF program offers .mpg animations showing the entire planet for the following themes: biosphere, clouds, ozone, rain, visible, infrared, land cover, relief, snow/ice, temperature, temperature differences, and the ocean plants. These animations can supplement a presentation and the downloads aren't particularly large, around half a megabyte. Unfortunately, there are no captions describing exactly what is depicted. NASAs SEAWIF

NASA's Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) is a comprehensive directory of descriptions of data sets of relevance to global change research. The GCMD database includes descriptions of data sets (DIFs) covering climate change, agriculture, the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere & oceans, geology, geography, and human dimensions of hydrosphere & oceans, geology, geography, and human dimensions of global change. The resulting metadata records provide information on the nature of the data (e.g., parameters measured, geographic location, time range) and where the data are stored. Users can search by subject, location, and period. NASA's Global Change Master Directory

Geographic Alliance of Iowa's Calendar of Events

April 2001

6 - Iowa Geographic Bee
7 - Steering Committee Waterloo
19-21 Great Lakes Regional Conference,
Bloomington, MN

May 2001

22-23 National Geography Bee
finals - Washington, D.C

June 2001

14-15 Mississippi River Workshop
19-20 Mississippi River Workshop
20-23 Conserving Iowa's Wetlands
29 -July 3 - GEOGRAPHY
ACTION! River 2001 Workshop

July 2001

12-15 National Board for Prof. Teaching Standards Seminar - Washington, D. C.
18-21 Advanced Placement Human GeographyTraining Institute - University of Iowa-Iowa City

August 2001
1-4 NCGE - Vancouver, British Columbia

September 2001
TBA-Steering Committee meeting

October 2001
15-16 ICSS - Scheman Center - Iowa State University - Ames

November 2001

December 2001