AP Teachers: Submit your lesson plans to The Geography Teacher for publication! In each issue we try to make sure there are articles that appeal to the AP teacher. In the January 2012 upcoming issue, for example, will be an article about being successful in teaching APHG to 9th graders, mapping ideas, and other lessons that can be used in the AP course.

When looking at the statistics on the most downloaded articles, one measure of the appeal of our articles, the articles most downloaded are those coming straight from geography classrooms to the pages of the journal. This means that what teachers write and share is valued highly.

Here is their upcoming theme:

June 2012 issue: The submission deadline for articles, lessons, and reviews for the June 2012 issue of The Geography Teacher is February 1, 2012. The theme for the issue will be “Understanding the Changing Planet: Strategic Directions for the Geographical Sciences,” which aligns with a recent National Research Council publication produced by the Committee on Strategic Directions for the Geographical Sciences for the Next Decade. The committee was headed by Alexander Murphy, a professor of geography at the University of Oregon. The report identified 11 strategic directions:

1. How are we changing the physical environment of earth’s surface?
2. How can we best preserve biological diversity and protect endangered ecosystems?
3. How are climate and other environmental changes affecting the
vulnerabilities of coupled human–environment systems?
4. How and where will 10 billion people live on earth?
5. How will we sustainably feed everyone in the coming decade and beyond?
6. How does where people live affect their health?
7. How is the movement of people, goods, and ideas transforming the world?
8. How is economic globalization affecting inequality?
9. How are geopolitical shifts influencing peace and stability?
10. How might we better observe, analyze, and visualize a changing world?
11. What are the societal implications of citizen mapping and mapping citizens?

Cover photos wanted. They invite geography educators to submit photos of students doing geography for the cover of each issue. When submitting photos, please send several possible choices. This can be a sequence of the same activity. Photo permissions for each student are necessary.

Submissions: Submissions should be sent to Jody Smothers-Marcello, the journal’s editor, at smothers-marcelloj@sitkaschools.org.