ARGUS

After reviewing ARGUS (Activities and Readings in the Geography of the United States) materials, I have two wishes about my geographic education during high school. First, I wish I had been able to take a geography course, and second, had I been able to take such a course, I wish my instructor had used ARGUS materials.

ARGUS is produced by the Association of American Geographers and is composed of a teacher's guide, student activities guide, text, and transparency masters. A CD-ROM is currently in production and is an excellent component. All of the materials are modular and allow a great deal of flexibility by the instructor.

I read through the 129-page textbook one afternoon and regard it to be an excellent introduction to geography. It deals with geographic theories and concepts that would not only be useful to a high school student in geography but would also really benefit an undergraduate learning about the discipline. The book discusses geographic concepts in relation to the United States so it's also a great way to learn U.S. geography. (Note that the entire ARGUS product is focused solely the geography of the U.S.) Though the text (and all materials) are black and white, the maps and charts in the text truly make the topics more interesting and even entertaining.

I was able to review a prototype CD-ROM and am really excited about that aspect of the ARGUS program. The CD-ROM includes color photos, maps, and a plethora of excellent interactive information that will make ARGUS an even more valuable tool in the classroom.

Twenty-six student activities provide background information for each project, related maps, appropriate response sheets, and clear instructions. The content of student activities meets the National Geography Standards and includes great discipline-oriented subject matter, some of which I didn't learn about unit the end of my undergraduate career. Reviewing this material really kept me excited about the future of geographic education in our schools!

The teacher's guide is a great resource, and when used with the transparency masters (again, useful in an undergraduate course), presents excellent methods for teaching geography to students. All of the material in ARGUS can be photocopied for classroom use and I highly recommend ordering at least once complete set of all 783 pages - at $52, it's worth every cent!

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