SOME IDEAS FOR TEACHING THE HOME STATE GEOGRAPHY COURSE

One hundred-thirty-six colleges and universities in 40 states offer ho me state geography courses. Enrollment in these courses ranks second a mong all geography courses. Because state departments of education and local school boards regularly require social studies teachers to teac h home state geography, the demand for this course should remain high. This article discusses three exercises for the home state course that lap the store of knowledge possessed by a classroom of home state res idents. The exercises include a family migration history, a review of a home state novel, and a self-guided field trip. The family migration history invites students to place their families into the home state' s settlement history. The hook review introduces students to popular g eography written by home state novelists. Students' training in home s tate geography culminates with a field trip exercise that asks them to travel to, and report on, new or familiar places in the home state.