The U.S. Census Bureau Geography is an informative resource with information about data concerning geographic regions. They have various references and maps to support consensus surveys. The Bureau conducts research on geographic and address topics. They keep the Master Address File also known as the MAF up to date and accurate. This resource has many tools to help visualize geographic data. This website is created and run by geographers, cartographers, statisticians and information technology specialists. This website has a tab for education. Under this tab educators can access a blog, brochures, and learn more about geographic topics, videos, presentations. There is also a guide to state and local geography. The blogs link takes you to a list of 20 blog posts concerning geography that range in date from 2011 to 2016. The brochures offered cover American Indian Reservations and Rural vs. Urban Populations. I found the guide to state and local geography to be extremely interesting. I envision teachers assigning students or groups of students to research different states in the United States and using this resource. Student can learn about population, land area, density, history of the state, and information about the geographic areas including towns, and counties. Students can use this information to create a powerpoint, prezi, brochure, as well as any other presentation model on their particular state.
This website also offers a web atlas to search definitions of geographical terms. There is also a geographic codes link under references. This would be a great place for students to learn about geographic codes and possibly create their own map with using some of these geographical codes to show their understanding of the meaning of the codes. The state area measurements link under references shows land, water, and total measurement of each of the 50 states. This is a great place for students to compare and contrast states.
A statistics course can use this resource to view and analyze real life data. I found a link to student state facts that would be useful for middle school students to use. The data is presented in a visually appealing way. Students merely click on a state from the United States Map and then learn about data from that particular state. High school and college students that are aspiring to become geographers, cartographers, statisticians and information technologists specialists will find value in this resource to learn more about what a future career could have to offer for them. They can view maps, tools, and research that these careers use and help create. Overall, this is a terrific website for teachers and students to use while learning about the geography of the United States. Grades: 9 and up. Subject(s): Geography. Overall rating: 8.
Student State Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2016, from https://www.census.gov/schools/facts/ Geography, U. C. B. (n.d.). Guide to State and Local Geography - Georgia. Retrieved October 30, 2016, from https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/guidestloc/st13_ga.html