Book excerpt: "Keywords: assessments, CCSS, CD-ROM, Common Core standards, Common Core State Standards, children, classrooms, content areas, curriculum, education, elementary, geography, instruction, learning, methods, middle, pedagogy, schools, science, secondary, social studies, spatial-thinking skills, standards, students, teachers, teaching This widely adopted teacher resource and course text explains basic geographic principles and demonstrates how to bring them to life in engaging, challenging instruction for grades K/n-/12. Accessibly written, the book is packed with instructional materials, teaching tips, and more than 100 maps and other graphics. Together with the companion CD-ROM, it presents effective ways to promote students' spatial-thinking skills while teaching them about the land, climate, economy, and cultures of places around the world. The Companion CD-ROM The CD-ROM features more than 225 reproducible student activities; a Model Curriculum; PowerPoint slides of the book's figures and discussion guides that focus on important concepts in each chapter; specially designed K-2 resources; teaching notes with links to Common Core State Standards and Geography Standards; and more. New to This Edition *Chapter on geography in the curriculum. *Chapter appendix on the neuroscience of spatial reasoning. *CD-ROM features additional graphics, many new activities, and a Model Curriculum. *Discusses ways to align instruction with the Common Core State Standards. "--