ROUNDBALL GEOGRAPHY - A SUCCESSFUL GRASS ROOTS GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION-PROGRAM

Geographic education may be improved with programs planned and implemented at the local level. Roundball Geography is a successful grass roots program to promote geographic education in grades four, five, and six. Its main feature is a series of geography lessons published as articles in a local newspaper during the Auburn University basketball season. The program is a cooperative effort among the local teachers who use the material in class, the newspaper that publishes the articles, the Auburn University Athletic Department that provides some of the information and prizes for the program, and the Auburn University Department of Geography that produces the articles and provides overall coordination. This paper describes the evolution of the Auburn Roundball Geography program which is worthy of note for educators who might want to emulate it in their areas.