The role of geography in the elementary school curriculum is examined in this paper, which is arranged in four parts. Part 1 briefly sketches the characteristics of geographic instruction at different periods in U.S. history. Intellectual development and social education are identified as two widely accepted goals for elementary education today. In general, intellectual development means acquiring important information, mastering basic skills, comprehending significant ideas, and increasing thinking abilities. Social education means the analysis of social problems, the examination of personal and social values, and the ability to make choices and decisions. The objectives for geographic education, presented in part 2, are organized into four categories--objectives related to factual learning, objectives related to skill learning, objectives related to ideational learning, and objectives related to more complex intellectual processes. A checklist for evaluating geographic education programs in elementary schools is provided in part 3. An introductory bibliographic essay follows in part 4, which is intended for use by social studies educators as they develop or reorganize geographic components of the elementary school curriculum. The essay lists sources on geography in the elementary school and on objectives and evaluation in geographic education. References are included. (Author/DB)