Because many incoming geoscience students did not acknowledge their previous personal encounters with the earth's geological processes or products, we developed the Geological Sense of Place (GSP) template as a convenient way to assess students' earth science backgrounds through short answer, mini-essay, and induced associative responses. The GSP was administered in introductory earth science courses for elementary education majors (n = 42, n = 56), and in a non-major introductory physical geology course (n = 148) at a large research university in Louisiana (US). Student opinions about the GSP were gathered as part of anonymous electronic surveys at the end of the semester (earth science courses, n = 45, n = 56; physical geology course, n = 134). Students reported that the GSP integrated their past life experiences with geology, and initiated geological thinking. Our research indicates that the GSP provides teachers with a standard method to ascertain students' personal geological knowledge and experiences before instruction begins, and to incorporate these experiences into the classroom. Teachers can determine the impact of instruction on knowledge integration by comparing initial GSP student responses with responses in the post-instruction section of the GSP.