Geography for Life
Geography for Life: The Geography National Standards 1994 present
what each American student should know and be able to do in geography by
grades 4, 8, and 12. The eighteen standards are organized under six "essential
elements." They represent the essentials and fundamental ideas of geography.
The outcome of Geography for Life is a geographically
informed person who sees meaning in the arrangement of things across the
Earth's surface; who appreciates the relationships between people, places,
and environments; who uses geographic skills; and who applies geographic
perspectives to life situations.
The World in Spatial Terms
Geography studies the relationships between people, places and environments
by mapping information about them into a spatial context. The geographically
informed person knows and understands:
1. How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools,
and technologies to acquire, process, and report information.
2. How to use mental maps (a person's internalized picture of a part of
Earth's surface) to organize information about people places, and environments.
3. How to analyze the spatial organization of people places, and environments
on Earth's surface.
Places and Regions
The identities and lives of individuals and peoples are rooted in particular
places and in those human constructs called regions. The geographically
informed person knows and understands:
4. The physical and human characteristics of places.
5. That people create regions to interpret Earth's complexity.
6. How culture and experience influence people's perceptions of places and
regions.
Physical Systems
Physical processes shape Earth's surface and interact with plant and animal
life to create, sustain, and modify the ecosystems. The geographically informed
person knows and understands:
7. The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth's
surface.
8. The characteristics and distribution of ecosystems on Earth's surface.
Human Systems
People are central to geography in that human activities help shape Earth's
surface, human settlements and structures are part of Earth's surface, and
humans compete for control of Earth's surface. The geographically informed
person knows and understands:
9. The characteristics, distribution and migration of human
populations.
10. The characteristics, distribution and complexity of Earth's cultural
mosaics.
11. The patterns and networks of economic interdependence.
12. The processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement.
13. How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the
division and control of Earth's surface.
Environment and Society
The physical environment is modified by human activities largely as a consequence
of the ways in which human societies value and use Earth's natural resources
and human activities are also influenced by Earth's physical features and
processes. The geographically informed person knows and understands:
14. How human actions modify the physical environment.
15. How physical systems affect human systems.
16. The changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance
of resources.
The Uses of Geography
Knowing geography enables people to understand the relationships between
people, places, and environments over time. The geographically informed
person knows and understands:
17. How to apply geography to interpret the past.
18. How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future.
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