Geography for Life |
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Geography for Life |
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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.
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.
