| HGA | Standards | Grade 9-12 |
PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
Geography Standard 7: The physical processes that shape the patterns of earths surface
By the end of the twelfth grade, the student knows and understands:
Therefore, the student is able to:
A. Describe how physical processes affect different regions on the United States and the world, as exemplified by being able to
Explain how extreme physical events effect human settlements in different regions (e.g., the destructive effects of hurricanes in the Caribbean Basin and the eastern United States or of earthquakes in Turkey, Japan, and Nicaragua)
Use maps to illustrate how such natural disasters as floods and hurricanes can alter landscapes (e.g., the impact of the Mississippi River floods of the summer of 1993 on the structure of the river valley in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri or the changes along the Florida coast caused by Hurricane Andrew in 1992)
Describe the physical processes that occur in dry environments (e.g., desertification and soil degradation, flash floods, dust storms, sand movement, soil erosion, salt accumulation)
B. Explain Earths physical processes, patterns, and cycles using concepts of physical geography, as exemplified by being able to
Explain the distribution of different types of climate (e.g., marine climate or continental climate) that is produced by such processes as air-mass circulation, temperature, and moisture
Describe the physical processes (e.g., erosion, folding and faulting, volcanism) that produce distictive landforms (e.g., specific types of mountains, such as buttes and mesas, block mountains or horsts, ridge-and-valley sytstems)
Explain the effects of different physical cycles (e.g., world atmospheric circulation, ocean circulation) on the physical environment of Earth
C. Explain the various interactions resulting from Earth-Sun relationships, as exemplified by being able to
Describe the effects of the tilt of the Earths axis on the cycle of the seasons in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres
Explain the difference between solstices and equinoxes and the reasons why they occur
Speculate on various possible scenarios of future world climates should there be an increase in the greenhouse effect
D. Describe the ways in which Earths physical processes are dynamic and interactive, as exemplififed by being able to
Explain why the features ot the ocean floor are evidence of the dynamioc forces that shape continents and ocean basins
Explain the relationships between changes in landforms and the effects of climate (e.g., the erosion of hill slopes by precipitation, deposition of sediments by floods, shaping of land surfaces by wind)
Identify the conditions that cause changes in climate and the consequent effects on ocean levels, agricultural productivity, and population distribution
Geography Standard 8: The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on earths surface
By the end of the twelfth grade, the student knows and understands:
Therefore, the student is able to:
A. Analyze the distrbibution of ecosystems by interpreting relationships between soil, climate, and plant and animal life, as exemplified by being able to
Analyze the nature of plant communities in an area in terms of solar energy and water supply
Describe how physical characteristics such as climate and soil affect the number, kinds, and distribution of plants and animals in an ecosystem
Describe the factors and processes involved in the formation of soils in different ecosystems (e.g., climate type, parent-rock materials, slope of land, effects of human activities)
B. Evaluate ecosystems in terms of their biodiversity and productivity, as exemplified by being able to
Use knowledge of the cariable productivity of different ecosystems to develop a set of general statements about the nature of such systems
Characterize ecosystems by their level of biodiversity and productivity (e.g., the low productivity of deserts and the high productivity of mid-latitude forests and tropical forests) and describe their potential value to all living things (e.g., as a source of oxygen for life forms, as a source of food for indigenous peoples, as a source of raw materials for international trade)
Evaluate the carrying capacity of different ecosystems in relation to land-use policies (e.g., the optimal number of cattle per square mile in a grassland)
C. Apply the concept of ecosystems to understand and solve problems regarding environmental issues, as exemplified by being able to
Describe the effects of biological magnification on ecosystems (e.g., the increase in contaminants in succeeding levels of the food chain and the consequences for different life-forms)
Describe the effects of both physical and human changes on ecosystems (e.g., the disruption of energy flows and chemical cycles and the reduction of species diversity)
Evaluate the long-term effects of the human modification of ecosystems (e.g., how acid rain resulting from air pollution affects water bodies and forests and how depletion of the atmospheres ozone layer through the use of chemicals may affect the health of humans)