Geography for Life

Geography Skills and Perspectives

Geographic Skills to Be Learned by the End of the Eighth Grade

SKILL SET 1 ASKING GEOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS

By the end of the eighth grade, the student should know and understand how to:

1. Identify geographic issues, define geographic problems, and pose geographic questions, as exemplified by being able to
   • Analyze newspaper and magazine articles and identify geographic issues and problems evident in the articles
   • Develop geographic questions about issues in subjects other than geography (e.g., language arts, history, science, mathematics)
   • Ask questions about geographic problems in local issues relating to traffic, the environment, land use, housing, etc., and then summarize these problems by preparing written or oral statements, maps, and graphs
2. Plan how to answer geographic questions, as exemplified by being able to
   • Develop questions to obtain information about a place, put the questions to likely informants, and then prepare a short description of their answers
   • Identify and organize issues that should be considered in tackling a geographic problem (e.g., identify the factors involved in the location and design of a school playground)

SKILL SET 2 ACQUIRING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

By the end of the eighth grade, the student should know and understand how to:

1. Use a variety of research skills to locate and collect geographic data, as exemplified by being able to
   • Enter and retrieve population information on a computer, using databases, spreadsheets, and other sources (alternatively, create a handwritten master list of primary sources that could be used to research population issues)
   • Know how to find as well as choose appropriate sources of information (e.g., periodicals, Bureau of the Census materials, databases, reference works, interviews, multimedia, etc.)
   • Conduct interviews and field surveys in the student's local community to collect geographic information
2. Use maps to collect and/or compile geographic information, as exemplified by being able to
   • Use cartograms, such as one dealing with petroleum production to prepare a list of major producers
   • Read aerial photographs to recognize patterns apparent from the air and identify the patterns on a topographic map of the same area
   • Describe phenomena reported on a map (e.g., use dot maps to make statements about population densities in an area in 1910, 1950, and 1990)
3. Systematically observe the physical and human characteristics of places on the basis of fieldwork, as exemplified by being able to
   • Conduct field surveys to be able to map information about land use
   • Take photographs and/or shoot videos or prepare sketches of human features (architecture and the urban environment) and physical features (landforms and natural vegetation of the landscape)
   • View pictures and video images of a place to collect geographic information (e.g., use slides, video clips, and other visual sources to observe relationsihps between climate and vegetation)

SKILL SET 3 ORGANIZING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

By the end of the eighth grade, the student should know and understand how to:

1. Prepare various forms of maps as a means of organizing geographic information, as exemplified by being able to
   • Use area data to create choropleth maps (e.g., prepare a map showing areas of food surplus and deficit based on World Bank or Population Reference Bureau data on calories consumed per year per person; use voting data by state to map the vote for Abraham Lincoln in the presidential election of 1860)
   • Use maps to plot information contained in graphs (e.g., given a set of graphs showing per capita energy consumption in countries for 1980 and 1990, prepare graduated-circle maps to display the data effectively)
   • Use isolines to map information (e.g., physical data, such as elevation and rainfall; demographic data such as number of homicides in urban areas to show regions of greatest and least personal safety; historical data, such as the extent of European settlement in North America at different periods)
2. Prepare various forms of graphs to organize and display geographic information, as exemplified by being able to
   • Use weather data to produce climagraphs
   • Use population data to produce population pyramids for a variety of countries
   • Use computer programs to graph data from geographic databases
3. Prepare various forms of diagrams, tables, and charts to organize and display geographic information, as exemplified by being able to
   • Create a table to compare data on a specific topic for different geographic regions (e.g., birth- and death rates for nations in Asia)
   • Use flowcharts and diagrams to illustrate inputs, outputs, elements, feedbacks, and other aspects of physical and human systems
   • Organize data in tables or diagrams to make decisions or draw conclusions (e.g., use a preference-sorting diagram to organize data regarding places where individuals prefer to live; create a table to summarize data obtained from maps; graphically organize information obtained from questionnaires and surveys)
4. Integrate various types of materials to organize geographic information, as exemplified by being able to
   • Prepare overlays of different types of geographic information to create a geographic information system (e.g., a base map, vegetation map, contour map, or land-use map of a region)
   • Organize materials for a multimedia report (e.g., maps, graphs, diagrams, and pictures) on a geographic topic

SKILL SET 4 ANALYZING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

By the end of the eighth grade, the student should know and understand how to:

1. Interpret information obtained from maps, aerial photographs, satellite- produced images, and geographic information systems, as exemplified by being able to
   • Draw inferences from information presented in maps (e.g., use a variety of maps and other sources to explain the effects a logging operation might have on physical systems)
   • Use maps to recognize spatial associations and relationships between locations (e.g., similarities and differences in climate among regions of the world at the same latitude; similarities and differences among urban areas in North America and Africa)
   • Interpret information from map overlays to prepare a description of the geography of a region or place
   • Evaluate geographic information to identify the possibility of bias (e.g., evaluate map projections to understand the distortions in terms of representing only one viewpoint)
2. Use statistics and other quantitative techniques to evaluate geographic information, as exemplified by being able to
   • Use data obtained from quantitative methods of analysis to identify trends and patterns in data (e.g., prepare scatter diagrams to observe relationships between sets of geographic information, such as the number of Asian food restaurants and the percentage of immigrants from Asia in a U.S. community)
   • Produce summaries of geographic information (e.g., use descriptive statistics such as average, median, mode, and range to determine the nature of the distribution of per capita income by nation or snowfall by country)
   • Cross-tabulate the occurrences of geographic variables to discover whether they co-vary spatially (e.g., use data on cotton production and length of growing season to demonstrate a relationship)
3. Interpret and synthesize information obtained from a variety of sources - graphs, charts, tables, diagrams, texts, photographs documents, interviews - as exemplified by being able to
   • Analyze and explain geographic themes in texts and documents (e.g., a comparative analysis of a major geographic event - hurricane, volcanic eruption, resource discovery - in different newspapers and news magazines
   • Prepare written and oral explanations of geographic relationships based on synthesis and analysis of information (e.g., write a summary of the geographic diffusion of Islam by using maps, photographs of art and architecture from different regions of the world, and other resources)
   • Compare maps of voting patterns, ethnicity, and congressional districts to make inferences about distribution of political power in a U.S. state or region at different periods (e.g., Reconstruction South, era after World War II, and in the 1990s)

SKILL SET 5 ANSWERING GEOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS

By the end of the eighth grade, the student should know and understand how to:

1. Develop and present combinations of geographic information to answer geographic questions, as exemplified by being able to
   • Use data from a geographic database to suggest alternative locations for a new road, a park, or a garbage dump
   • Develop and present a multimedia report on a geographic topic, making use of maps, graphs, diagrams, videos, and pictures
   • Draw sketch maps and graphs to illustrate written and oral summaries of geographic information
2. Make generalizations and assess their validity, as exemplified by being able to
   • Prepare a reasoned account about the best locations for a crop by comparing its requirements for moisture with maps of rainfall, temperature, and soil quality
   • Select appropriate locations for service industries by using population, transportation, and other kinds of maps (e.g., determine the optimal location for a video-rental store)
   • Identify populations at risk for specific natural hazards (e.g., flood-vulnerable houses) by using a topographic map and a map of population distribution

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