Geography for Life

Geography Skills and Perspectives

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

SKILL SET 1 ASKING GEOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS

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

1. Plan and organize a geographic research project (e.g., specify a problem, pose a research question or hypothesis, and identify data sources), as exemplified by being able to
   • Examine a series of maps of a region and list geographic questions suggested by the maps (e.g., How do land division systems influence road patterns, the distribution of houses, the efficiency of city services?)
   • Study multiple sources of graphic and written information (e.g., databases, graphs, photographs, and firsthand accounts) to list geographic questions and organize a procedure to answer them

SKILL SET 2 ACQUIRING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

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

1. Systematically locate and gather geographic information from a variety of primary and secondary sources, as exemplified by being able to
   • Gather data in the field by multiple procedures - observing, identifying, naming, describing, organizing, sketching, interviewing, recording, measuring
   • Gather data in the classroom and library from maps, photographs, videos, and other media (e.g., CD-ROM), charts, aerial photographs, and other nonbook sources, and then use the data to identify, name, describe, organize, sketch, measure, and evaluate items of geographic interest
   • Gather data by spatial sampling in both secondary sources and the field (e.g., place a transparent grid of squares on maps to count whether two characteristics - such as corn production and hogs - that are hypothesized to be spatially related do coexist within the grid cells)
   • Use quantitative measures (e.g., means, medians, and modes) to describe data (e.g., collect data on social and economic indicators for different nations of the world, comduct simple statistical analysis, and group nations as above or below the average)
2. Systematically assess the value and use of geographic information, as exemplified by being able to
   • Contrast the validity and utility of migration data gathered from the field (e.g., a survey) and from secondary sources (e.g., the Census)
   • Distinguish the data requirements and appropriate use of choropleth versus isopleth maps

SKILL SET 3 ORGANIZING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

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

1. Select and design appropriate forms of maps to organize geographic information, as exemplified by being able to
   • Use various map symbols for particular purposes (e.g., use proportional dot and point symbols to display quantitative data)
   • Prepare dot maps, choropleth maps, and isoline maps as appropriate to the level of measurement of the data (nominal, ordinal, interval) and the type of spatial phenomenon (point, line, area)
   • Prepare accurate field maps of small areas using a compass, protractor, plane table, and measuring tape
   • Use field data to prepare sketch maps (e.g., map geographic information from the transect of an urban walk or the view from a bus window), noting characteristics of geographic interest such as land use, housing styles, and patterns of neighborhood ethnicity
2. Select and design appropriate forms of graphs, diagrams, tables, and charts to organize geographic information, as exemplified by being able to
   • Use scatter graphs - plots of the value of one item against another item - to display the association between two items (e.g., the relationships between land values and distance from the central business district [downtown]; or relation between temperature and rainfall)
   • Prepare diagrams that illustrate geographic information (e.g., physical features from topographic maps; or posters with graphic codes such as ears of corn to represent number of calories consumed)
   • Use line graphs to show changing patterns through time (e.g., rural population in the United States from 1890 to 1990; energy consumption in different regions of the world at ten-year intervals from 1950 to the present; telephone connections in the United States, 1980 to 1990)
3. Use a variety of media to develop and organize integrated summaries of geographic information, as exemplified by being able to
   • Prepare integrated summaries on geographic issues, featuring texts, and documents, audiovisual materials, and maps, and present them in the form of tables, graphs, and diagrams
   • Summarize information obtained from questionnaires or field surveys to classify the responses

SKILL SET 4 ANALYZING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

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

1. Use quantitative methods of analysis to interpret geographic information, as exemplified by being able to
   • Produce descriptive and analytic statistics to support the development of geographic generalizations (e.g., develop an index of the physical quality of life to support a classification system of world nations by standard-of-living, categories)
   • Calculate ratios between local measures and national averages of given geographic phenomena
2. Make inferences and draw conclusions from maps and other geographic representations, as exemplified by being able to
   • Compare maps of geographic information at different periods to determine relationships (e.g., use maps of the largest urban areas at different periods to compare differences in location and offer explanations on the basis of site, transportation technology, and urban growth)
   • Interpret information from several maps simultaneously (e.g., use maps showing family income, transportation networks, resources, and other data to develop ideas on why some regions prosper and others do not)
   • Draw conclusions about cause and effect by correlating geographic information (e.g., compare data on soil-nutrient deficiencies and crop yields to determine their relationship)
3. Use the processes of analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and explanation to interpret geographic information from a variety of sources, as exemplified by being able to
   • Use a balance sheet to evaluate the costs and benefits of making various decisions about geographic issues (e.g., alternative uses for land located near a freeway exit)
   • Determine relationships (areal, cause and effect, chronological, etc.) by analyzing and interpreting geographic data
   • Evaluate geographic reasoning (e.g., identify lines of argument and points of view, possible bias, logical flaws in content and perspective, unwarranted assertions, inferences and conclusions)

SKILL SET 5 ANSWERING GEOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS

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

1. Formulate valid generalizations from the results of various kinds of geographic inquiry, as exemplified by being able to
   • Use the results of several case-study analyses to speculate about general relationships between geographic variables
   • Identify correlations between the locations of different phenomena by examining a variety of maps and atlases
   • Use information on natural hazards and people's attitudes toward natural hazards in a specific region to develop generalizations regarding the link between hazards and attitudes toward them
2. Evaluate the answers to geographic questions, as exemplified by being able to
   • Synthesize information to support a point of view expressed in written and oral form (e.g., compare various points of view on land use, such as whether to relocate or expand an airport, and present reasons for choosing one point of view)
   • Evaluate the feasibility of solutions to problems (e.g., evaluate alternative locations for a visitor center in a wildlife refuge)
3. Apply geographic models, generalizations, and theories to the analysis, interpretation, and presentation of geographic information, as exemplified by being able to
   • Use a geographic model to predict consequences on the basis of multiple sources of data (e.g., predict rates of soil erosion from generalizations about the interrelationships of soil, climate, slope, and land use)
   • Choose the appropriate model to explain locations of various kinds of industry, recreation, and agriculture patterns in the United States
   • Analyze regional political case studies to make generalizations about the forces affecting political stability in a specific region
   • Explain the results of geographic inquiry both orally and in writing (e.g., make a presentation to a local government agency on a recycling program researched as part of a class project)
   • Identify geographic questions in need of further investigation and develop new hypotheses as the conclusion to a process of inquiry

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