Academic Standards for Geography
7.1. Basic Geographic Literacy
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7.1.3. Grade 3 |
7.1.6. Grade 6 |
7.1.9. Grade 9 |
7.1.12. Grade 12 |
Pennsylvania’s public schools shall teach, challenge and support every student to realize his or her maximum potential and to acquire the and skills needed to…
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A. Identify geographic tools and their uses. · Characteristics and
purposes of different geographic representations Ø
Maps
and basic map elements Ø
Globes Ø
Graphs Ø
Diagrams Ø
Photographs · Geographic representations
to display spatial information Ø
Sketch
maps Ø
Thematic
maps ·
Mental
maps to describe the human and physical features of the local area B. Identify and locate places and regions. · Physical features Ø
Continents
and Oceans Ø
Major
landforms, rivers and lakes in North America Ø
Local
community · Human features Ø Countries (e.g., United
States, Mexico, Canada) Ø States (e.g., Pennsylvania,
Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, West Virginia Ø Cities (e.g., Philadelphia,
Erie, Altoona, Pittsburgh, Scranton, Harrisburg, Johnstown, Allentown,
Washington D.C., Baltimore, New York, Toronto, Cleveland Ø
Local
community ·
Regions
as areas with unifying geographic characteristics Ø Physical regions (e.g., landform
regions, climate regions, river basins) Ø Human Regions (e.g.,
neighborhoods, cities, states, countries) |
A. Describe geographic tools and their uses. ·Basis on which maps, graphs
and diagrams are created. Ø Aerial and other
photographs Ø Reference works Ø Field observations Ø Surveys ·Geographic representations
to display spatial information Ø Absolute location Ø Relative location Ø Flows (e.g., goods, people,
traffic) Ø Topography Ø Historic events · Mental maps to organize an understanding
of the human and physical features of Pennsylvania and the home country · Basic spatial elements for
depicting the patterns of physical and human features Ø Point, line, area,
location, distance, scale Ø Map grids Ø Alpha-numeric system Ø Cardinal and intermediate
directions B. Describe and locate places and regions. · Coordinate systems (e.g.,
latitude and longitude, time zones) ·
Physical
features In
Pennsylvania (e.g., Coastal Plain, Piedmont, Appalachian) In
the United States (e.g., Great Lakes, Rocky Mountains, Great Plains) · Human features Ø Countries (e.g., United
Kingdom, Argentina, Egypt) Ø States (e.g., California,
Massachusetts, Florida) Ø Provinces (e.g., Ontario,
Quebec, Nova Scotia) Ø Major human regions (e.g.,
Mid Atlantic, New England, Southwest) Ø Counties (e.g., Lancaster,
Lackawanna, Jefferson) Ø Townships (e.g., Dickinson,
Lower Mifflin, Southampton) Ø Major Cities (e.g., London,
Los Angeles, Tokyo) · Ways in which different
people look at places and regions (e.g., as places to visit or to avoid) · Community connections to
other places Ø Dependence and
Interdependence Ø Access and movement |
A. Explain geographic tools and their uses. ·Development and use of
geographic tools Ø Geographic information
systems (GIS) Ø Population pyramids Ø Cartograms Ø Satellite-produced images Ø Climate graphs Ø Access to computer-based
geographic data (e.g., Internet, CD-ROMs) ·Construction of maps Ø Projections Ø Scale Ø Symbol systems Ø Level of generalization Ø Types and sources of data · Geographic representations
to track spatial patterns. Ø Weather Ø Migration Ø Environmental change (e.g.,
tropical forest reduction, sea-level changes) · Mental maps to organize and
understand the human and physical features of the United States B. Explain and locate places and regions. · How regions are created to
interpret Earth’s complexity (e.g., the differences among formal regions,
functional regions, perceptual regions) · How characteristics
contribute to regional changes (e.g., economic development, accessibility,
demographic change) · How culture and experience
influence perceptions of places and regions · How structures and
alliances impact regions Ø Development (e.g., First
vs. Third World, North vs. South) Ø Trade (e.g., NAFTA, the
European Union) Ø International treaties
(e.g., NATO, OAS) · How regions are connected
(e.g., watersheds and river systems, patterns of world trade, cultural ties,
migration) |
A. Analyze data and issues from a spatial
perspective using the appropriate geographic tools. ·How spatial patterns of
human features change over time (e.g., intervening opportunity, distance
decay, central place theory, locational preference) ·How physical patterns of
physical features change over time (e.g., climate change, erosion, ecological
invasion and succession) ·Human and physical features
of the world through mental maps. B. Analyze the location of places and
regions. · Changing regional
characteristics (e.g., short- and long-term climate shifts; population growth
or decline; political instability) · Criteria to define a region
(e.g., the reshaping of south Florida resulting from changing migration
patterns; the US-Mexico border changes as a function of NAFTA; metropolitan
growth in the Philadelphia region) · Cultural change (e.g., influences
people’s perceptions of places and regions) |
Proposed Academic Standards for Geography
7.2. The Physical Characteristics of Places and Regions
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7.2.3. Grade 3 |
7.2.6. Grade 6 |
7.2.9. Grade 9 |
7.2.12. Grade 12 |
Pennsylvania’s public schools shall teach, challenge and support every student to realize his or her maximum potential and to acquire the and skills needed to…
|
A. Identify the physical characteristics of
places and regions. · Physical properties Ø
Landforms
(e.g., plains, hills, plateaus and mountains) Ø
Bodies
of water (e.g., rivers, lakes, seas and oceans) Ø
Weather
and climate Ø
Vegetation · Earth’s basic physical
systems Ø
Atmosphere Ø
Lithosphere Ø
Hydrosphere Ø
Biosphere B. Identify the basic physical processes that
affect the physical characteristics of places and regions. · Earth-sun relationships
(e.g., seasons and length of day, weather and climate) · Extreme physical events
(e.g., earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes) |
A. Describe the physical characteristics of
places and regions. ·Components of Earth’s
physical systems (e.g., clouds, storms, relief and elevation [topography],
tides, biomes, tectonic plates) ·Comparison of the physical
characteristics of different places and regions (e.g., soil, vegetation,
climate, topography) ·Climate types (e.g., soil,
vegetation, climate, topography) B. Describe the physical processes that shape
Earth’s surface. · Earth-sun relationships
(e.g., differences between equinoxes and solstices, reasons they occur and
their relationship to latitude) · Climate types (e.g., marine
west coast, humid continental, tropical wet and dry) · Climate change (e.g.,
global warming/cooling, desertification, glaciations) · Plate tectonics · Hydrologic cycle |
A. Explain the physical characteristics of
places and regions including spatial patterns of Earth’s physical systems. ·Climate regions ·Landform regions B. Explain the dynamics of the fundamental
processes that underlie the operation of Earth’s physical systems. · Wind systems · Water cycle · Erosion cycle · Plate tectonics · Ocean currents · Natural hazards |
A. Analyze the physical characteristics of
places and regions including the interrelationships among the components of
Earth’s physical systems. ·Biomes and ecosystems
regions ·Watersheds and river basins ·World patterns of
biodiversity B. Analyze the significance of physical
processes in shaping the character of places and regions. · Circulation of the oceans · Ecosystem processes · Atmospheric systems · Extreme natural events |
Proposed Academic Standards for Geography
7.3. The Human Characteristics of Places and Regions
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7.3.3. Grade 3 |
7.3.6. Grade 6 |
7.3.9. Grade 9 |
7.3.12. Grade 12 |
Pennsylvania’s public schools shall teach, challenge and support every student to realize his or her maximum potential and to acquire the and skills needed to…
|
A. Identify the human characteristics of
places and regions by their population characteristics. · The number and distribution
of people in the local community. · Human movement in the local
community (e.g., mobility in daily life, migration) B. Identify the human characteristics of
places and regions by their cultural characteristics. · Components of culture
(e.g., language, belief systems and customs, social organizations, foods,
ethnicity) · Ethnicity of people in the
local community (e.g., customs, celebrations, languages, religions) C. Identify the human characteristics of
places and regions by their settlement characteristics. · Types of settlements (e.g.,
villages, towns, suburbs, cities, metropolitan areas) · Factors that affect where
people settle (e.g., water, resources, transportation) D. Identify the human characteristics of
places and regions by their economic activities. · Location factors in the
spatial distribution of economic activities (e.g., market, transportation,
workers, materials) Ø Producers of consumer
products and services (e.g., bread, pizza, television, shopping malls) Ø Products of farms and
factories at the local and regional level (e.g., mushrooms, milk, snack
foods, furniture) · Spatial distribution of
resources Ø
Non-renewable
resources Ø
Renewable
resources Ø Flow resources (e.g., water
power, wind power) E. Identify the human characteristics of
places and regions by their political activities. · Type of political units
(e.g., townships, boroughs, counties, states, country [nation state]) · Political units in the
local area |
A. Describe the human characteristics of
places and regions by their population characteristics. ·Spatial distribution, size,
density and demographic characteristics of population at the county and state
level ·Causes of human movement Ø Mobility (e.g., shopping,
commuting, recreation) Ø Migration models (e.g.,
push/pull factors, barriers to migration) B. Describe the human characteristics of
places and regions by their cultural characteristics. · Ethnicity of people at the
county and state levels (e.g., customs, celebrations, languages, religions) · Spatial arrangement of
cultures creates distinctive landscapes (e.g., cultural regions based on
languages, customs, religion, building styles as in the Pennsylvania German
region) C. Describe the human characteristics of
places and regions by their settlement characteristics. · Current and past settlement
patterns in the local area · Factors that affect the
growth and decline of settlements (e.g., Immigration, transportation
development, exhaustion of natural resources) D. Describe the human characteristics of
places and regions by their economic activities. · Spatial distribution of
economic activities in the local area (e.g., patterns of agriculture,
forestry, mining, retailing, manufacturing, services) · Factors that influence the
location and spatial distribution of economic activities (e.g., market size
for different types of business, accessibility, modes of transportation used
to move people, goods and materials) · Spatial distribution of
resources and their relationship to population distribution Ø Historical settlement
patterns and natural resource use (e.g., waterpower sites along the Fall
Line) Ø Natural resource-based
industries (e.g., agriculture, mining, fishing, forestry) E. Describe the human characteristics of
places and regions by their political activities. · Spatial pattern of
political units in Pennsylvania · Functions of political
units (e.g., counties, municipalities and townships, school district, PA
General Assembly districts [House and Senate], U.S. Congressional districts,
states) |
A. Explain the human characteristics of
places and regions by their population characteristics. ·Spatial distribution, size,
density and demographic characteristics of population at the state and
national level ·Demographic structure of a
population (e.g., life expectancy, fertility rate, mortality rate, infant
mortality rate, population growth rate, the demographic transition model) ·Effects of different types
and patterns of human movement Ø Mobility (e.g., travel for
business) Ø Migration (e.g., rural to
urban, short term vs. long term, critical distance) B. Explain the human characteristics of
places and regions by their cultural characteristics. · Ethnicity of people at the
national level (e.g., customs, celebrations, languages, religions) · Culture distribution (e.g.,
ethnic enclaves and neighborhoods) · Cultural diffusion (e.g.,
acculturation and assimilation, cultural revivals of language) C. Explain the human characteristics of
places and regions by their settlement characteristics. · Current and past settlement
patterns in Pennsylvania and the United States · Forces that have re-shaped
modern settlement patterns (e.g., central city decline, suburbanization, the development
of transport systems) · Internal structure of
cities (e.g., manufacturing zones, inner and outer suburbs, the location of
infrastructure) D. Explain the human characteristics of
places and regions by their economic activities. · Spatial distribution of
economic activities in Pennsylvania and the United States (e.g., patterns of
agriculture, forestry, mining, retailing, manufacturing, services) · Factors that shape spatial
patterns of economic activity (e.g., comparative advantage in location of economic
activities; changes in resource trade; disruption of trade flows) · Technological changes that
affect the definitions of, access to, and use of natural resources (e.g., the
role of exploration, extraction, use and depletion of resources) E. Explain the human characteristics of
places and regions by their political activities. · Spatial pattern of
political units in the United States · Geographic factors that
affect decisions made in the United States (e.g., territorial expansion,
boundary delineation, allocation of natural resources) · Political and public policy
that affect geography (e.g., open space, urban development) |
A. Analyze the significance of human activity
in shaping places and regions by their population characteristics. ·Spatial distribution, size,
density and demographic characteristics of population at the international
level ·Demographic trends and
their impacts on patterns of population distribution (e.g., overpopulation,
carrying capacity, changes in fertility, changes in immigration policy, the
mobility transition model) ·Impact of movement on human
systems (e.g., refugees, guest workers, illegal aliens) B. Analyze the significance of human activity
in shaping places and regions by their cultural characteristics. · Cultural conflicts (e.g.,
over language [Canada], over political power [Spain], over economic
opportunities [Mexico]) · Forces for cultural
convergence (e.g., the diffusion of foods, fashions, religions, language) C. Analyze the significance of human activity
in shaping places and regions by their settlement characteristics. · Description of current and
past settlement patterns at the international scale (e.g., global cities) · Use of models of the
internal structure of cities (e.g., concentric zone model, sector theory,
multiple nuclei theory) · Forces that have reshaped
settlement patterns (e.g., commuter railroads, urban freeways, the
development of megalopoli and edge cities) D. Analyze the significance of human activity
in shaping places and regions by their economic characteristics. · Changes in spatial
distribution of economic activities at the global scale (e.g., patterns of
agriculture, forestry, mining, retailing, manufacturing, services) · Forces that are reshaping
business (e.g., the information economy, business globalization, the
development of off-shore activities) · Effects of changes and
movements in factors of production (e.g., resources, labor, capital) E. Analyze the significance of human activity
in shaping places and regions by their political characteristics: · Spatial pattern of
political units in the global system · Role of new political
alliances on the international level (e.g., multinational organizations,
worker’s unions, United Nations organizations) · Impact of political
conflicts (e.g., secession, fragmentation, insurgencies, invasions) |