Why+Study+Geography?

"BIG IDEA" Geography is a field of study that tries to make sense of the world around us. Geography also helps us to understand how people, places, and environments came to be and how they affect each other. The central key to our understanding of the concepts of geography will be the idea that people impact places and places impact people. As members of the global community your actions (or inaction) could change the world!  **The eighteen standards (as published by the [|National Council on Geographic Education]) shed light on what the geographically informed person should know and understand. My hope is that every student in World Geography will become an informed person through an understanding of these standards. **

The World in Spatial Terms
1. How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information. 2. How to use mental maps 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
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 perception of places and regions.

Physical Systems
7. The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth's surface. 8. The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on Earth's surface.

Human Systems
9. The characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations on Earth's surface. 10. The characteristics, distributions, and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics. 11. The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth's surface. 12. The process, patterns, and functions of human settlement. 13. How forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of Earth's surface.

Environment and Society
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
17. How to apply geography to interpret the past. 18. To apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future.