Alaska Geography Standards D-F

Alaska Department of Education & Early Development

Geography Standards D to F

A student should understand and be able to interpret spatial (geographic) characteristics of human systems, including migration, movement, interactions of cultures, economic activities, settlement patterns, and political units in the state, nation, and world.

A student who meets this standard should:

Primary level (ages 5 to 7)
Activities

Level 1 (ages 8 to 10)
Activities

(1) know that the need for people to exchange goods, services, and ideas creates population centers, cultural interaction, and transportation and communication links;

Depict through charts, graphs, collages, photos, artifacts, how and where Alaskans travel within and out of the state.

Identify different modes of transporting goods, information, and services within a region, state, nation, and the world.

(2) be able to explain how and why human networks, including networks for communications and for transportation of people and goods, are linked globally;

Experience how individuals depend upon others by naming places outside the home community where family members have shopped (including mail orders) and/or earned incomes.

Visit a local newspaper, radio, or TV station to determine how communication makes the world a global community.

(3) be able to interpret population characteristics and distributions;

On a map of the area, Students place pins where they live. Discuss patterns.

Develop a population density map of various regions of the school at various times during the day.

(4) be able to analyze how changes in technology, transportation, and communication impact social, cultural, economic, and political activity; and

Compare routes and vehicles used to move people and products in your community today and long ago.

Describe how technology has changed the way people travel and communicate in the local community.

(5) be able to analyze how conflict and cooperation shape social, economic, and political use of space.

Meet with the librarian, music teacher, and PE teacher to find out how time is allocated in their respective spaces within the school.

Map and describe the functions of political units at different scales.

Geography Standard D

A student should understand and be able to interpret spatial (geographic) characteristics of human systems, including migration, movement, interactions of cultures, economic activities, settlement patterns and political units in the state, nation, and world.

A student who meets this standard should:

Level 2 (ages 12 to 14)
Activities

Level 3 (ages 16 to 18)
Activities

(1) know that the need for people to exchange goods, services, and ideas creates population centers, cultural interaction, and transportation and communication links;

Describe how technology has affected travel, communication, and the environment.

Construct flow charts and maps which illustrate the direction and scale of trade among places.

(2) be able to explain how and why human networks, including networks for communications and for transportation of people and goods, are linked globally;

Given interruptions in world trade (e.g., war, crop failures, labor strikes), estimate the impact of such interruptions on people in various parts of the world.

Seek solutions to barriers which prevent the movement of people, goods, and ideas.

(3) be able to interpret population characteristics and distributions;

Describe differences in the rate of population growth in developing and developed countries using concepts such as natural increase, crude birth and death rates, and infant mortality.

Evaluate past and present government policies designed to change a country's population characteristics.

(4) be able to analyze how changes in technology, transportation, and communication impact social, cultural, economic, and political activity; and

Interview family or community members to identify how the automobile, airplane, or other transportation innovations resulted in community changes.

Compare global trade routes before and after the development of major canals, and develop hypotheses to explain the changes that occurred in world trade as a result.

(5) be able to analyze how conflict and cooperation shape social, economic, and political use of space.

Relate oral traditions of battles and population movements to contemporary settlement patterns.

Identify causes of boundary disputes between cultural groups and assess the consequences on the boundaries themselves and the people in the area.

Note: These activities are not state requirements or performance objectives, but rather examples of ways to interpret the standard's key elements; each district will determine its own benchmarks and develop its own set of activities.

Geography Standard E

A student should understand and be able to evaluate how humans and physical environments interact.

A student who meets this standard should:

Primary level (ages 5 to 7)
Activities

Level 1 (ages 8 to 10)
Activities

(1) understand how resources have been developed and used;

Explain how local resources are used.

List ways in which people have used resources to adapt to their environment.

(2) recognize and be able to assess local, regional, and global patterns of resource use;

Identify how the physical environment is used in the local area; e.g., parks, farms, gardens, fish camp, tundra.

Define resources as those things valued and used by people, and name and discuss resources once important in the community which are no longer important.

(3) understand the varying capacities of physical systems, such as watersheds, to support human activity;

Examine patterns on the grass: where it has been walked on, where it has not been walked on.

Explain population densities worldwide in terms of water availability.

(4) be able to determine the influence of human perceptions on resource utilization and the environment;

Ask family members to name their favorite places and tell how they use them.

Graph changes in settlement patterns in the Alaskan and Yukon gold fields from 1896-1910.

(5) be able to analyze the consequences of human modification of the environment and be able to evaluate the changing landscape; and

Learn about the causes and types of pollution going on in your community. Take action to deal with it.

Give an example of how the local environment has been changed by human activity.

(6) be able to evaluate the impact of physical hazards on human systems.

Report how Alaskans adapt to the changing seasons in their dress, homes, and recreation choices.

Design a survival plan for families to use in case of natural disasters.

Geography Standard E

A student should understand and be able to evaluate how humans and physical environments interact.

A student who meets this standard should:

Level 2 (ages 12 to 14)
Activities

Level 3 (ages 16 to 18)
Activities

(1) understand how resources have been developed and used;

Describe the processes that produce fossil fuels and relate this to the location of the resources.

Explain how Alaska's oil and natural gas resources have been developed and used, with an emphasis on the special requirements of the location and environment.

(2) recognize and be able to assess local, regional, and global patterns of resource use;

Discuss the relationship of a country's standard of living with its accessibility to resources.

Discuss how and why some countries use a greater than average amount of resources.

(3) understand the varying capacities of physical systems, such as watersheds, to support human activity;

Use appropriate physical geography maps to generalize about the impact of physical features on human settlement patterns.

Develop contemporary and historical case studies which illustrate the limited ability of physical systems to withstand human pressures (e.g., drought-plagued Sahel, Great Plains Dust Bowl).

(4) be able to determine the influence of human perceptions on resource utilization and the environment;

Explain the changing importance of various energy resources in the development of the U.S.

Debate land use issues such as federal wilderness designations.

(5) be able to analyze the consequences of human modification of the environment and be able to evaluate the changing landscape; and

Plan an approach to investigate a regional environmental problem and generate research questions and a plan for data collection. Collect, organize, analyze, and display the data.

Describe the spatial consequences of human activities that have global implications (e.g., the dispersal of animal and plant species, increases in runoff and sediment, tropical soil degradation, air pollution, etc.)

(6) be able to evaluate the impact of physical hazards on human systems.

Rate natural hazards based on their impact on humans (e.g., by length of event, total loss of life, total economic impact, social effects, long-term impacts, incidence of associated hazards).

Conduct interviews to assess attitudes, perceptions, and responses toward natural hazards in the local community and explain patterns that emerge.

Geography Standard F

A student should be able to use geography to understand the world by interpreting the past, knowing the present, and preparing for the future.

A student who meets this standard should:

Primary level (ages 5 to 7)

Activities

Level 1 (ages 8 to 10)

Activities

(1) analyze and evaluate the impact of physical and human geographical factors on major historical events;

Interview family members, neighbors, or teachers on how they came to settle in Alaska and what changes they brought.

Describe the effects of the New England winter and the availability of resources on the Pilgrims.

(2) compare, contrast, and predict how places and regions change with time;

Use photographs or pictures to compare and contrast how the classroom or school has changed over the years.

Use maps to compare and contrast how land use has changed over time in the local community.

(3) analyze resource management practices to assess their impact on future environmental quality;

Visit a local park or recreational site to look for evidence of pollution. Discuss the impact the pollution has had on the site.

Compare modern hunting seasons with traditional practices. Assess how both affect animal populations.

(4) interpret demographic trends to project future changes and impacts on human environmental systems;

Predict what the school grounds will look like in the future.

Research trends in the school's population profile. Predict necessary changes given different scenarios for future variations in school population.

(5) examine the impacts of global changes on human activity; and

Using a relief map of the world, add or subtract water to discover land patterns if water levels change.

Make a diorama of Beringia showing the various resources available to humans traveling to North America.

(6) utilize geographic knowledge and skills to support interdisciplinary learning and build competencies required of citizens.

Participate in local clean-up days, recycle in the classroom, and chart the number of pounds of recycled materials, in comparison with the number of pounds of unrecycled garbage produced in the classroom.

Investigate whether a recent "improvement" (e.g., HUD housing, new landing strip) has in fact improved the community.

Geography Standard F

A student should be able to use geography to understand the world by interpreting the past, knowing the present, and preparing for the future.

A student who meets this standard should:

Level 2 (ages 12 to 14)

Activities

Level 3 (ages 16 to 18)

Activities

(1) analyze and evaluate the impact of physical and human geographical factors on major historical events;

Read journals of pioneer women and explain the impact of the Westward Movement on their lives.

Explain how the environment affected Napoleon's invasion of Russia.

(2) compare, contrast, and predict how places and regions change with time;

Describe physical and human changes in the Aleutian Islands (including consideration of tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions) from 1741 to today.

Research federal lands policy throughout American history and describe the effects of various policies.

(3) analyze resource management practices to assess their impact on future environmental quality;

Hold a discussion/debate on an important state resource issue.

Present data showing positive and negative aspects of development in selected regions of the world.

(4) interpret demographic trends to project future changes and impacts on human environmental systems;

Graph population trends in Alaska as reported in the censuses of 1960, 1970, 1980, and 1990. Predict the state's population profile for 2000 or 2010.

Explain the geographical factors that encourage illegal Mexican immigrants to come to the U.S. Project the societal impacts on Mexico and the U.S. if the immigration continues at its current rate.

(5) examine the impacts of global changes on human activity; and

Trace population movements in the U.S. during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

Gather information on changes brought about by fluctuations of El Ni�o over the past ten years.

(6) utilize geographic knowledge and skills to support interdisciplinary learning and build competencies required of citizens.

Use different criteria to measure standard of living. Explain world patterns of power which correlate with standard of living and predict how patterns are likely to change.

Organize an effort to improve recycling in the community.

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A student should understand and be able to interpret spatial (geographic) characteristics of human systems, including migration, movement, interactions of cultures, economic activities, settlement patterns, and political units in the state, nation, and world.
*A student who meets this standard should:*	Primary level (ages 5 to 7) Activities	Level 1 (ages 8 to 10) Activities
(1) know that the need for people to exchange goods, services, and ideas creates population centers, cultural interaction, and transportation and communication links;	Depict through charts, graphs, collages, photos, artifacts, how and where Alaskans travel within and out of the state.	Identify different modes of transporting goods, information, and services within a region, state, nation, and the world.
(2) be able to explain how and why human networks, including networks for communications and for transportation of people and goods, are linked globally;	Experience how individuals depend upon others by naming places outside the home community where family members have shopped (including mail orders) and/or earned incomes.	Visit a local newspaper, radio, or TV station to determine how communication makes the world a global community.
(3) be able to interpret population characteristics and distributions;	On a map of the area, Students place pins where they live. Discuss patterns.	Develop a population density map of various regions of the school at various times during the day.
(4) be able to analyze how changes in technology, transportation, and communication impact social, cultural, economic, and political activity; and	Compare routes and vehicles used to move people and products in your community today and long ago.	Describe how technology has changed the way people travel and communicate in the local community.
(5) be able to analyze how conflict and cooperation shape social, economic, and political use of space.	Meet with the librarian, music teacher, and PE teacher to find out how time is allocated in their respective spaces within the school.	Map and describe the functions of political units at different scales.

A student should understand and be able to interpret spatial (geographic) characteristics of human systems, including migration, movement, interactions of cultures, economic activities, settlement patterns and political units in the state, nation, and world.
*A student who meets this standard should:*	Level 2 (ages 12 to 14) Activities	Level 3 (ages 16 to 18) Activities
(1) know that the need for people to exchange goods, services, and ideas creates population centers, cultural interaction, and transportation and communication links;	Describe how technology has affected travel, communication, and the environment.	Construct flow charts and maps which illustrate the direction and scale of trade among places.
(2) be able to explain how and why human networks, including networks for communications and for transportation of people and goods, are linked globally;	Given interruptions in world trade (e.g., war, crop failures, labor strikes), estimate the impact of such interruptions on people in various parts of the world.	Seek solutions to barriers which prevent the movement of people, goods, and ideas.
(3) be able to interpret population characteristics and distributions;	Describe differences in the rate of population growth in developing and developed countries using concepts such as natural increase, crude birth and death rates, and infant mortality.	Evaluate past and present government policies designed to change a country's population characteristics.
(4) be able to analyze how changes in technology, transportation, and communication impact social, cultural, economic, and political activity; and	Interview family or community members to identify how the automobile, airplane, or other transportation innovations resulted in community changes.	Compare global trade routes before and after the development of major canals, and develop hypotheses to explain the changes that occurred in world trade as a result.
(5) be able to analyze how conflict and cooperation shape social, economic, and political use of space.	Relate oral traditions of battles and population movements to contemporary settlement patterns.	Identify causes of boundary disputes between cultural groups and assess the consequences on the boundaries themselves and the people in the area.

*A student should be able to use geography to understand the world by interpreting the past, knowing the present, and preparing for the future.*
*A student who meets this standard should:*	*Primary level (ages 5 to 7)* *Activities*	*Level 1 (ages 8 to 10)* *Activities*
(1) analyze and evaluate the impact of physical and human geographical factors on major historical events;	Interview family members, neighbors, or teachers on how they came to settle in Alaska and what changes they brought.	Describe the effects of the New England winter and the availability of resources on the Pilgrims.
(2) compare, contrast, and predict how places and regions change with time;	Use photographs or pictures to compare and contrast how the classroom or school has changed over the years.	Use maps to compare and contrast how land use has changed over time in the local community.
(3) analyze resource management practices to assess their impact on future environmental quality;	Visit a local park or recreational site to look for evidence of pollution. Discuss the impact the pollution has had on the site.	Compare modern hunting seasons with traditional practices. Assess how both affect animal populations.
(4) interpret demographic trends to project future changes and impacts on human environmental systems;	Predict what the school grounds will look like in the future.	Research trends in the school's population profile. Predict necessary changes given different scenarios for future variations in school population.
(5) examine the impacts of global changes on human activity; and	Using a relief map of the world, add or subtract water to discover land patterns if water levels change.	Make a diorama of Beringia showing the various resources available to humans traveling to North America.
(6) utilize geographic knowledge and skills to support interdisciplinary learning and build competencies required of citizens.	Participate in local clean-up days, recycle in the classroom, and chart the number of pounds of recycled materials, in comparison with the number of pounds of unrecycled garbage produced in the classroom.	Investigate whether a recent "improvement" (e.g., HUD housing, new landing strip) has in fact improved the community.

*A student should be able to use geography to understand the world by interpreting the past, knowing the present, and preparing for the future.*
*A student who meets this standard should:*	*Level 2 (ages 12 to 14)* *Activities*	*Level 3 (ages 16 to 18)* *Activities*
(1) analyze and evaluate the impact of physical and human geographical factors on major historical events;	Read journals of pioneer women and explain the impact of the Westward Movement on their lives.	Explain how the environment affected Napoleon's invasion of Russia.
(2) compare, contrast, and predict how places and regions change with time;	Describe physical and human changes in the Aleutian Islands (including consideration of tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions) from 1741 to today.	Research federal lands policy throughout American history and describe the effects of various policies.
(3) analyze resource management practices to assess their impact on future environmental quality;	Hold a discussion/debate on an important state resource issue.	Present data showing positive and negative aspects of development in selected regions of the world.
(4) interpret demographic trends to project future changes and impacts on human environmental systems;	Graph population trends in Alaska as reported in the censuses of 1960, 1970, 1980, and 1990. Predict the state's population profile for 2000 or 2010.	Explain the geographical factors that encourage illegal Mexican immigrants to come to the U.S. Project the societal impacts on Mexico and the U.S. if the immigration continues at its current rate.
(5) examine the impacts of global changes on human activity; and	Trace population movements in the U.S. during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.	Gather information on changes brought about by fluctuations of El Ni�o over the past ten years.
(6) utilize geographic knowledge and skills to support interdisciplinary learning and build competencies required of citizens.	Use different criteria to measure standard of living. Explain world patterns of power which correlate with standard of living and predict how patterns are likely to change.	Organize an effort to improve recycling in the community.