Maryland School Performance Program
Social Studies Outcomes and Indicators

Geography

Students will demonstrate an understanding of geographic concepts and processes as needed to examine the role of culture, technology, and the environment in the location and distribution of human activities.

For clarification of the meaning of specific indicators (as well as sample student activities), click on the number of the indicator.

See also an explanation of the elements of a good map.

Grades K-3	Grades 4-5	Grades 6-8
Locate features of the school and community by interpreting and constructing maps using simple grid systems, cardinal directions, relative distances and sizes, and symbols explained in a legend (key) Examine environmental concerns in the community Explain the relationship between the physical setting of a community and its ability to satisfy the wants and needs of its people Explain the factors influencing the size, location, and population of communities Describe how transportation and communication networks link communities Examine personal environmental choices and their effects on the quality of life in the community	Locate places and natural features by interpreting and constructing maps using directions, legends, grid systems, boundary lines, and scales Examine people's adaptation to and modification of their environment as a result of changes in technology Examine the impact of geography on the industrial growth and economic prosperity of communities in the state, nation, and world Predict the effects of living in a given geographic setting on people's lives Examine how people of the state and nation are linked by transportation and communication networks Examine different ways of defining a region Demonstrate a sense of personal responsibility for environmental decisions made at the state and national levels See an Exemplar Assessment Task: "Juft Imported From London," for Grade 5.	Locate places, cultural features, and natural features by interpreting and constructing maps using directions, legends, grid systems, boundary lines, scales, and political units Evaluate environmental issues and recommend ways of protecting the environment while meeting human needs Evaluate the ways humans modify their physical setting to meet economic needs, and the resulting changes in their quality of life Analyze patterns of population growth and settlement in different times, cultures, and environments Analyze the influence of transportation and communication on the movement of people, goods, and ideas from place to place Compare regions on a state, national, and global basis Analyze ways in which different cultural groups view environmental decisions See an Exemplar Instructional Task: "A Sea of Troubles," for Grade 7

Return to the Grades K-8 Social Studies Outcomes Overview.

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