Course Standards
General Course Information and Notes
General Notes
M/J World Geography - The social studies curriculum for this course consists of the following content area strands: World History, Geography, and Economics. The primary content for this course pertains to the usage of geographic concepts, tools, and skills to draw conclusions about physical and human patterns. Content should include, but not be limited to understanding world political regions in terms of location, physical characteristics, population and culture, historical change, economic activity, and land use. Students will be exposed to the multiple dynamics of geography including economics and world history. Students will study methods of historical inquiry and primary and secondary historical documents.Mathematics Benchmark Guidance - Social Studies instruction should include opportunities for students to interpret and create representations of historical events and concepts using mathematical tables, charts, and graphs.
Special Notes:
Additional content that may be contained in the NAEP Grade 8 Geography assessment includes:
- regional patterns of function
- geographic factors contributing to conflict and cooperation in a variety of settings
Instructional Practices
Teaching from well-written, grade-level instructional materials enhances students' content area knowledge and also strengthens their ability to comprehend longer, complex reading passages on any topic for any reason. Using the following instructional practices also helps student learning:
1. Reading assignments from longer text passages as well as shorter ones when text is extremely complex.
2. Making close reading and rereading of texts central to lessons.
3. Asking high-level, text-specific questions and requiring high-level, complex tasks and assignments.
4. Requiring students to support answers with evidence from the text.
5. Providing extensive text-based research and writing opportunities (claims and evidence).
General Information
Educator Certifications
Student Resources
Original Student Tutorials
Learn how arguments are formed with claims, reasons, and evidence. In this interactive tutorial, you'll read several short speeches from students hoping to be elected president of the Student Council. We'll trace the claim made by each student and the reasons and evidence they use to support it.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Investigate the limiting factors of a Florida ecosystem and describe how these limiting factors affect one native population-the Florida Scrub-Jay-with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn what genetic engineering is and some of the applications of this technology. In this interactive tutorial, you’ll gain an understanding of some of the benefits and potential drawbacks of genetic engineering. Ultimately, you’ll be able to think critically about genetic engineering and write an argument describing your own perspective on its impacts.
Type: Original Student Tutorial