The National Geography Standards
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An understanding of the contemporary world requires an understanding of geography, that is, of the physical and human systems that drive world events. Geographic concepts also help us think clearly about alternative futures and make us wise decision-makers. |
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Chicago, Illinois - Sign: "Think globally, Act locally." We teach geography because we are interested in the future. We challenge students to expand their horizons and to "act locally." We believe that a good education in geography will prepare them to participate in the world of the 21st century. |
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Frederick County, Maryland - On a Maryland billboard appears the command: "Play Pigskin Geography." Geography helps sell newpapers and billboard space. It has become an element of popular culture in today's world. We see the signs of geography's promising future everywhere on the landscape. |
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Adaptations in the Activity and Residential Patterns of Metropolitian Communities - In "The Contemporary Metropolis" cheap energy encourages sprawl. In "The Future Metropolis" expensive energy encourages mixed use development and dependence on local resources. These maps portray the way the geographer might envision the transition in metropolitan settlement patterns to a more energy-efficient future. Source: D.J. Zeigler in Energy and the Adaptation of Human Settlements, Michigan State University, 1980, pp. 16-17. |
A Sample Question from the National Geography Challenge 1996 (Grade 2) which illustrates . . .
STANDARD 18 -- UNDERSTANDING THE PRESENT AND FUTURE
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On which day would Emilio see the most squirrels?
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