United States · Common Core State Standards
8th Grade Geography
This course investigates the physical and human systems that shape our world through the lens of spatial thinking. Students analyze how geographic factors influence historical events, economic development, and contemporary global challenges.
The Geographer's Toolkit
Foundational skills in cartography, GIS technology, and the five themes of geography to analyze spatial patterns.
Exploring how personal experiences and cultural backgrounds shape our individual understanding of space and place.
Using GPS, GIS, and remote sensing to solve real world problems and visualize complex data sets.
Physical Systems and Earth's Dynamics
An examination of the physical processes that shape the Earth's surface and the resulting landforms and climates.
Analyzing the internal forces that create mountains, volcanoes, and rift valleys across the globe.
Investigating the relationship between latitude, elevation, ocean currents, and the distribution of life.
Studying the distribution of freshwater and the geographic causes of water stress.
Human Populations and Migration
Analysis of population distribution, demographic shifts, and the reasons why people move from place to place.
Understanding population pyramids, birth rates, and the challenges of aging or rapidly growing societies.
Exploring the economic, political, and environmental drivers of voluntary and forced migration.
The shift from rural to urban living and the geographic challenges of modern infrastructure.
Cultural Patterns and Processes
Examining how culture spreads and how it is influenced by the physical environment.
The spread of ideas, languages, and religions across space and time through trade, conflict, and technology.
Tracing the hearths of major world religions and languages and their spatial distribution today.
How local geography dictates traditional diets and how global trade changes what we eat.
Political Power and Boundaries
Investigating how humans divide the Earth's surface into political units and the conflicts that arise from these divisions.
Defining sovereignty, territory, and the difference between a nation and a state.
Analyzing how geographic factors like resources and location lead to political tension and war.
The tension between global organizations like the UN and local movements for independence.
Environment and Society
Analyzing the reciprocal relationship between humans and their environment, focusing on sustainability and resource management.
Case studies on deforestation, desertification, and pollution caused by human economic activity.
Evaluating the geographic distribution of energy sources and the transition to green energy.
Exploring how different regions are responding to rising sea levels and changing weather patterns.