Developing a range of geographic skills is important to students. One can be totally unaware of the fuzziness of vision until putting on glasses. Then suddenly, surroundings become much clearer. What were unrelated components in the mind s eye become sharp, defined and related. The vision of the Standards is geography for life, educating Americans to be able to think geographically and to apply geography s unique perspectives and skills to life situations.
Students identify geographic issues and define problems, plan and organize geographic inquiries.
The information may be about locations, human and physical characteristics of locations, or the geographic activities and conditions of humans who live in said location. The data can be obtained from maps, graphics, statistics, or by learning experiences in the community, outside of school, through field work. Students should make maps to help them think spatially. The organization and presentation of the information helps in the next step. Map interpretation shows spatial patterns, structures and organization.