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A set of eighteen learning standards has been created for science of geography. These eighteen standards are separated into six essential elements:
Physical Systems 1. The physical actions that create patterns of earth's surface 2. The features and spatial distribution of ecosystems on earth's surface
Places and Regions 3. The material and human attributes of places 4. That people form regions to decode earth's complexity 5. How culture and experience influence people's understanding of places and regions
The World in Spatial Terms 6. How to use maps and other geographic tools and techniques to obtain, process, and describe information from a spatial viewpoint 7. How to use mental maps to organize data about people, places, and environments in a spatial context 8. How to study spatial arrangement of people, places, and environments on earth's surface
Human Systems 9. The features, dispersion, and migration of human populations on earth's surface 10. The features, dispersion, and intricacy of earth's cultural mosaics 11. The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on earth's surface 12. The processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement 13. How forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence division and control of earth's surface
The Uses of Geography 14. How to apply geography to interpret past 15. How to apply geography to interpret present and plan for future
Environment and Society 16. How human actions change physical environment 17. How physical systems affect human systems 18. The changes that occur in meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources
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