8th Grade Social Studies - Geographic Perspectives

Visit Internet 4 Classrooms for other great 8th grade links.

Location, Place, Regions

Analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on the Earth's surface

Standard 3 - from National Geography Standards; describes distance, direction, location and distribution with questions at the end.

Explore the Spatial Patterns of Your Hometown - students use their hometown to develop an understanding of distance, accessibility, and connections; from National Geographic.

Review the characteristics of the six physical regions of Tennessee

Movement

Understand the characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations of Earth's surface

Crocs, Then and Now - students investigate the geographical distributions, habitats, and other features of modern crocodilians and SuperCroc; from National Geographic.

Human Environment Interaction

Analyze the characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on the Earth's surface

Ecosystem - encyclopedia article describing different types of ecosystems; from Encarta.

US Geological Survey: Ecosystems - an explanation of ecosystems with several links.

MBGnet - website with beautiful pictures of different types of biomes and ecosystems; each one contains several links describing locations, facts, and what lives in each type.

Living Things: Habitats & Ecosystems - a great interactive site that describes ecosystems, biomes, and habitats; also includes ideas for projects.

Explore how physical systems affect the development of human systems

Standard 15 - from National Geography Standards; provides an explanation of how physical environments affect humans.

Household Hazardous Waste - "students survey their homes for hazardous materials and use the Web to find out about proper waste disposal methods and the potential consequences of improper disposal. Students will conclude by creating pamphlets or multimedia presentations showing what they have learned;" from National Geographic.

Explain how human actions modify the physical environment

Human Impact in the African Rain Forest: What Can We Do? - lesson plan that explores the negative effects humans have on the rain forest; from National Geographic.

Process/Investigation

Demonstrate how to use maps and other geographic tools and techniques to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective
Understand the physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth's surface

Places & Processes: Physical Processes in Shaping Places - students will analyze the roles of climate and other physical processes in shaping places; from National Geographic.

Rain: Friend or Foe - lesson plan in which students use their knowledge of rainfall, vegetation, and the slope angles of hillsides to make decisions, predict outcomes, and analyze the effects of certain events or practices; from National Geographic.

Standard 7 - from National Geography Standards; provides an explanation of how physical processes shape the patterns of Earth's surface.

back to accomplishments

Share Your Ideas!
If you have other links to helpful lesson plans, click here to submit.