There are six basic areas of geography that high school students are expected to cover including studying the world in spatial terms, regions and places, geography's physical systems, human geography systems, society and environment and geography's uses. Under each basic area are more defined goals or standards, and these total 18. For instance, under the uses of geography the standards include how to apply geography to interpret the past and how to use geography to interpret the present and plan for the future.
The National Geography Standards outline benchmarks or goals that a student should reach by the end of twelfth grade. There are also benchmarks for fourth and eighth grades. Benchmarks are guide posts or goals along the way to ensure that each student has been taught the essentials of the subject matter and are staying on course to reach the overall desired educational goals in geography. Teachers are given latitude and room for creativity to reach those goals.
Because of the interrelated nature of the subjects, geography, history and social studies are combined as one class. It may seem overwhelming at times to teach and give each subject its due, but it's also true that they are interdependent and difficult to separate. Some teachers use literature to bring all these elements together. By reading novels set in a specific place and time, the subject matter comes to life and comprehension improves.
There are many ways to teach high school geography and include hands-on opportunities for students. There are a variety of field trips both actual physical ones or virtual ones taken online. Films, videos and even performances of literature that deal with some geographical aspect, perhaps a work based in a specific time period and geographic region, can bring geography to life. Doing group and individual projects, whether a hand drawn and colored map of the Roman Empire, or a web based project on the different human migrations in history, can meet geography standards and enhance student's comprehension of the subject.
High school geography can help students better understand their world, in small and big terms. Current events make more sense to a student who understands where the event is taking place, the physical aspects of the location, the people of that area, and the resources of that region. Students who have studied geography in connection with history will understand previous events that may have led up to the current events of the region or people group. Geography increases a student's understanding of the world and the student's place in the world.