Integrating the Geography Standards in Teaching With Topographic Maps

The World in Spatial Terms (Location):
Spatial information tells about where things are, and about where things are in relation to each other. Different scales of USGS maps can be used to illustrate these concepts.

Places and Regions (Physical and Human Characteristics):
The description of a place includes its physical and human characteristics. This can be illustrated with topographic maps and regions of the United States can be compared with maps. Obtain Department of Defense maps from the USGS and compare regions across the world.

Physical Systems (Land, Air, Water, and Living Things):
Physical processes constantly change the Earth's surface. Physical processes also interact with living things, creating and modifying Earth's ecosystems. Weather systems, ocean currents, volcanic activity, and tectonic plate movement affect the landscape and the organisms within it. At the same time, living things release and absorb gases, build and use soil, break down rocks, dam streams, and fill in lakes.

These and many more activities make up the systems that shape Earth's geography. USGS geologic, hydrologic, natural hazards, coal, oil, gravity, geomagnetic, historical, and topographic maps can be used to illustrate these physical systems. Digital USGS data can be loaded in a Geographic Information System to illustrate these concepts, with the use of digital vector and raster files.

Human Systems (Population, Culture, and Interdependence):
Human activities shape Earth's surface. Human settlements and structures are also part of Earth's surface. When people move from one place to another they often change the landscape as they go. In addition, people in different cultures interact with their environment in different ways. USGS geologic, hydrologic, natural hazards, coal, oil, gravity, geomagnetic, historical, and topographic maps can be used to illustrate human systems. What are the dominant economic activities for the people who live in the area you have chosen to study with your maps?

Environment and Society (Human-Environmental Interactions):
Human activities change the physical environment and ecosystems. In addition, human activities are influenced by the environment and by Earth's physical processes. Thus the interactions between people and the environment occur whenever physical systems and human systems meet -- which is all of the time! USGS maps can be used to illustrate the effect of humans on their environment, and the effect of the environment on human settlement.

The Uses of Geography (Changes Over Time):
Knowing about geography helps people understand the relationships between people, places, and environments over time. Thinking geographically allows us to interpret the past, understand the present, and plan for the future. Geography gives us a "big picture" of humans' place on Earth. Illustrate this with historical editions of USGS maps, comparing them to the latest topographic edition, and discuss the extent to which the area has changed, why the area has changed, and if the changes are increasing or decreasing.