Benchmark Definition Tools
Geography: 6-8 Cluster
Geography 1 [Maps]: Students will demonstrate mental maps of the world and its sub
regions which include the relative location and characteristics of major physical features,
political divisions, and human settlements.
World/sub-region:
Relative
Location
Characteristics
Major Physical Features
Major Political Divisions
Major Human Settlements
Developed by:
Delaware Geographic Alliance & Delaware Social Studies Education Project
University of Delaware
Benchmark Definition Tools
Geography: 6-8 Cluster
Geography 2 [Environment]: Apply a knowledge of major processes shaping natural
environments to understand how different people have changed, and have been affected by
physical environments in the world’s sub regions.
Major processes shaping
natural environment:
How people have changed
physical environment
How people have been
affected by physical
environment
Developed by:
Delaware Geographic Alliance & Delaware Social Studies Education Project
University of Delaware
Benchmark Definition Tools
Geography: 6-8 Cluster
Geography 3 [Places]: Identify and explain the major cultural patterns of human activity
in the world’s sub regions.
World Sub-regions
Cultural patterns of human activity
Developed by:
Delaware Geographic Alliance & Delaware Social Studies Education Project
University of Delaware
Benchmark Definition Tools
Geography: 6-8 Cluster
Geography 4a: [Regions] Understand the processes affecting the location of economic
activities in different world regions.
Economic Activity
Location of Economic
Activity
(Somewhere in the world’s sub
regions)
What process has affected
the location of this
economic activity?
Developed by:
Delaware Geographic Alliance & Delaware Social Studies Education Project
University of Delaware
Benchmark Definition Tools
Geography: 6-8 Cluster
Geography 4b: [Regions]
Explain how conflict and cooperation among people contribute to the divisions of the
Earth’s surface into distinctive cultural regions and political territories.
Region or Territory
Conflict
How did conflict contribute
to this division of the
earth’s surface?
Cooperation
How did cooperation
contribute to this division of
the earth’s surface?
Cultural Region
Cultural Region
Political Territory
Political Territory
Developed by:
Delaware Geographic Alliance & Delaware Social Studies Education Project
University of Delaware
Benchmark Definition Tools
Geography: 6-8 Cluster
Developed by:
Delaware Geographic Alliance & Delaware Social Studies Education Project
University of Delaware