(a) General requirements. Students shall be awarded one unit of credit for successful completion of this course.     
      (b) Introduction.      
        (1) In World Geography Studies, students examine people, places, and environments at local, regional, national, and international scales from the spatial and ecological perspectives of geography. Students describe the influence of geography on events of the past and present with emphasis on contemporary issues. A significant portion of the course centers around the physical processes that shape patterns in the physical environment; the characteristics of major landforms, climates, and ecosystems and their interrelationships; the political, economic, and social processes that shape cultural patterns of regions; types and patterns of settlement; the distribution and movement of the world population; relationships among people, places, and environments; and the concept of region. Students analyze how location affects economic activities in different economic systems. Students identify the processes that influence political divisions of the planet and analyze how different points of view affect the development of public policies. Students compare how components of culture shape the characteristics of regions and analyze the impact of technology and human modifications on the physical environment. Students use problem-solving and decision-making skills to ask and answer geographic questions.       
        (2) To support the teaching of the essential knowledge and skills, the use of a variety of rich primary and secondary source material such as contemporary and historic maps of various types, satellite-produced images, photographs, graphs, map sketches, and diagrams is encouraged.       
        (3) The eight strands of the essential knowledge and skills for social studies are intended to be integrated for instructional purposes. Skills listed in the social studies skills strand in subsection (c) of this section should be incorporated into the teaching of all essential knowledge and skills for social studies. A greater depth of understanding of complex content material can be attained when integrated social studies content from the various disciplines and critical-thinking skills are taught together. Statements that contain the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.       
        (4) Students identify the role of the U.S. free enterprise system within the parameters of this course and understand that this system may also be referenced as capitalism or the free market system.       
        (5) Throughout social studies in Kindergarten-Grade 12, students build a foundation in history; geography; economics; government; citizenship; culture; science, technology, and society; and social studies skills. The content, as appropriate for the grade level or course, enables students to understand the importance of patriotism, function in a free enterprise society, and appreciate the basic democratic values of our state and nation as referenced in the Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.002(h).       
        (6) Students understand that a constitutional republic is a representative form of government whose representatives derive their authority from the consent of the governed, serve for an established tenure, and are sworn to uphold the constitution.       
        (7) State and federal laws mandate a variety of celebrations and observances, including Celebrate Freedom Week.                  (A) Each social studies class shall include, during Celebrate Freedom Week as provided under the TEC, §29.907, or during another full school week as determined by the board of trustees of a school district, appropriate instruction concerning the intent, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, in their historical contexts. The study of the Declaration of Independence must include the study of the relationship of the ideas expressed in that document to subsequent American history, including the relationship of its ideas to the rich diversity of our people as a nation of immigrants, the American Revolution, the formulation of the U.S. Constitution, and the abolitionist movement, which led to the Emancipation Proclamation and the women's suffrage movement.                   (B) Each school district shall require that, during Celebrate Freedom Week or other week of instruction prescribed under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, students in Grades 3-12 study and recite the following text from the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness--That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed."         
        (8) Students discuss how and whether the actions of U.S. citizens and the local, state, and federal governments have achieved the ideals espoused in the founding documents.       
      (c) Knowledge and skills.      
        (1) History. The student understands how geography and processes of spatial exchange (diffusion) influenced events in the past and helped to shape the present. The student is expected to:                  (A) analyze significant physical features and environmental conditions that have influenced the past and migration patterns and have shaped the distribution of culture groups today; and                   (B) trace the spatial diffusion of phenomena such as the Columbian Exchange or the diffusion of American popular culture and describe the effects on regions of contact.         
        (2) History. The student understands how people, places, and environments have changed over time and the effects of these changes. The student is expected to:                  (A) describe the human and physical characteristics of the same regions at different periods of time to analyze relationships between past events and current conditions; and                   (B) explain how changes in societies such as population shifts, technological advancements, and environmental policies have led to diverse uses of physical features over time such as terrace farming, dams, and polders.         
        (3) Geography. The student understands how physical processes shape patterns in the physical environment. The student is expected to:                  (A) explain weather conditions and climate in relation to annual changes in Earth-Sun relationships;                   (B) describe the physical processes that affect the environments of regions, including weather, tectonic forces, erosion, and soil-building processes; and                   (C) describe how physical processes such as hurricanes, El Niño, earthquakes, and volcanoes affect the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere.         
        (4) Geography. The student understands the patterns and characteristics of major landforms, climates, and ecosystems of Earth and the interrelated processes that produce them. The student is expected to:                  (A) explain how elevation, latitude, wind systems, ocean currents, position on a continent, and mountain barriers influence temperature, precipitation, and distribution of climate regions;                   (B) describe different landforms such as plains, mountains, and islands and the physical processes that cause their development; and                   (C) explain the influence of climate on the distribution of biomes in different regions.         
        (5) Geography. The student understands how political, economic, and social processes shape cultural patterns and characteristics in various places and regions. The student is expected to:                  (A) analyze how the character of a place is related to its political, economic, social, and cultural elements; and                   (B) interpret political, economic, social, and demographic indicators (gross domestic product per capita, life expectancy, literacy, and infant mortality) to determine the level of development and standard of living in nations using the levels as defined by the Human Development Index.         
        (6) Geography. The student understands the types, patterns, and processes of settlement. The student is expected to:                  (A) locate and describe human and physical features that influence the size and distribution of settlements; and                   (B) explain the processes that have caused changes in settlement patterns, including urbanization, transportation, access to and availability of resources, and economic activities.         
        (7) Geography. The student understands the growth, distribution, movement, and characteristics of world population. The student is expected to:                  (A) analyze population pyramids and use other data, graphics, and maps to describe the population characteristics of different societies and to predict future population trends;                   (B) explain how physical geography and push and pull forces, including political, economic, social, and environmental conditions, affect the routes and flows of human migration;                   (C) describe trends in world population growth and distribution; and                   (D) analyze how globalization affects connectivity, standard of living, pandemics, and loss of local culture.         
        (8) Geography. The student understands how people, places, and environments are connected and interdependent. The student is expected to:                  (A) compare ways that humans depend on, adapt to, and modify the physical environment, including the influences of culture and technology;                   (B) analyze the consequences of extreme weather and other natural disasters such as El Niño, floods, tsunamis, and volcanoes on people and their environment; and                   (C) evaluate the economic and political relationships between settlements and the environment, including sustainable development and renewable/non-renewable resources.         
        (9) Geography. The student understands the concept of region as an area of Earth's surface with related geographic characteristics. The student is expected to:                  (A) identify physical and/or human factors such as climate, vegetation, language, trade networks, political units, river systems, and religion that constitute a region; and                   (B) describe different types of regions, including formal, functional, and perceptual regions.         
        (10) Economics. The student understands the distribution, characteristics, and interactions of the economic systems in the world. The student is expected to:                  (A) describe the forces that determine the distribution of goods and services in traditional, free enterprise, socialist, and communist economic systems;                   (B) classify countries along the economic spectrum between free enterprise and communism;                   (C) compare the ways people satisfy their basic needs through the production of goods and services such as subsistence agriculture versus commercial agriculture or cottage industries versus commercial industries; and                   (D) compare global trade patterns over time and analyze the implications of globalization, including outsourcing and free trade zones.         
        (11) Economics. The student understands how geography influences economic activities. The student is expected to:                  (A) understand the connections between levels of development and economic activities (primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary);                   (B) identify the factors affecting the location of different types of economic activities, including subsistence and commercial agriculture, manufacturing, and service industries; and                   (C) assess how changes in climate, resources, and infrastructure (technology, transportation, and communication) affect the location and patterns of economic activities.         
        (12) Economics. The student understands the economic importance of, and issues related to, the location and management of resources. The student is expected to:                  (A) analyze how the creation, distribution, and management of key natural resources affects the location and patterns of movement of products, money, and people; and                   (B) evaluate the geographic and economic impact of policies related to the development, use, and scarcity of natural resources such as regulations of water.         
        (13) Government. The student understands the spatial characteristics of a variety of global political units. The student is expected to:                  (A) interpret maps to explain the division of land, including man-made and natural borders, into separate political units such as cities, states, or countries; and                   (B) compare maps of voting patterns and political boundaries to make inferences about the distribution of political power.         
        (14) Government. The student understands the processes that influence political divisions, relationships, and policies. The student is expected to:                  (A) analyze current events to infer the physical and human processes that lead to the formation of boundaries and other political divisions;                   (B) compare how democracy, dictatorship, monarchy, republic, theocracy, and totalitarian systems operate in specific countries; and                  Cont'd...