AP Human Geography
Exam Date: TBD
ap-human-geography-course-and-exam-description.pdfCourse Content
Based on the Understanding by Design® (Wiggins and McTighe) model, this course framework provides a clear and detailed description of the course requirements necessary for student success. The framework specifies what students must know, understand, and be able to do, with a focus on big ideas that encompass core principles, theories, and processes of the discipline. The framework also encourages instruction that prepares students for advanced geography coursework and active global citizenship.
The AP Human Geography framework is organized into seven commonly taught units of study that provide one possible sequence for the course. As always, you have the flexibility to organize the course content as you like.
Course Skills
The AP Human Geography framework included in the CED outlines distinct skills that students should practice throughout the year—skills that will help them learn to think and act like geographers.
Exam Overview
FRQ Verbs
Quantitative Resources
Geography courses require students to engage with data in a variety of ways. The analysis, interpretation, and application of quantitative information are vital skills for students in AP Human Geography. New textbooks and publishers’ resources often contain quantitative information presented via charts, graphs, or other infographics, but those data can quickly become out of date. Research institutions such as the Pew Research Center are good resources for current data with which to practice quantitative skills with students.
Visual Resources
Students will encounter a variety of visual sources on the AP Human Geography Exam. Some visuals contain data, such as a chart showing aging population by country across time periods. Other visuals may illustrate geographic principles, processes, or behaviors, such as topographical maps that demonstrate differences in scale. It is important to give students practice with a wide variety of visual sources in addition to those maps or cartoons in their textbook. The following resources provide a wealth of visuals to choose from for bell-ringer exercises and skills practice.
§ The National Geologic Map Database is a national archive of standardized maps.
§ Gapminder is a “fact tank” that offers free teaching resources based on statistics culled from universities, the United Nations, and non-governmental organizations.
§ Worldmapper is a collection of world maps called cartograms, on which the size of different areas is scaled in proportion to a particular variable.