Grade 8 - World Geography · History and Social Science Skills
Virginia SOL WG.SKILLS
Virginia SOL WG.SKILLS is part of the History and Social Science Skills strand in Grade 8 - World Geography (History). Under this Standards of Learning objective, students demonstrate skills for historical thinking, geographical analysis, economic decision making, and responsible citizenship. Below is what WG.SKILLS covers in plain language, the specific skills it is assessed on, the key concepts to review, and how to practice WG.SKILLS for the Virginia SOL test.
What SOL WG.SKILLS means
Demonstrate skills for historical thinking, geographical analysis, economic decision making, and responsible citizenship.
Practice Grade 8 - World Geography SOL questions
Free Grade 8 - World Geography questions from official Virginia Department of Education released SOL tests — good practice while you work on WG.SKILLS and the rest of the course. Pick an answer to check it instantly, or open “Show answer” to review.
1. Which country contains the latitude and longitude 15° South latitude and 45° West longitude?
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Answer: A — Brazil
2. Selected Cities of the World: Boston is located in the Northern Hemisphere. Madrid is located in the Northern Hemisphere. Warsaw is located in the Northern Hemisphere. Alexandria (Egypt) is located in the Northern Hemisphere. Calgary is located in the Northern Hemisphere. Durban is located in the Southern Hemisphere. Johannesburg is located in the Southern Hemisphere. Brasília is located in the Southern Hemisphere. Which two cities have opposite seasons at the same time of year?
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Answer: C — Calgary and Durban
3. Jimmy knows the route from his house to his school and can name each street along the way. This statement is an example of —
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Answer: D — mental mapping
4. This type of map is used to show the height of land and changes in elevation using contour lines or shading.
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Answer: A — Elevation
→ Take the full free Grade 8 - World Geography SOL practice test
Skills you’ll practice for WG.SKILLS
- Select and synthesize evidence from artifacts, primary and secondary sources, charts, graphs, diagrams, and geospatial technologies (maps, GIS, GPS) to understand world regions.
- Apply geographic skills to determine and predict patterns and movement of people, places, and events.
- Develop questions and engage in critical thinking and analysis to investigate topics.
- Investigate and analyze evidence from multiple sources to construct arguments.
- Compare and contrast historical, cultural, economic, and political perspectives.
- Determine and explain cause-and-effect relationships in historical and geographical contexts.
- Use economic decision-making models to analyze incentives and consequences of specific choices.
- Engage and communicate as a civil and informed individual with persons holding different perspectives.
- Develop products reflecting understanding of research, content, and world geography concepts.
- Contextualize, corroborate, and evaluate sources for credibility, propaganda, and bias to identify patterns and trends.
Key concepts covered by WG.SKILLS
- evidence synthesis
- primary sources
- secondary sources
- geospatial technologies
- GIS
- GPS
- geographic patterns
- movement prediction
- spatial analysis
- question development
- critical thinking
- analysis
- evidence analysis
- argument construction
- source evaluation
- perspective comparison
- historical analysis
- cultural analysis
- economic analysis
- political analysis
- cause-and-effect
- historical causation
- geographical causation
- economic models
- decision-making
- incentives
- consequences
- civil discourse
- perspective-taking
- communication
- product development
- research synthesis
- geography concepts
- credibility assessment
- propaganda analysis
- bias detection
How to study and practice SOL WG.SKILLS
Start with a quick diagnostic to see whether WG.SKILLS is already solid, then work each skill above with guided notes, flashcards, and SOL-style practice questions. For official released items, see our Virginia SOL practice tests guide and how to study for the SOL test.
Frequently asked questions about SOL WG.SKILLS
What is Virginia SOL WG.SKILLS?
SOL WG.SKILLS is a Grade 8 - World Geography Standard of Learning in the History and Social Science Skills strand. It expects students to demonstrate skills for historical thinking, geographical analysis, economic decision making, and responsible citizenship.
What skills does SOL WG.SKILLS cover?
SOL WG.SKILLS is assessed on 10 skills: select and synthesize evidence from artifacts, primary and secondary sources, charts, graphs, diagrams, and geospatial technologies (maps, GIS, GPS) to understand world regions; apply geographic skills to determine and predict patterns and movement of people, places, and events; develop questions and engage in critical thinking and analysis to investigate topics; investigate and analyze evidence from multiple sources to construct arguments; compare and contrast historical, cultural, economic, and political perspectives; determine and explain cause-and-effect relationships in historical and geographical contexts; use economic decision-making models to analyze incentives and consequences of specific choices; engage and communicate as a civil and informed individual with persons holding different perspectives; develop products reflecting understanding of research, content, and world geography concepts; contextualize, corroborate, and evaluate sources for credibility, propaganda, and bias to identify patterns and trends.
What strand of Grade 8 - World Geography is SOL WG.SKILLS in?
SOL WG.SKILLS belongs to the History and Social Science Skills reporting strand of the Grade 8 - World Geography Virginia Standards of Learning.
How do I study and practice for SOL WG.SKILLS?
Start with a diagnostic to see whether WG.SKILLS is already solid, then work the 10 skills above with guided notes, flashcards, and SOL-style practice questions. For official released items, see the Virginia SOL practice tests guide.