Vocabulary

Video

Transcript

In 2010, nine thousand, five-hundred (9,500) 8th graders and ten thousand (10,000) 12th graders took a geography assessment administered by the National Center for Educational Statistics.

In their executive summary, they reported that for 8th grade, 74% of students had a BASIC level of geographic understanding. 27% of students had a proficient level of geographic understanding.

3% of students had an advanced level of geographic understanding.

For 12th grade, 70% of students had a basic level of geographic understanding. 20% of students had a proficient level of geographic understanding.

1% of students had an advanced level of geographic understanding.

 
Interviewer: What countries makeup Great Britain? You’ve heard of Great Britain?
Female in Beige Jacket: Yeah.
Interviewer: If someone says they’re going to Great Britain, what language do they speak when they get there?
Female in Beige Jacket: British.
Interviewer: They speak British. Okay. Have you ever met anyone who speaks British? Female in Beige Jacket: No.
Interviewer: Can you think of any word British?
Female in Beige Jacket: Ummm. No.
Interviewer: No? Mini-Cooper?
Female in Beige Jacket: Oh yeah. A Mini Cooper.

 
Interviewer: We’re talking with . . .
Todd in Cap: Todd Acquire.
Interviewer: Todd, if you’ve met someone from Amsterdam what nationality would they be?
Todd in Cap: Ummm. I have no idea. Amsterdamian?
Interviewer: Amsterdamian. No. They wear wooden shoes. Who whereas wooden shoes? Todd in Cap: Umm. Toddlers.
Interviewer: Tobblers? So they’d be cobblers right?

 
Interviewer: We’re talking with . . .
Lynsey in Black Leather Jacket: Lynsey Shapes.
Interviewer: Lindsay, your high school student as well?
Lynseay in Black Leather Jacket: Yes sir.
Interviewer: What is the world’s tallest mountain?
Lynseay in Black Leather Jacket: It’s not not Mount Rushmore.
Interviewer: No, no. Do you ever rest?
Lynseay in Black Leather Jacket: Do I what?
Interviewer: Ever rest?
Lynseay in Black Leather Jacket: No.
Interviewer: I’m giving you a clue.
Lynseay in Black Leather Jacket: Oh. I really don’t know.
Interviewer: You see, I ask you, do you ever rest? And that means . . .
Lynseay in Black Leather Jacket: Oh Mount Everest.
Interviewer: Everest, there you go.

 
Interviewer: We’re talking with . . .
Aysha Elbar Black Jacket: Aysha Elbar.
Interviewer: Aysha, that’s a pretty name. And your high school student?
Aysha Elbar Black Jacket: What are people from Denmark called? You meet a bunch of people from Denmark, what are they?
Aysha Elbar Black Jacket: I don’t know; Denmarnians?
Interviewer: Denmardians! Denmardians.
Aysha Elbar Black Jacket: I don’t know!

 
Interviewer: How many Great Lakes are there?
Female in White Jacket: Oh, a lot, like a hundred-something?
Interviewer: A hundred?
Female in White Jacket: I could be really wrong.
Interviewer: A hundred. Can you name all hundred?
Female in White Jacket: No. I could be really wrong.
Interviewer: Can you name one Great Lake?
Female in White Jacket: The Glacier?
Interviewer: The Great Lake.

 
Interviewer: We’re talking with . . .
Nick in Beige Jacket: Nick.
Interviewer: Nick, what do you do?
Nick in Beige Jacket: Um, I go to high school.
Interviewer: What high school?
Nick in Beige Jacket: In Royse City, Texas.
Interviewer: And what do you want to do when you get out?
Nick in Beige Jacket: I would like to be a film director.
Interviewer: Film director. Okay. You’ve heard of the English Channel.
Nick in Beige Jacket: Yes.
Inteviewer: It goes between what two countries?
Nick in Beige Jacket: France and England.
Interviewer: England. Now is there any way to get there besides by boat?
Nick in Beige Jacket: I think there’s like a bridge like a really long bridge and it goes under the water.
Interviewer: The bridge that goes under the water would be called what?
Nick in Beige Jacket: An underwater bridge?
Interviewer: How about a tunnel.
Nick in Beige Jacket: Oh yeah. A tunnel.

 
Interviewer: We’re talking with . . .
Caitlin Wilcox, Female with Cap: Caitlin Wilcox.
Interviewer: Caitlin. You’re from where?
Caitlin Wilcox, Female with Cap: Arkansas.
Interviewer: Arkansas. Okay. How is the school system in Arkansas?
Caitlin Wilcox, Female with Cap: It’s awesome.
Interviewer: It’s good. Let’s see how good it is. How many oceans are there?
Caitlin Wilcox, Female with Cap: Oceans?
Interviewer: Yeah.
Caitlin Wilcox, Female with Cap: I’ve only been to one.
Interviewer: You’ve been to one. Which one were you at?
Caitlin Wilcox, Female with Cap: Florida.
Which one? Which ocean did you go to in Florida?
Caitlin Wilcox, Female with Cap: An ocean. Pacific Ocean.
Interviewer: Pacific Ocean in Florida. How was it?
Caitlin Wilcox, Female with Cap: It’s good.
Interviewer: What is the largest country in South America?
Caitlin Wilcox, Female with Cap: In South America? Africa?

 
Interviewer: And where is Iraq?
Aysha Elbar Black Jacket: I don’t know like South Europe or something?
Interviewer: South Europe?
Aysha Elbar Black Jacket: I don’t know. I don’t know.
Interviewer: Iraq is in Europe. So you go to Europe. You go south.
Aysha Elbar Black Jacket: I don’t know.

 
Interviewer: What country would you find the Panama Canal in?
Nick in Beige Jacket: Panama Canal in . . . Is there a country named Panama? No?
Interviewer: No, is there?
Nick in Beige Jacket: No, oh. Is it in the US? No?
Interviewer: Why do they call the Panama Canal, you think?
Nick in Beige Jacket: Is there . . . a guy named Panama, made the . . .
Interviewer: A guy named Panama. And he did what? He made the . . .
Nick in Beige Jacket: Canal. The Panama Canal.
Interviewer: If you go down and use the Panama Canal, you’re trying to go from where to where?
Nick in Beige Jacket: One place to another.
Interviewer: Why take it?
Nick in Beige Jacket: It’s faster.
Interviewer: Faster, but where does it go?
Nick in Beige Jacket: Panama and . . .
Interviewer: And what?
Nick in Beige Jacket: And France.
Interviewer: And France.

 
Interviewer: Where is Iraq? You know we hear so much about Iraq.
Caitlin Wilcox, Female with Cap: Iraq?
Interviewer: Yeah Iraq.
Caitlin Wilcox, Female with Cap: Iraq is in Afghanistan.
Interviewer: In Afghanistan.

 
Interviewer: We’re talking with . . .
Mackenzie Maxwell: Mackenzie Maxwell.
Interviewer: Where is the Berlin Wall located?
Mackenzie Maxwell: In the former Soviet Union?
Interview: No.
Mackenzie Maxwell: Oh darn.
Interviewer: Is the Berlin Wall still there?
Mackenzie Maxwell: No.
Interviewer: What happened?
Mackenzie Maxwell: Ummm. Well David Hasselhoff said it was him.
Interviewer: And what did David Hasselhoff have to do with taking down the Berlin Wall?
Mackenzie Maxwell: I don’t know. I saw it on E, and he said that he should be in the memorial for the Berlin Wall.
Interviewer: Because why?
Mackenzie Maxwell: I don’t know.

 
Interviewer: If you met some people in Denmark, what would they be called?
Caitlin Wilcox, Female with Cap: Denmark . . .
Interviewer: A group of people in Denmark would be called . . .
Caitlin Wilcox, Female with Cap: Jewish people?
Interviewer: Jewish people. Where is the “Outback”?
Caitlin Wilcox, Female with Cap: The Outback? The restaurant.
Interviewer: The restaurant.
Caitlin Wilcox, Female with Cap: The restaurant.
Interviewer: Is there one around here?
Caitlin Wilcox, Female with Cap: Umm . . . I don’t know.

Questions

Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland. American students are very good at geography. True or false?

Russia, Ukraine, Belarus. According to the student in the beige jacket, what language do people in Britain speak?

Britain, England, Wales, Scotland. Todd said that natives of Amsterdam are . . . .

France, Germany, Italy. Regarding mountains, is Lynsey more of an American patriot or a globalist?

Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan. Are the Great Lakes of the United States tiny, small, medium-sized, large or very large?

China, Japan, Korea. How can people go from France to Britain or from Britain to France? How do people travel between Britain and France?

Canada, Australia, New Zealand. How many oceans are there? Name the oceans of the world. What is the largest country in South America?

Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia. What can you say about the Panama Canal? What do you know about the Panama Canal?
 
 
 

Spain, Italy, Greece. Are you good at geography? Are people in your country good or bad in geography, in the middle or it depends?

Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary. Is geography taught in school? Is geography an interesting subject?

Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay. What might happen in the future?

Colombia, Venezuela. Is it important for schools to teach geography? Is it important to know geography?

Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania. What countries make up Great Britain?

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh. What nationality are residents of Amsterdam? What language do they speak? What country is Amsterdam in?

Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar. What’s the tallest mountain in your country?

Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia. What are people from Denmark called? What is the capital of Denmark? What is the capital of your country?