Virginia SOL WG.17.b
The Standard
describing and explaining examples of the different types of conflicts that may erupt between and among nations
Virginia Standards of Learning for History and Social Science · The student will apply history and social science skills to analyze strategic geographic features and resources by
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students sort international conflicts into types such as border disputes, resource competition, and struggles over waterways or strategic locations. They use maps and case details to explain why each conflict developed.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students correctly classify a conflict and identify the geographic feature or resource involved. They explain how competing claims or needs can increase tension between countries.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may assume every conflict becomes a war or has only one cause. They may confuse conflicts within one country with conflicts between countries, or overlook water access and trade routes as causes.
How to Assess It
- Give students a map showing two countries claiming the same river and port. Ask them to name the conflict type and explain the geographic cause in two sentences.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Build a tabletop border map with yarn, tokens, and resource cards, then move each token to show where two countries' claims overlap.
Write a response to this prompt: Which creates more tension, a disputed border or a shared water source, and why?
Run a scenario card sort race using the labels border, resources, water access, strategic location, and political rivalry.
Give students a short news article and regional map, then have them mark the geographic feature connected to the international dispute.
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Related Standards
- 3.9.a
explaining the purpose of governments and understanding that other countries have governments similar to and different from that of the United States;
- 3.9.d
explaining what governments do at the national, state, and local levels; and
- WG.17.c
analyzing the types of conflicts and cooperation that can occur over the use of rivers and bodies of water.
- WG.17.a
identifying and describing examples of disputed borders and explaining the reasons for the disputes;
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