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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What They Left Behind: Early Multi-National Influences in the United States

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students research the impact of European voyages of discovery and colonial influence on different aspects of American culture. They access a number of online sources and reference maps to trace the influences of England, France, Holland,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Big is Big?

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Geography learners compare and contrast population densities throughout the world. Using maps, they estimate the relative size of the world's regions and populations. They develop analogies to discover the world they live in and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making A New Nation

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders read standard road maps and topographical maps, and examine the lives of pathfinders who opened the trails to the West. They develop Living History presentations, role-playing a character from the past.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The New Californians

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students identify the groups of immigrants who came to California. They trace the route they possibly took to American on a world map. They discuss the reasons why they left their homeland and what challenges they faced once they arrived.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Go West, Young Man!"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine reasons why people migrated west. They describe how the geography of the U.S. changed in the 19 th century and design a PowerPoint presentation to convey factors for westward expansion.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

ESRI Live Earthquake Site

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine a World map and find earthquakes near plate boundaries. They locate and describe earthquakes in the United States and California.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

On the Road Again

For Teachers K - 3rd
Young scholars trace the migration route of a gray whale. They color and label a map of North America, and using photocopy pictures of a gray whale, they move the whale along the migration route over a ten week period.
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Interactive
Curated OER

States in the USA Quiz

For Students 4th - 9th
In this online interactive geography quiz learning exercise, students respond to 50 identification questions about the states in the United States of America. Students have 4 minutes to complete the quiz.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Off to the Future

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students read a handout and predict the position of the San Andreas Fault far in the future. In this future world activity, students use a map worksheet to demonstrate the path of the Pacific Plate millions of years from now.
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Lesson Plan
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Channel Islands Film

Arlington Springs Man: Lesson Plan 4

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
West of the West's documentary Arlington Springs Man introduces viewers to the remarkable finds on Santa Rosa Island. Archaeologist have discovered on this small island that is part of the Channel island chain, human and pygmy mammoth...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where are the Watersheds in San Francisco?

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students create a mental map of San Francisco. They compare it with actual topographical maps of the city. Then they label various locations on the San Francisco Hillshade map and locate watershed boundaries.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

San Francisco Bay Watershed

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars locate important landmarks on a map and explore the watersheds in California. In this watershed lesson students complete a worksheet and discuss what they learned. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Watersheds: The San Francisco Bay Watershed

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders make a model of a watershed. In this geography lesson, 6th graders view a shaded relief map of California and locate landmarks. Students examine the San Francisco Bay Watershed by following the journey of water through the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earthquakes And Fault Lines

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss major causes of earthquakes and identify famous fault lines, access and map information about ten largest earthquakes in world from 1989 to 1998, and theorize about location of these earthquakes as they relate to Earth's...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tectonic Plates, Earthquakes, and Volcanoes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Challenge geography classes to locate the major volcanoes and earthquake faults on a world map. In groups, they identify the pattern made and examine the relationship between the locations of the faults and volcanoes and tectonic plates....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Does It Come from?

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students read articles about various agricultural products and create a map using the statistics in the article.  In this agricultural statistics lesson, students look at the geography of the country and which products come from the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapwork: A Place In the News

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students determine how to find geographic information about places they read about in the news. For this geography lesson, students look at political and physical maps to determine the difference. They access maps online to find the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Medieval African Kingdoms

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders examine the geography and political history of West Africa. They role-play as applicants to a company that transports customers to any historic time period. Working in teams, they create promotional products encouraging...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

More Than One Grain of Rice

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students explore mathematics, geography and agriculture by studying world rice production. In this production of rice lesson, students read One Grain of Rice and use a worksheet grid to calculate how much rice was received. Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Diversity

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students work in groups to research and prepare an oral report about a region.  In this regions lesson, students find out about the geography, population, state capitals, and landmarks.  Students assign attributes to the people based on...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rice Farming in Texas

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders explore how rice farming came to Texas. In this rice farming lesson, 3rd graders discover the history of how farmers began to grow rice in the United States. Students color code maps and create a timeline for rice farming...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gray Whales on the Move

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars study whale migration and their natural history.  In this migration lesson students plot whale migration on a map and describe their ecosystems. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Zoo Welcomes Baby Animals

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students engage in activities to gain a better understanding of endangered animals. In these animal lessons, students use vocabulary and comprehension skills to gain a better understanding of endangered animals. They also watch video...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Globe Lesson- Early Spanish Settlements

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students use a globe. In this geography and early settlements lesson, students learn about the settlement of missions and haciendas in New Mexico. Students locate Mexico City and San Francisco on the globe and determine the distance...