Open Colleges
Your Brain Map: Strategies for Accelerated Learning
The brain is a complex organ with many different structures and functions. An interactive diagram allows learners to explore the different structures while pop-ups describe their functions. Secondary interactives show the structures of...
Curated OER
Design an Island
Students make a map of an imaginary island using the topographic symbols provided from a worksheet. Students place lakes, dwellins, reefs, etc. in areas where they would logically be located from understanding how the topography of an...
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Lets Put Delaware On The Map
Learners compare and contrast historical and modern maps of Delaware. Through class discussion and group activities, students analyze maps and make comparisons. Each group participates in a game to aid in discerning the similarities...
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A Map is Worth a Thousand Words
Students read the story, "The Most Dangerous Game," by Richard Connell. They discuss specific parts of the story with a group and put their lists on the board. They write a summary of the plot and setting of the story.
Mathematics Assessment Project
Middle School Mathematics Test 3
Real-life mathematics is not as simple as repeating a set of steps; pupils must mentally go through a process to come to their conclusions. Teach learners to read, analyze, and create a plan for solving a problem situation. The provided...
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Design an Island
Students explore islands. They create a two- or three-dimensional map of an island. They explain how the topography of an area influences the location of water sources, ecosystems, and human settlements. Lesson includes adaptations for...
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Hunters and Gatherers
Sixth graders participate in mapping and other activities to understand why ancient civilizations developed as they did. In this ancient civilization lesson, 6th graders recognize that there were three important climate zones and...
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What Are The Characteristics of Your Neighborhood?
Middle schoolers make a mental map of their neighborhood. Using a software program, they make an aerial and digital map of their school and locate their school on given maps. In groups, they calculate the distances to various locations...
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The Relative Location of Relatives
Students map the distribution of their family members within the town, state, country, or world using their own personal knowledge and information from interviews. They create a mental map of family members, and develop a sketch map...
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Where are the Watersheds in San Francisco?
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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Any Town, USA
Students launch an investigation of their home town by creating a mental map and examining the livability factors from their perspective. After completing their map, students write a brief description of their town
The New York Times
Stress Less: Understanding How Your Mind and Body Respond to Anxiety
What could be more relevant to teens and preteens than experiencing stress? Use an article from the New York Times website to practice valuable Common Core skills for informational text reading, and also get a discussion going in your...
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Discovering the Physical Geography of Washington
Students develop a mental map of the state of Washington and draw it on paper. Using the Virtual Atlas, they identify the physical features of the state and draw them on their map. They also examine the populations and diversity of the...
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Roll With The Punches: Crossroads to Where?
Third graders visualize and create a map to outline scenes from the novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. They understands the importance of organizing information when making maps and giving directions.
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Draw A Coastline
Students identify, locate and draw at least ten different geographical features on a map. Using the map, they must make it to scale and include their own legend and compass rose. They share their map with the class and answer questions.
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Mind Mapping
Students explore the functions of the brain. They create their own "live" model comparing a phrenology chart to our modern understanding of brain function and anatomy. Students compare and contrast brain models.
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What's For Dinner?
Eighth graders discover how the location of restaurants affects the future location of different restaurants. Using a fictionous town, they map the locations of all current restaurants and analyze the data to determine what type of...
Think Like A Programmer! Puzzlets Cork the Volcano Curriculum
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Treasure Hunters
Students design an on campus treasure hunt to find various architectural vocabulary words which they then create definitions for on the blog page on the Environmental Design website.
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Global Perceptions: How Your Students View the World
Learners examine their own perceptions and attitudes about places around the world. Using their mental maps, they compare and contrast it with a world map from different periods in history. They review the various types of map...
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Boundaries
Students are introduced to the term of mental mapping. Individually, they develop their own mental map of Washington state and discuss as a class what makes a boundary. They draw their mental map on paper and compare it with their...
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Create the Ideal City
Middle schoolers examine the significance of city planning. They analyze maps, develop a crossword puzzle using vocabulary terms, and create a diagram of an ideal city and describe the features that make it healthy for the economy, the...
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Sense of Place
Students identify the major folk regions of Louisiana and the relationship between folklife, geography, and ecology. They give deeper thought to what makes their own community unique, what their sense of place actually is. Students...
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Ireland: the Emerald Isle
Third graders complete a unit of study that examines several perspectives of Ireland. They explore how climate shapes Irish culture, reference historical and political maps, compute exchange values for Irish money, complete worksheets,...