University of Southern California
Wave Erosion Lab
Using a stream table, erosion enthusiasts examine how the density of sediment and how the slope of land contribute to the amount moved by waves. You will not be able to use this entire resource as is; there are teachers' names and...
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TECH:Flight Simulator (Trans)
Microsoft's Flight simulator is the focal point of this lesson. By participating in this activity, teenagers role-play what is necessary for piloting an airplane. They explore the concepts of flight. You will need to familiarize yourself...
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Soil Investigations
Young scholars examine the basics about soil. In this soil instructional activity students describe the physical properties of soil and explain what soil profile is.
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Calculate Your Contribution
Young scholars assess the environmental impact of their transportation choices. They keep a transportation journal and use a website to calculate vehicle emissions for themselves and their class. They evaluate their transportation choices.
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Mapping My Community
Ninth graders are introduced to GPS technology. They complete fieldwork as they visit a specific area of their community to identify and map types of land use in the surveyed area. They use the collected data to create a digital map.
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Lesson L - Hit The Road Jack (or Jill)
Students discuss forms of transportation in Delaware during 18th Century, find approximate area of court order on current map of state, draw layout of their school, and decide where new hallway or outside pathway would be most needed.
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Acid Rain
Learners understand the dynamics of acid rain and its impact on the living and non-living environment. They hypothesize how acid rain affects water pH levels in two lake systems with differing watershed features.
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Applied Science- Built environment Lab (Trains)
Learners examine transportation. In this train design lesson, students study how trains work and how to efficiently design a track by working with an electric train set. As a class they compare various types of trains and work...
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Candy Land Math
Pupils order numbers and sets of objects from 0 through 10 and organize and interpret information collected from the immediate environment. They read and interpret graphs usin real objects and the computer. Finally, students sort a...
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Risk Assessment and Geometry
Tenth graders study the concept of risk analysis as it relates to geometry. In this spatial relationship lesson plan, 10th graders are provided a set of coordinates to analyze a piece of land described. Students write a description that...
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Surface Water Model
Students examine, through demonstration and experimentation, how water moves through watershed, identify pollutants that can enter water system from different land use activities, and discuss ways people can help prevent water pollution.
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Rain Shadows and Sea Breezes
Young scholars plot the average rainfall for a variety of cities in the United States. Using the map, they work together to determine patterns on which toxicants are transported through the air. They determine the impacts of various...
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Development Issues in the Northern Suburbs
Learners demonstrate the ability to obtain geographic information from a variety of print and electronic sources. They use a variety of maps and data to identify and locate geographical features of Minnesota and Anoka County. in...
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Council Grove: Site of the Hellgate Treaty
Students explore Native Americans and the migration of non native people to Montana. They investigate and interpret maps for information such as location of Indian reservations, transportation routes and important communities.
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757 Glider Kit
Students work together to complete a 757 Glider kit. They use a GPS to discover how it operates in all weather landings. They complete different obstacles with the glider as well.
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A Victorian Prison
Prisons in Victorian England were miserable places, designed to deter people from committing crimes. To understand why these prisons were so tough, young historians review documents and pictures from Coldbath Fields prison. After...
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GPS Scavenger Hunt
Students go on a GPS scavenger hunt. They use GPS receivers to find designated waypoints and report back on what they found. They compute distances between waypoints based on the latitude and longitude, and compare with the distance the...
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Sustainable Lifestyles vs. Lifestyles of Excess
Students examine the concept of sustainability and Vietnam. They compare/contrast the Vietnamese lifestyles with those in the U.S., and analyze how water, land use, transportation, food systems, and homes effect sustainability.
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GPS Art
Young scholars design their own logo or picture and use a handheld GPS receiver to map it out. They write out a word or graphic on a field or playground, walk the path, and log GPS data. The results display their "art" on their GPS...
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Discovering Places & Regions
Fifth graders research physical and cultural features of a place. They practice skills in gathering information from various sources, using tools such as graphic organizers, word processing, multimedia, and use of the Internet.
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Science: Lead Shot and Waterfowl
Students examine data to investigate the impact of lead shot pellets on waterfowl populations. They graph their findings and discover how lead in ingested by birds and poisons them. As an extension, students research legislation and...
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Water Pollution Graphing Activity
Students describe and identify the link between land use activities within a watershed and water quality. They evaluate the quality of a "water sample" ( a bag of skittles), graph their results, and form a hypothesis about the land use...
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Internal Spatial Structure of Cities
High schoolers examine the internal spatial structure of cities. In groups, they analyze patterns of functions, structure and characteristics of settlement patterns. They also identify the population densities of land value of business...
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Home Sweet Home-Far From Home
Learners observe slides of U.S. coastal geography. They study topography and vegetation maps for one region. They gather geographic facts on a guided worksheet. Students pretend to be colonists. They decide what kind of economic system...