Article
University of Wisconsin

The Why Files: Oceans' True Boundaries and "Garbage Patches"

For Students 9th - 10th
A deep look at ocean circulation returns a surprise: Currents transport water - and non-degradable, floating plastic - between the ocean basins. Thus, some of the plastic in the South Atlantic "garbage gyre" was actually thrown away in...
Website
Curated OER

National Park Service: Tour of Park Geology: Plate Tectonics

For Students 9th - 10th
Plate tectonics and different plate boundaries are discussed on this website. Also, learn about the type of plate boundaries found in our National Parks.
Website
Other

International Boundary Commission

For Students 9th - 10th
International Boundary Commission website provides pictures and information on its history, purpose and function as a bi-national organization. Under the 1960 International Boundary Commission Act, the Commission's work is described as...
Lesson Plan
National Geographic

National Geographic: More Physical Geography and Borders

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Lesson on the physical features that create borders and boundaries. Small group and whole class activities, background information, worksheets and assessment.
Graphic
United Nations

United Nations: Cartographic Section: Okavango River Basin [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
This map from the United Nations is a very detailed map of the Okavango River Basin, showing rivers, wetlands, cities, country boundaries and much more. Increase the viewing percentage to read the map easily.
Handout
Other

National Atlas

For Students 9th - 10th
This site is excellent for mapping. You can create ANY kind of map you need. Select all kinds of layers: agriculture, biology, boundaries, climate, history, and more, and then select the geography. It does take some time to figure out...
Lesson Plan
National Geographic

National Geographic: Conflict on the Danube

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Lesson in which young scholars use maps and text to explore physical and cultural boundaries and the disputes over control of them. Includes two activities with comprehensive and adaptable materials.
Unit Plan
National Geographic

National Geographic: Plate Tectonics

For Students 9th - 10th
A short tutorial on plate tectonics. Includes a video, background reading, three questions, fast facts, and a vocabulary list. Discusses the publication of the Tharp-Heezen map of the seafloor in 1977 which paved the way for a much...
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of the American Indian: Indigenous Geography

For Students 9th - 10th
Indigenous Geography helps you develop key understandings on nine different dimensions as they relate to six Native communities located in the Western Hemisphere. Learn about the creation stories, place boundaries and landmarks, calendar...
Article
Henry J. Sage

Sage American History: Oregon Boundary Dispute and Oregon Fever

For Students 9th - 10th
Article outlining the disputes and events in the 1840s leading to the acquisition of the Oregon Territory which included land west of the Continental Divide between northern California and the Province of British Columbia.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Ocean Planet: Ocean Currents

For Students 9th - 10th
The Ocean Planet exhibit at the Smithsonian explains the general features of ocean circulation. A general look at upwelling, deep water, and currents are combined for an overall view.
Website
Other

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: Project Mohole

For Students 9th - 10th
Project Mohole was "the earth sciences' answer to the space program," a project to gain information about the Earth by drilling a hole through the Earth's crust to the Mohorovicic Discontinuity (Moho). This website gives a history of the...
Handout
National Geographic

National Geographic: Encyclopedia: Mantle

For Students 9th - 10th
An in-depth look at the structure and composition of Earth's mantle, with lots of visuals. Covers lithosphere, Mohorovicic discontinuity, asthenosphere, transition zone, lower mantle, the d double-prime region, mantle convection, mantle...
Lesson Plan
National Geographic

National Geographic: European Borders Through History

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Lesson in which learners use maps to explore how European political borders have changed over time. Maps after WWI, WWII and European Union provided for comparison.
Unit Plan
University of Minnesota

U Mn: Immigration History: Gatekeeping

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource presents political cartoons from four different national contexts. Its goal is to further understandings of the ways in which nation-states affect an individual's ability to move freely around the world.
Website
Curated OER

National Park Service: What on Earth Is Plate Tectonics?

For Students 9th - 10th
An easy-to-understand explanation of what plate tectonics is. Contains information about the inner parts of the Earth, the difference between the three types of plates, and numerous maps and illustrations.
Interactive
Other

Animated Atlas: Growth of a Nation

For Students 3rd - 8th
A 10-minute movie showing the expansion of the United States after the end of the Revolutionary War. Follow the directions to start the movie and listen to the explanations.
Website
Other

International Joint Commission (Great Lakes)

For Students 9th - 10th
This bi-national organization deals with boundary disputes between Canadian and American governments in regard to the Great Lakes waterways and water resources. It was founded by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. This organization...
Graphic
US National Archives

Nara: American Originals: The Treaty of Paris

For Students 9th - 10th
A photograph from the National Archives and Records Administration of part of the original Treaty of Paris with a brief narrative about the provisions of the Treaty.
Graphic
Other

Pdn and Kodak Professional: Migrations: Humanity in Transition

For Students 9th - 10th
Displays images by photojournalist, Sebastian Salgado, on immigrants in motion "seeking survival and a better life - one individual at a time, one family at a time, from field to town to city, and across national boundaries"....
Unit Plan
University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota: Eugenics, Race, & Immigration Restriction

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This resource consists of primary documents about the international eugenics movements in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Its goal is to show how eugenics influenced immigration laws and how eugenics theories and policies...
Graphic
Curated OER

Etc: Maps Etc: Political Boundaries in Europe, 1920

For Students 9th - 10th
Map of Central and Western Europe after the Treaty of Versailles at the end of WWI. The map includes railroads, canals, shipping routes, major cities and capitals, and the country boundaries established by the Treaties of Versailles,...
Graphic
Curated OER

Educational Technology Clearinghouse: Maps Etc: The Indian Nations, 1775

For Students 9th - 10th
An early map of the eastern North America from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and east of the Mississippi River around 17765, showing the Indian Nations adjoining to the Mississippi, West and East Florida, Georgia, South and North...
Graphic
Curated OER

Etc: Maps Etc: The American Indian Nations, 1776

For Students 9th - 10th
An early map of the southeastern North America around 1776, showing the American Indian Nations of the region at the time. The map shows colonial boundaries extending from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River, towns, forts, and...