Here is a well-designed, very thorough lesson plan on mapping for very young children. Within the six-page plan, you will find everything you need to implement the instructional activity. They will identify various landforms found in...

Is GIS the real manifestation of Harry Potter's Marauders Map? Introduce your class to the history of geographic information systems (GIS), the technology that allows for easy use of spatial information, with a resource that teaches...

Introduce your class to map projections and coordinates, the basics for the work done in a GIS, with an activity that uses Google Earth to challenge learners to think about the earth's shape. 

Color the town red. Demonstrate the concept of graph theory with a task that involves determining the least number of colors needed to color a map so that neighboring countries are not represented by the same color. Pupils make...

Young pupils develop their mapping skills and knowledge by designing their own islands, using geographic terms and physical features they have learned as features of their work.

Students examine topographical maps and the challenges faced by cartographers when drawing the maps. While creating collages, they use contour lines to add dimension much in the same way they are used on maps to show elevation.

Students create a map of the school and surrounding neighborhood.  In this mapping lesson, students discover their school's location and learn about its past.  Students use math skills and the steps in the design process to complete the...

Links to two different versions of this mapping activity are available. In "The Small Version," youngsters design a town, keeping the water supply in mind. In "The Large Version," they also design a town, but they consider services and...

Students read maps and artifacts for information indicating the existence of a trade network in Old Babylonia and beyond. They list goods imported to and exported from Babylonia. They indicate trading centers on a map of ancient...

Learners study the basics of mapmaking, then make a tally walker, (geographic location device used in secret).

Students investigate who the Mongols were and where their empire was located. They research Kublai Khan and the region he ruled. They study the major products of 13th Century China.

Thirds graders reinforce that a map is a drawing that shows what a place looks like from above. They use a map key and symbols to create a map of the school and its neighborhood.

Young cartographers design maps of their school gardens, including a key, compass indicating correct orientation, and colors to enhance their map details.

Learners use grid boxes as a measurement tool and discover how grids are used for mapmaking and scaling down an area. They begin by attempting to draw a model shape drawn by the teacher by using the gridding process. At the conclusion of...

Ninth graders analyze a fantasy art map by Jeremy Anderson, paying careful attention to the way the topographic features of the land are represented. They create a similar map of Sacramento that includes topographical features as well as...

Young scholars use geographic information to make an outline map of Africa, then demonstrate their understanding of the physical landscape of Africa by using a variety of materials to create a physical map of Africa

Fifth graders, after reading Island of the Blue Dolphins, explore map making using the Whole Language Approach.

Older high schoolers use maps to study changes in society like migration, population loss, and economic shifts, and then connect events from historical events to present day mapping of their region (The resource focuses on Canada, but...

Young geographers will enjoy this entertaining lesson on maps. You choose ten of the unusual town names that your students found and provide activities that challenge your charges to apply their newfound geography skills. A worthwhile...

Pupils map and describe a small area of the schoolyard.

High schoolers examine the theory of finding latitude and discuss the uses of an astrolabe, cross-staff and octant. They determine an Astronomical Table for their classroom.

Students identify and describe the importance of nautical profiles in early navigation. They draw a profile of a street or mall and explore the effectiveness of different types of directions.

First graders make landform maps of the United States. In this landform lessons, 1st graders participate in a discussion of local landforms and make a landform map of the United States. They follow the teacher's directions to add plains,...

Students explore cartography.  In this map skills and map making lesson, Students work in groups to create wall size world maps including legends, compass roses, latitude and longitude, and physical features.  Students collect current...