PBS
Arthur Compass Rose
Keep your class headed in the right direction with this printable compass rose. Large and easy to read with a smiling picture of Arthur in the middle, this resource would make a fun addition to the desk of any primary grade student.
Curated OER
Kid Maps: Reading and Creating Maps with Human Characteristics
Students look at maps. For this map lesson, students listen to the book My Map Book by Sara Fanelli and they see the difference between human characteristics (buildings, etc.) and natural characteristics (rivers, etc.). They create...
Curated OER
Lively Read of the Tale of Despereaux
Students create a character map of the main characters in The Tale of Despereaux. After reading the text, students create a character chart based on information they gleaned from the story. They use this information to write a letter...
Illustrative Mathematics
$20 Dot Map
Challenge the addition skills of young learners with this open-ended math problem. The task is simple, get from start to finish by connecting a series of three numbers. The trick is that the sum of the numbers must be less than or equal...
Curated OER
Mapping My World
First graders make two maps. In this developing and reading maps lesson plan, 1st graders read Mapping Penny's World, discuss the parts of a map, create a map of their classroom, and create a list of directions of how to get to various...
Curated OER
As the Kids Come and Go: Mapping a Classroom
Map the classroom with your kids to help them understand how maps work and how to read them. The lesson starts off with a story about animals living and moving around the globe, and then kids create maps of their classroom to show how...
Curated OER
A Walk Around the School: Mapping Places Near and Far
After reading Pat Hutchins’ Rosie’s Walk, have your young cartographers create a map of Rosie’s walk. Then lead them on a walk around the school. When you return class members sequence the walk by making a list of how the class got from...
Curated OER
Mexico: One Land, Many Cultures
Students, through a variety of activities, discover the geography and culture of Mexico. They make maps, read folktales, write a journal, create pinatas and other artistic pieces, and review the history of Mexico.
August House
The Clever Monkey Rides Again
Use a West African folktale to practice several different skills in your first grade classroom. Learners read The Clever Monkey Rides Again and focus on rhyming words, reading comprehension, measurement, art, movement, and word order.
Cassandra Reigel Whetstone
Farmer McPeepers and His Missing Milk Cows
Pair your reading of Farmer McPeepers and His Missing Milk Cows with the questions and activities provided here. Learners answer questions about the text, create story maps, put together brochures, relate math to the story, practice some...
Virginia Repertory Theatre
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
Accompany the story, Town Mouse Country Mouse by Jan Brett with an assortment of activities designed to reinforce concepts covering story structure, comprehension, grammar, and social studies. Here, scholars identify the difference...
Curated OER
Me on the Map: Homes, Neighborhoods, and Communities
Young scholars read a book about maps and identify the differences between a picture and a map. In this maps lesson plan, students also label maps of their home, neighborhood, and community.
Curated OER
Making a Map
Students are introduced to maps by examining the various types and practice using a key to find information. They each create their own map with a key and graph information. As a class, they read the story "Henny Penny" and share their...
Curated OER
Around the Town
In the world of GPS, make sure your kids can still read maps and determine distances between locations. You will need neighborhood street maps, ideally of your class' home turf. Ask kids questions about different locations in relation to...
Curated OER
Mapping Districts
Learners become literate in their use of maps. In this 2010 Census lesson plan, students visualize census data on maps, use map keys to read population maps, and explore the concept of population density.
Curated OER
Welcome to My World!
Young scholars use maps to locate information. They read the story, "It Looked Like Spilt Milk", view images of the continents and discuss the various continents. Afterward, they make their own Atlas to record information that they can...
Curated OER
Cacao Tree Geography
Learners use a map to learn about where chocolate comes from. In this lesson on the cacao tree, students locate various regions where the cacao tree grows. They will discuss why the cacao tree grows more favorably in particular climates...
Curated OER
Wales: An Interdisciplinary Unit
Students practice basic map and geographic skills as they compare Oregon to Wales. Students color map of Wales and Oregon using color codes to distinguish between land, water, and bordering nations or states, listen to stories and...
Curated OER
Learning a New Environment
Students review a school map with color-coded markers and use it to locate classrooms, bathrooms, library, principal's office, etc. They color a school map, cut it into puzzle pieces and then reassemble the pieces.
August House
The Archer and the Sun
Reinforce reading comprehension with a instructional activity about The Archer and the Sun, a Chinese folktale. Kids learn some background information about Chinese culture before reading the story, and answer literacy questions as they...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue
Young adventurers embark on a journey, setting sail along the blue ocean with Christopher Columbus. Teachers will find that this unit makes their lesson planning smooth sailing!
Curated OER
The Gummywolf
Students read a story about "Gummywolf," stopping periodically to answer questions about the progression of the story. Next, they create a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast "Gummywolf" to "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." Students...
Federal Reserve Bank
Messy Bessey's Holidays
Teach your class some fairly complex terms—factors of production, human resources, capital resources, natural resources, and intermediate goods—with a storybook (Messy Bessey's Holidays), plenty of visuals and handouts, and related...
Curated OER
Bunyans Lesson Plan
Students practice their map skills. In this early childhood lesson plan, students use a map of the United States and identify the location of several natural wonders included in the book The Bunyans by Audrey Wood.