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What Do Maps Show?
This teaching packet is for grades five through eight, and it is organized around geographic themes: location, place, relationships, movement, and regions. There are four full lessons that are complete with posters, weblinks, and...
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Introduction To Topographic Map Activities
Students discuss different types of maps, their similarities and differences. Using a Topographical Maps CD-rom program students create their own map.
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Lesson 2 Activity 2: Mapping Mount St. Helens
Students use topographic map skills to interpret impact of the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens on the volcano's topography, and draw profile views of Mount St. Helens before and after the May 18, 1980, eruption.
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Designing a Hiking Trail
Put your students' map skills to the test with this engaging cross-curricular project. Given the task of developing new hiking trails for their local community, young cartographers must map out beginner and intermediate...
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How Big is the Playground: Creating a Map
Students create a topographical map of an area outside of the school. In this mapping lesson, students compile data on angles, distances, and key landmarks for a predetermined area on the school grounds to create a map using Geometer's...
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3-D Topographic Maps
Students create a 3-D topographic map. In this map building lesson plan, students use cardboard to create a topographic map of the Catskills mountain region.
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Using Maps to Learn About Antarctic Topography
Students explore maps and familiarize themselves with features of Antarctica. They utilize a topographical map to create a three-dimensional model of Antarctica. They identify and describe the different regions of Antarctic ice.
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Marine Energy
In small groups, energy engineers research and make a topographic map of a marine natural resource. They report to the rest of the class pros and cons of extracting their assigned resource. The two activities may take up to four class...
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A Watered-Down Topographic Map
Eighth graders explore the ocean floor. In this topography instructional activity, 8th graders compare topographical maps to bathymetric charts. They will create a topographic map and note landmarks and other land features.
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Orienteering - Lesson 1 - Maps & Map Scales
Lesson 1 of 10 lessons in this orienteering unit is about maps and map scales. After all, orienteering is all about maps, compasses, and finding ones' way around. It is imperative to be able to read maps and understand the relevance of...
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Malta: The Landscape
Students work in small groups to create a topographic map of Malta. They must include labeled line drawings of bordering countries and bodies of water. Students use salt and flour clay to make Malta three dimensional, showing the nearest...
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Three Dimensional Geology
Here is a fine lesson plan on geology designed for high schoolers. Learners use rocks, fossils, and other geological clues to determine the geology of an area. Then, they make recommendations to a fictitious city council about the...
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Map It!
Fourth graders demonstrate map making skills by using the computer to create maps of the geographic features, regions, and economy for their state.
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Building A Topographic Model
Students visualize, in three dimensions, features represented by contour lines on a topographic map. They see that the different elevations shown on a two dimensional topographic map can be used to build a 3-D model.
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Production of the Lunar Relief Map Project
Learners replicate the lunar surface. In this mapping skills lesson, students study the topography of the moon. Learners then use craft materials to create topographic maps of the lunar surface where the Eagle landed.
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Play Doh Map of Your State
Students create a state map using Playdoh. In this hands-on state geography instructional activity, students work in groups to form a three-dimensional map of their state using Playdoh made at home following a (given) recipe....
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Volcano Contour Models Activity
Students experiment with water levels and plastic topographic volcano models to determine the contour lines that would be used to create a topograpohic map of a volcano. They use the traced lines to actually develop the map.
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Boundaries and People
Students map watersheds to find their boundaries. In this watershed activity students map and then give their "watershed address." Students show the trail from stream, larger stream to oceans. Students describe the...
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You Are Here
Students map local places and learn to use scale and distance. In this mapping lesson, students map their school and a favorite place. Students recreate their maps showing distance and scale sizes. Students locate their...
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Building a Topographic Model
Students explore the features of a topographic map. They make paper models that portray, in three-dimensions, features represented by contour lines on a topographic map. Students demonstrate different elevations shown on a...
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Mapping Deep-Sea Habitat
Students create a two-dimensional topographic map and a 3-D model of landforms. In this creative lesson students create 2 and 3-D objects and learn how to interpret the data from these things.
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Mapping Potato Island
Students create their own topographical map using a potato. For this hands on lesson students construct a topographical map and explain what contour lines are using a potato.
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Mapping School Grounds
Students map and analyze the natural and cultural environment of the school grounds. In small groups, they sketch the natural and cultural features of each side of the school building, create a map, participate in a class discussion,...
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Map It With Pixie
Fourth graders use the computer program 'Pixie' to create a topographic, detailed map for the state they live in. In this mapping skills lesson, 4th graders use Pixie to make a map of their state that includes topographic features, state...