Teach Engineering
Using Map Scales to Figure Distances and Areas
The asteroid is getting closer and the question is whether the state of Alabraska is large enough for the shelter calculated in the previous activity. Teams determine the scale of their project and then use the scale on the map to...
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Where in the United States Are We?
High schoolers spend the lesson identifying the location of the fifty states and the capitals. Using a software program, they retrace te outline of each state numerous times. To end the lesson, they write a story about a state and city...
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Finding Your Spot in The World; Geography, Maps, Multi-Culturalism
Learners use a variety of maps to locate their home, their school and the origin of their ancestors.
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Geographic Regions and Backyard Geology with the USGS Tapestry Map
A beautiful tapestry map of North America is examined by geology masters. The map incorporates the topography and geology of different regions. You can purchase printed copies or a large poster of the map, or if you have a computer lab...
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Maps Can Help Us
First graders explore the geography of Montana by analyzing geographic maps of the area. In this Native American reservation lesson, 1st graders discuss the similarities and differences between reservations in the state of Montana....
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Mapping Your State's Role in the Vietnam War
Students recognize reasons to celebrate Memorial Day. Students create a map of victims of the VIetnam War. Using the internet, students research information about soldiers from their state who were killd in action in Vietnam. Students...
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Identifying Watersheds with Topographic Maps
Students model a watershed and delineate one using topographic maps. In this hydrology lesson, students use aluminum foil to model a landscape and observe how water moves on it. They also observe the features of a topographic map and use...
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Understanding Weather Maps and the Importance of StormT
Students explain how storm tracking is important to understanding sources of acid rain pollution. The read and explain a weather map. They set up plastic or glass collection container for rain in an open area away from buildings and trees.
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Rivers, Maps, and Math
Students use maps to locate and label the major rivers of North and South America. Using the internet, they identify forests, grasslands, mountain ranges and other landforms on the continents as well. They compare and contrast the...
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How Do Cartographers Find Points on a Map?
Ninth graders describe latitude and longitude and how they may be useful to find things on a map. In this cartography lesson students divide into groups and devise a coordinate system that can be used to communicate a position.
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Travelogs
Pupils make travelog journals to send to acquaintances in other states in order to receive mail in return. They make scrapbooks with the return mail they receive.
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Weather Pals
Students study maps of the United States to locate weather pals from a list of schools. They communicate with Weather Pal schools through the use of closed circuit TV. Using weather data collected in their area, they exchange the...
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City, County, Community
Students explore issues and situations that make for a city and its local environments. In this local government lesson, students design maps, define issues and create brochures that illustrate their understandings of these concepts and...
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Is the Hudson River Too Salty to Drink?
Students explore reasons for varied salinity in bodies of water. In this geographical inquiry lesson, students use a variety of visual and written information including maps, data tables, and graphs, to form a hypothesis as to why the...
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E-mailing the Chamber of Commerce
Encourage effective internet research and e-mail correspondence as scholars investigate a US capital city they've never visited to find pertinent and relevant information. They begin by picking a city, then visit that city's chamber of...
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Dos mapas de Florida, el Caribe y parte de Sur America
What can maps tell us about the past? Find out with a Spanish lesson that incorporates geography. After examining maps individually, comparing two old maps of Spanish Florida and writing notes in the provided Venn diagram, pupils pair up...
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Using Non-Text Features
Second graders examine graphs and charts from their local newspaper. As a class, they discuss what the data means and how it relates to the article. In groups, they are shown two sets of graphs or charts and they practice explaining...
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Know Your Area
Students investigate transit by analyzing their school surroundings. In this local geography lesson, students identify their school in relation to the rest of their state, country and globe. Students discuss their personal travel habits...
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PA Watersheds, Many Ways to the Sea
Students examine the water cycle and the factors that interact with watersheds. For this watersheds lesson students describe the purification process, trace the flow of infiltrate water through aquifers, and research the Internet...
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Expanding the Mission: Historical Parks
Students explore U.S. geography by viewing a documentary in class. In this national parks lesson, students view video clips of individual national parks and locate them using Google Earth software. Students create a persuasive...
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Watershed Investigations
Students explore the components of a watershed and the factors that affect it. They read a topographical map and use geometry to determine the area of a watershed. Students estimate the volume of a body of water and perform runoff...
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Map Lesson Plan
Fourth graders locate and label major sites related to the Revolutionary War in the Hudson River Valley. They examine topographical features of each site and list a few of these features and list two advantages of each military site.
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Trash Talkin
Learners investigate recycling at several scales, including local, state, national and global. They become aware of recycling, re-use, reduce efforts and policies. Students read the article Where Does Your Garbage Go. They look up where...
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Climate Change in My City
Students investigate the climate changes occurring locally, regionally and globally over the last one hundred years. They brainstorm and predict whether the current year's weather was warmer or colder than last year then check the...