National Geographic
Mapping the Americas
Celebrate the geography of the Americas and develop map skills through a series of activities focused on the Western Hemisphere. Learners study everything from earthquakes and volcanoes of the Americas and the relationship...
Curated OER
Map Your Favorite Sports Team's Next Road Trip
Students track a sports team across the country. They use a map scale to calculate the number of miles traveled by their sports team on a trip, conduct Internet research, and calculate how much it would cost them to go along on the trip.
Curated OER
Magical Maps
Second graders discuss the importance of using maps and how they are used. After they listen to a folktale, they develop their own story line maps and write their own folktale to accompany a map. They also identify and locate the seven...
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Africa: Introduction, Geography and Mapping
Students study the geography of Africa through the use of maps. They locate, distinguish, and describe the relationships among varying regional and global patterns of geographic phenomena such as landforms, climate, and natural resources.
Curated OER
Where in the World War? Mapping the Geography of D-Day
Students examine how to read maps for historical information. They listen to a lecture on the history of D-Day, analyze a historical map of the invasion of Normandy, and answer discussion questions.
Curated OER
Current Earthquake Activity
Fifth graders record any earthquake activity throughout the school year on various maps. In groups, they identify a map locating the points given to them by their teacher. To end the lesson, they add the date, strength and damage to each...
Curated OER
Geo-Magazine
Divide your geography class into groups and have each research an assigned region. The result of this project is a regional magazine that addresses the five themes of geography. Many valuable resource links are embedded into the...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Lesson 3: On the Road with Marco Polo: From Hormuz to Kashgar
Young explorers examine the route that Marco Polo and his father traveled to reach China. They examine online maps of the Silk Road and harsh terrain of Afghanistan to determine challenges that may have been encountered during travel.
Curated OER
Waldseemuller's Map: World 1507
Students investigate the 1507 word map. In this world geography lesson, students examine the details of each section of the map and then draw conclusions about how the people of 1507 understood the world. Students are evalated on...
Curated OER
A Map of the Big Race
Students read a novel and practice putting the events into the correct sequence. Using the text, they create a map showing the events of the race in order and a legend. They must use vocabulary from previous chapters and make their map...
Curated OER
Current Events, Geography
Students read the newspaper to become aware of what is happening in their city, state, nation, and world. They summarize, find locations on a map and ask thought-provoking questions.
Curated OER
Waldseemüller’s Map: World 1507
Students take a closer look at historical maps. In this primary source analysis lesson, students examine the first world map produced by Martin Waldseemuller. Students complete the included map analysis worksheet and then write letters...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
Organization of a Territory, Map Elements
Third graders compare printed and online maps and use proper geographic terminology to answer questions.
Curated OER
The Crash Scene
Fifth graders explore geography by participating in a mapping activity. In this engineering instructional activity, 5th graders identify the differences between latitude and longitude and practice locating precise points on a globe or...
Curated OER
U.S. Geography: The Northeast
Students investigate U.S. Geography by creating a map in class. In this natural resource lesson, students create a map of the United States and research the Northeast based on their resources and recyclable materials. Students...
Curated OER
The Landscape of a Novel
Students, after reading a novel, utilize geographic skills to map out the places described in the novel. They collect data, envision spatial features and then design a map to work off of to complete their assignment. Each student also...
Curated OER
Drake's West Indian Voyage 1588-1589
Middle schoolers investigate several maps detailing Sir Francis Drake's voyages. In this geography lesson, students practice reading maps and locating the precise locations of where Sir Francis Drake visited. Middle schoolers...
Curated OER
Map It!
Fourth graders collect and explore different maps and their uses before using the program Pixie to create maps of geographic features, political features, and economic information for the state in which they live.
Curated OER
US City Quality of Life Analysis and Comparison
Students analyze US census data and criteria to compare and measure the quality of life in the country's fifty largest cities. After accessing the 2005 quality of life world report online, students conduct their study to compare three...
Curated OER
Know Your Area
Students investigate transit by analyzing their school surroundings. In this local geography lesson plan, students identify their school in relation to the rest of their state, country and globe. Students discuss their personal travel...
Curated OER
America Will Be
Students work together to research and create different types of maps of the United States to be used as part of a geography trivia game.Groups research North American annual rainfall, climate, mountain ranges major rivers and state...