Third graders learn about Chinese poetry and landscape paintings, then create their own. They view several examples and discuss the elements of each, then paint their own landscape inspired by what they saw. They then listen to, read,...

Students explore Ansel Adams's dramatic black and white mountain landscape photographs. They identify common geographic elements and animals indigenous to the Sierra Nevada and create original art in black and white to depict light and...

Students create a unique, stunning display of the Earth's landforms. They discuss the many different types of the Earth's landforms such as deserts, mountains, oceans, plateaus, coastlines, and marshlands. Students discuss what...

Young thinkers identify the problems encountered in designing and building Going-to-the-Sun Road through Glacier National Park. They describe, introduce, and evaluate arguments for building roads to provide access to the park and other...

Students identify natural features on a map. In this geography lesson, students identify six physical features and create pictorial definitions for each term. The terms which are listed in this lesson are mountain, hill, island, river,...

Students use a Montana quarter to help describe geographical features such as landforms and bodies of water. Students read an article about Montana as a group and discuss examples of landforms and bodies of water. After reading,...

Students research glaciers, how they are formed and what kind of landforms they carve out of the rock they pass over. They organize their findings into a mock newscast in a presentation for the class.

Young scholars recognize and re-create the political boundaries and physical features of the nation of Poland. They create three dimensional topographic maps of Poland. In addition, they compose two journal entries written in two...

Students study how glaciers form, move, and change the Earth's landscape. They research information about the effects of global warming on glaciers and sculpt a detailed replica of mountains with glaciers calving into the ocean.

Students study Africa's diverse landscape and investigate how these features impact the available water supply, food sources, and population distribution of the continent. They compare topographical features and their affect on each...

Students explore new objectives for art and examine how Chinese painting reflects Buddhist principles. This lesson includes a vocabulary list and possible lesson extensions for various student levels.

Eighth graders use Google Earth to study the landscape of Utah. For this Utah landscape lesson, 8th graders view landscape photos and work in partners to analyze the pictures. Students write a paragraph that describes the landscape and...

Students read and analyze poems by Li Po and Wang Wei. They answer discussion questions, identify the elements of the poems, examine and discuss Chinese landscape paintings, write an original poem, and write a comparison/contrast essay.

Sixth graders engage in a study of the plates and how they are part of the formation of the ever changing landscape of planet earth. They access web sites that have applications for observation and conducting different activities. The...

Students examine paintings by Thomas Cole and Jasper Francis Cropsey as windows into American frontier life. They consider the pioneer's relationship with nature and the role of Native Americans in the pioneer's lives and settlements.

Students study topographic maps and contour lines and construct a simple three-dimensional model of Mount St. Helens before the May 18, 1980, eruption. They use topographic map skills to interpret the impact of the May 18, 1980, eruption...

Fourth graders investigate the three regions of North Carolina using works of art.

Students explore how the innovations in culture and technology influenced the development of a leisure industry in America at the turn of the twentieth century.

It's time to hear about some adventures in travel! The Transcontinental Railroad changed life and travel in the United States during the 1800s. Practicing online research skills, pupils discover the features they would like to visit on...

Discover the connection of native peoples to their natural world, including cultural and agricultural practices, by studying the Zuni people of the American Southwest. This lesson includes examining a poster's photographs, reading...

Learners examine the advantages of being flexible when visiting or living in a different culture. They read and discuss a first-hand account by a Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan, and write a letter from the point of view of a...

Students read The Train Ride Home by Robin Solomon. In this literature response lesson, students will inspect the writing of Solomon to determine how she established a certain tone through her word choice and...

Fifth graders investigate the topography of Africa.  In this physical geography lesson, 5th graders research the six regions of Africa and complete a physical map.  Students locate various landforms in Africa.  Students...

Students explore the impact of the Klondike Gold Rush on the development of Skagway, Alaska. Lesson can be used in units on western expansion, late 19th and early 20th-century commerce, and urban history.