Is GIS the real manifestation of Harry Potter's Marauders Map? Introduce your class to the history of geographic information systems (GIS), the technology that allows for easy use of spatial information, with a resource that teaches...

Why would Robert E. Lee order Pickett's Charge, an action that changed the course of the Civil War? Geographer and historian Anne Knowles uses digital technology to explain what she thinks is the missing piece in trying to understand...

Introduce your class to map projections and coordinates, the basics for the work done in a GIS, with an activity that uses Google Earth to challenge learners to think about the earth's shape. 

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is one of several garbage patches around the world where garbage accumulates naturally. As part of a GIS unit that combines oceanography, environmental science, and life science, class members investigate...

Middle schoolers are introduced to the concept of species habitats and ranges. They introduced to ArcView GIS as a tool for mapping. Pupils use query data for species withina county, elevation, range, rivers and streams, land cover, and...

Students read information on the Hajj. They discuss pilgrimage and ways it differs from going to a church, mosque or synagogue. Students discuss logistical problems that might be posed for the host country of a pilgrimage. Students do an...

Learners evaluate maps using the TODALSIGs basic map analysis system, explained on the worksheet. They create a map of Alaska using TODALSIGs. Students brainstorm the elements of maps.

Students research, create, and present a scale representation of the county in which they live.

Students compare/contrast the grid and latitude/longitude system used on a globe. They describe the areas which are considered to be a tropical, temperate, and polar, based on knowledge of climates.

Students locate Ottawa Valley on a map. They then answer questions in reference to the map such as: What was the first use of timber in the Ottawa Valley?, What occurred first in Gatineau?, and On the Ontario side of Ottawa River, how...

Fourth graders read Roxaboxen and draw a map of the Roxaboxen community. In this language arts and geography lesson, 4th graders use specifications given, adding features to the map as described in the book and creating a legend.

Almost every phone has GPS installed, but a large number of teens don't know how the technology works. An initial activity illustrates how GPS determines a location on Earth. Scholars then apply trilateration procedures to a...

Investigate the fascinating, yet terrifying phenomenon of hurricanes from the safety of your classroom using this earth science unit. Focusing on developing young scientists' spacial thinking skills, these lessons engage...

What is a community? Find out with a lesson that sheds light onto the different types of communities—school, local, and global. Scholars read informational text detailing the life of a young girl from Cape Verde and take part in a...

Students practice locating points on a large wall grid and create and label a neighborhood map. In this geography lesson, students spell and discuss places as the teacher places them on the map. They discuss the concept of an...

Agriculture, deforestation, and urbanization. How have human's changed the planet and how might we mitigate the effects of human activity on the planet? To answer these questions class members research the changes in human land use from...

You will need to go to the National Center for Biotechnology Information website to obtain the article, "In Katrina's Wake." Have your class read it and examine maps of where toxic chemicals were located in Louisiana at the time,...

The class is engaged through a discussion of mapping. They determine what they believe makes a good map and what the essential elements of a map are. Students work independently to complete a worksheet on mapping. They follow clear...

A virtual field trip takes enthusiastic travelers to the pyramids of Giza. Using Google, scholars explore the grounds of the ancient pyramids found in Egypt then complete three worksheets: a photo analysis page, a reflection sheet, and a...

Students discuss the importance of "land." They review the four types of land classification--urban, rural, agricultural and conservation--and participate in an activity involving an apple that demonstrates the use of land in Hawaii....

Students research various websites focusing on Italy while enhancing student utilization of computer, keyboards and the Internet. They discuss their findings on the geography, history, topography, and culture.

Students map data on employment in wood products manufacturing in Oregon counties. In this Oregon forest lesson plan, students discover the percentage of people employed in the forest manufacturing industry. Students create a box and...

Using the NASA website, class members try to determine if changes could be detected in cloud cover, temperature, and/or radiation measurements due to the lack of contrails that resulted from the halt in air traffic after the attacks...

Students are able to download, install, and use Image J image analysis software to quantify change over time in satellite images. They access and download satellite images for specific locations and times. Students set a scale (spatial...