Institute for Geophysics
Understanding Maps of Earth
Here is your go-to student resource on primary geography concepts, including facts about the surface of the earth and its hemispheres, latitude and longitude, globes, types of maps, and identifying continents and oceans.
University of California
Seasons Lab Book
Unlock the mystery behind seasonal change with a collection of worksheets and activities. Whether they are drawing pictures of Earth's orbit around the sun or graphing the temperature and daylight hours of different locations from around...
Curated OER
Plot Your Course
Students determine distance and direction on a nautical chart. In this nautical lesson, students identify obstacles and characteristics of common aid to navigation on a nautical chart.
Curated OER
From Where to Where?
Young scholars find locations based upon their latitude and longitude coordinates. In this latitude and longitude lesson, students locate points on a grid and learn how to use an astrolabe.
Curated OER
Map Coordinate Bingo
Students play a bingo-type game to locate cities by coordinates. They explain the use of orientation on a map and identify cities in the western hemisphere. They compare road maps, shutttle images, and a CIR image and obtain an...
Curated OER
Geometry: Mountain Rescue Mission
Fifth graders improve their skills using map coordinates by playing a mountain rescue game. In pairs, they roll dice to determine their moves up a mountain. The team that reaches the rescue site in the shortest distance on the grid...
Curated OER
Students Become Mapmakers
Students practice making a map of a continent and correctly plotting five cities on that map. They place latitude and longitude lines on a map, determine the need for various map projections and explain why map scales are necessary.
Owl Teacher
Introduction to World of Geography Test
Assess your learners on the five themes of geography and the most important key terms and concepts from an introductory geography unit. Here you'll find an assessment with 15 fill-in-the-blank and 14 multiple-choice questions, sections...
Curated OER
Globe Lesson 17 - Alaska and Hawaii - Grade 4-5
Students develop their globe skills. In this geography skills lesson, students explore the area added to the United States when the Alaskan territory was purchased from Russia.
Curated OER
Globe Lesson 13 - When the Day Changes
Students explore the patterns of day and night. In this geography skills lesson, students read brief selections and examine diagrams that note the transition of day and night around the world. Students respond to the questions included...
Curated OER
Some Things You Need to Know to Read a Map
Young scholars study things the you need to know to read a map and explain location.
Curated OER
Creating Station Models
Young scholars review weather conditions at various cities and create station models on a weather map.
Curated OER
Globe Lesson 4 - Intermediate Directions
Students explore the concept of intermediate directions. In this geography skills lesson, students use map skills in order to identify intermediate directions as they complete a map activity.
Curated OER
Navigation Across the Seas
Students examine nautical navigation and discover the differences between nautical charts and other types of maps or charts. Students practice setting a course, taking a bearing, and dead reckoning. This gives students an example of...
Curated OER
Give Me a B: North Dakota Quarter Reverse
Students examine the North Dakota quarter reverse and note the bison. and Badlands displayed on it. After practicing as a group making the B sound, they explore the classrom for more words beginning with that letter. Working in pairs,...
Curated OER
Three D Constellations
Pupils are introduced to both celestial coordinates and to the first rung on the distance determination ladder. They convert spherical coordinates to Cartesian coordinates to construct a three dimensional model of a constellation which...
Curated OER
Graphing on a Coordinate Plane
Eighth graders explore the coordinate system. They identify the x and y-axis, parts of the coordinate plane, and discuss the process of plotting points. To emphasize the process of plotting points, 8th graders play an ordered pair...
Curated OER
Typhoon Project
Learners graph and outline the path of a typhoon. In this algebra lesson plan, students measure the path of the typhoon and create a graph with their data. They analyze the data and make predictions.
Curated OER
Cattle Trails
Students identify and locate cattle trails on a globe. In this map skill lesson, students use a marker to locate Texas and Montana and use the map scale to calculate the distance of the cattle trail.
Curated OER
Fly on the Ceiling
Fourth graders play variety of games to help them explain coordinates.
Curated OER
Magellan
Learners identify the route of Magellan's voyage. In this map skills lesson, students use a globe to identify various coordinates where Magellan traveled.
Curated OER
The Slave Trade
Students map and explore a possible slave trade route. In this slave trade mapping lesson, students calculate the distance and amount of time it would take for African slaves to arrive in America.
Curated OER
Identifying Continents and Oceans
Students locate and identify the four major oceans and the seven continents on a world map. They use an unlabeled world map and compass rose to describe relative locations of the continents and oceans.