Cornell University
Constructing and Visualizing Topographic Profiles
Militaries throughout history have used topography information to plan strategies, yet many pupils today don't understand it. Scholars use Legos and a contour gauge to understand how to construct and visualize topographic profiles. This...
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Understanding Topographic Maps
Underclassmen create a cone-shaped landform and then draw a contour map for it. Then they examine a quadrangle (which was easily located with an online search), and relate it to what they experienced. The accompanying worksheet is...
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Mapping the Aegean Seafloor
Earth science learners create a two-dimensional topographic map of the floor of the Aegean Sea. They use it to then create a three-dimensional model of the ocean floor features. This comprehensive resource delivers strong background...
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What Happens When Sea Level Rises or Falls
Students examine the impact of sea level on land formations. In this geography and map lesson plan, students construct a contour map model illustrating how much of the clay "coastline" is covered as water is added. Metric measurement...
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Marine Energy
In small groups, energy engineers research and make a topographic map of a marine natural resource. They report to the rest of the class pros and cons of extracting their assigned resource. The two activities may take up to four class...
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Orienteering - Lesson 3 - Topographical Maps and Contour Lines
Learn how to read a topographical map and understand what the contour lines mean. Explore longitude and latitude. Find a cliff, a valley, a mountain peak, and more. This is just one of the ten lessons in this unit on oreinteering....
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GEOGRAPHY: SPACE CENTERS
Students examine the descriptive science dealing with the surface of Earth, its division into continents and countries, climate, natural resources, inhabitants and industries of the various divisions and analyze the political geography...
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Topographic Maps
In this topographic map worksheet, students learn how to read a topographic map and create a topographic map of their own using clay or Play-Doh. Students include contour lines by layering the clay. Students answer 6 questions about...
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Currents
A deep ocean current circles the globe at a force that is greater than 16 times all the world's rivers combined. Groups analyze the effects of submarine topography on deep ocean current speed. They then determine how this speed affects...
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Karst Topography
Students observe a movie about karst topography over the Internet and note nonpoint source pollution. They discuss ways to manage pollution and their experiences with any polltion sources.
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Map that Habitat
Students participate in an activity that replicates the creation of sea floor bathymetry by taking a simplified form of soundings in the classroom. They discuss sea floor mapping technologies, sonar, soundings, and remote sensing,...
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Sonar Mapping
Students use a shoe box to create a seafloor model and use cardboard for layering inside of the shoe box to simulate the ocean floor. They probe the ocean floor to simulate sonar echoes. Finally, students graph their data to get a...
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Gilligan's Island
Students investigate topographical maps and match actual landforms to them. In this topographical maps lesson students create "Gilligan's Island" to scale then answer questions about it such as what the highest elevations is and what...
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Glaciers of Canada
Students examine photos, a poster, maps and an article series by National Geographic to determine characteristics of glaciers and the process of glaciation. They both answer guided questions and develop their own questions about the...
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Charleston Bump Expedition Eddies, Gyres and Drowning Machines
High schoolers describe at least three types of effect that physical obstructions may have on water flowing past the obstructions. Students explain at least three ways in which current flow can be significant to benthic organisms.
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Mapping The Ocean Floor
Young scholars explore and analyze the bottom structure of underwater habitats. They describe and explain what can't see through the collection and correlation of accurate data. Learners assess that technology is utilized as a tool for...
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SUBMARINE MOUNTAINS
Students create a two-dimensional contour map of a submerged area from a simulated survey using sounding techniques.
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Reading Contour Maps
Students examine contour maps and bathymetry maps and discover how to interpret a contour map of the East Pacific Rise. Students look at a map as a class and answer questions together before working independently on a map of the East...
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Making Topographic Maps and Mountain Profiles
Young scholars study how to mark inclines and construct a mountain profile. In this topographic map lesson students mark contour intervals and draw mountain profiles.
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Mapping the Ocean Floor
Students study the bottom structure of underwater habitats and how they can be mapped.
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Crossing China By Sampan
Sixth graders determine the geographic features that facilitate and prevent communication and commerce between parts of China. They recognize a sampan, the traditional flat-bottomed boat used in Southeast Asia.
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Science Excursion: Cover Mapping Land
Young scholars study remotely sensed images and topographic maps to classify land cover types in their watershed area. They take samples in the watershed area to interpret the images.
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Mapping the Ocean Floor: Bathymetry
Bathymetry is not a measure of the depths of bathtubs! Through the three lessons, scholars explore two different types of maps and how they are made. The resource focuses on topographic and bathymetric maps and teaching the techniques...
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Faking It
Middle school earth scientists describe the behavior of the Coriolis force. They compare and contrast conditions under which the Coriolis force has a significant impact with conditions under which it has very little. They model the...