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Globe Lesson 4 - Intermediate Directions

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore the concept of intermediate directions. For this geography skills lesson, students use map skills in order to identify intermediate directions as they complete a map activity.
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Globe Skills Lesson 11The Vietnam War

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students develop their globe and map skills, In this geography lesson, students examine the Vietnam War as they complete an activity that requires them to plot latitude and longitude.
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Globe Skills Lesson 7 The Transcontinental Railroad

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students explore the Transcontinental Railroad. In this geography skills lesson, students use map skills in order to locate legs of the Transcontinental Railroad on globes.
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Postcards from California: A Unit on Geography, Social Studies, History and California's Resources

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine patterns that influence population density in the various regions of California. The unit's three lessons utilize graphic organizers for the interpretation and presentation of data.
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Bioregions of California

For Teachers K - 12th
Students map out the bioregions of California by examining the species and environment in different areas of the state. They use information and pictures from a PowerPoint presentation to complete a map handout and play a trivia game.
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Traveling Through Literature

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Integrate geography with literature in this interdisciplinary lesson. Begin by reading a poem such as The Time We Climbed Snake Mountain by Leslie Marmon Silko. On a large map, place push pins in the cities or states mentioned. An...
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Plate Tectonics

For Teachers 4th - 6th
In this geology worksheet, learners will cut a map of California along the San Andreas fault line to see how California might change in the future. Then students will compare a world map from 50 million years in the future with a present...
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Regional Landforms and Native People

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders study the Native American tribes of Maidu and Miwok by studying Internet artifacts, culture, language, music, storytelling, architecture, food, clothing, crafts and geology.
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Planning a Railroad

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students use a topographical map to plan a route from Doknner Summit to Truckee, then compare it to the route selected by Theodore Judah.
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Run/Walk Across America

For Teachers K - 8th
Walk, jog, or run across America. Maps of individual states, visual progress, competition, and rewards, seem to be great motivational ideas. Make sure that the distances that each class has to walk or run are the same, because getting...
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What They Left Behind: Early Multi-National Influences in the United States

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine how the European voyages of discovery influence American culture even today. They map eighteenth century Europe's impact on the United States.
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What They Left Behind: Early Multi-National Influences in the United States

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students research the impact of European voyages of discovery and colonial influence on different aspects of American culture. They access a number of online sources and reference maps to trace the influences of England, France, Holland,...
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Making A New Nation

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders read standard road maps and topographical maps, and examine the lives of pathfinders who opened the trails to the West. They develop Living History presentations, role-playing a character from the past.
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The New Californians

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students identify the groups of immigrants who came to California. They trace the route they possibly took to American on a world map. They discuss the reasons why they left their homeland and what challenges they faced once they arrived.
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"Go West, Young Man!"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine reasons why people migrated west. They describe how the geography of the U.S. changed in the 19 th century and design a PowerPoint presentation to convey factors for westward expansion.
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ESRI Live Earthquake Site

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine a World map and find earthquakes near plate boundaries. They locate and describe earthquakes in the United States and California.
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On the Road Again

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students trace the migration route of a gray whale. They color and label a map of North America, and using photocopy pictures of a gray whale, they move the whale along the migration route over a ten week period.
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Off to the Future

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students read a handout and predict the position of the San Andreas Fault far in the future. In this future world lesson, students use a map worksheet to demonstrate the path of the Pacific Plate millions of years from now.
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Channel Islands Film

Arlington Springs Man: Lesson Plan 4

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
West of the West's documentary Arlington Springs Man introduces viewers to the remarkable finds on Santa Rosa Island. Archaeologist have discovered on this small island that is part of the Channel island chain, human and pygmy mammoth...
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Where are the Watersheds in San Francisco?

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students create a mental map of San Francisco. They compare it with actual topographical maps of the city. Then they label various locations on the San Francisco Hillshade map and locate watershed boundaries.
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San Francisco Bay Watershed

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students locate important landmarks on a map and explore the watersheds in California. In this watershed lesson students complete a worksheet and discuss what they learned. 
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Watersheds: The San Francisco Bay Watershed

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders make a model of a watershed. In this geography instructional activity, 6th graders view a shaded relief map of California and locate landmarks. Students examine the San Francisco Bay Watershed by following the journey...
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Earthquakes And Fault Lines

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss major causes of earthquakes and identify famous fault lines, access and map information about ten largest earthquakes in world from 1989 to 1998, and theorize about location of these earthquakes as they relate to Earth's...
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Tectonic Plates, Earthquakes, and Volcanoes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Challenge geography classes to locate the major volcanoes and earthquake faults on a world map. In groups, they identify the pattern made and examine the relationship between the locations of the faults and volcanoes and tectonic...