Curated OER
Earth's Water
If the majority of our planet is covered with water, why do we need to bother conserving it? With a thorough and varied investigation into the location and types of water on the earth, learners will gain an understanding of why this...
Smithsonian Institution
Borders and Community: Early 20th Century Chicago Neighborhoods and Ethnic Enclaves
Chicago is one city, four neighborhoods, and countless nationalities. The lesson explores the ethnic division of Chicago in the early twentieth century. Academics read primary sources, analyze maps, and tour an online exhibit to...
Curated OER
Mapping South America
Students explore South America. In this South American instructional activity, students use their geography skills to create population, terrain, biomes/vegetation, and major exports maps. Students present their finished maps to their...
Curated OER
Exploring Maps: Lesson 2 Guide: Navigation
Students explore and examine how maps have been used in navigation. They research how travelers collected observations to keep track of their positions and plotted information on maps. Each student then makes a Mercator projection...
California Academy of Science
California's Climate
The United States is a large country with many different climates. Graph and analyze temperature and rainfall data for Sacramento and Washington DC as you teach your class about the characteristics of Mediterranean climates. Discuss the...
Scholastic
Hill of Fire Teaching Plan
Some books are perfect for drawing connections between multiple subjects. The book Hill of Fire becomes the hub for three very different, yet related activity ideas. First the class hones their oral language skills by creating an...
Curated OER
A Model of Three Faults
Students observe fault movements on model of the Earth's surface, find fault movements associated with different types of plate boundaries, research examples of non-plate boundary faults, and research and report on the types of faults...
National Wildlife Federation
An Energy Mix: Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources
What did the windmill say about renewable energy? I'm a BIG fan! Lesson three in the series of 12 has classes discuss potential and kinetic energy and then, in pairs, they complete a web quest over the different types of energy...
Monroe City Schools
Clouds! Clouds! Clouds!
Here is a beautiful lesson on clouds designed for your 1st graders. Learners study three different types of clouds. They construct drawings of cumulus, cirrus, and stratus clouds. The Cloud Book, by Tommie dePaola is used to...
Curated OER
From Graphic Organizer to Composition - Grade Six
How does one use a graphic organizer to plan writing? Introduce your writers to different types of graphic organizers by dividing the class into groups and assigning each group a particular organizer. Then, as they research chocolate...
Peace Corps
Community
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...
Curated OER
Create a Country
Young scholars work in small groups to list features and elements found on a variety of grade- appropriate maps. They develop a class list of map features and elements to draw from as they create a map of an imaginary country.
Curated OER
Cardinal Directions
First graders study cardinal directions on maps. In this geography lesson, 1st graders determine and show where North, South, East, and West are on various maps.
Curated OER
Maps In Our Everyday Lives
Young scholars break into groups and complete a chart about information on maps of their hometown.
Curated OER
Study Skills Assignment
Students utilize six different types of study skills as they review material for a final exam. They are graded on the exam and on the study process for the exam.
Curated OER
Types of Transportation
Students study different types of transportation including specialized trucks. In this transportation lesson, students look at a landscape picture map (not included) and identify all of the modes of transportation they see. They see...
Curated OER
"We're Back ... Eagles Soar!"
Students use information from Internet websites to create a map of where Bald Eagle habitats can be found after being familiarized with the map by the instructor.
Curated OER
Number Types: Where Vocabulary Meets Numbers
Rational, irrational, real, natural. All these words can refer to numbers. Who knew? Learners use the Visual Thesaurus and a semantic feature analysis grid to examine the different attributes of numbers. Step-by-step instructions for...
Curated OER
A Shuttle's Eye View
Students explore the goals of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission as a springboard to exploring the topographical features of their own state or region. They synthesize their understanding of landforms and topography by mapping their...
Curated OER
Forestry and Changing Feelings
Students investigate how the forest affects their daily lives by creating a concept map. In this ecological instructional activity, students create a concept map linking the forest to the many things they use each day....
Curated OER
Flat Earth Society
Students explore map distortion. In this geography lesson, students compare Mercator projection maps to globes in order to understand the strengths and weaknesses of projection maps.
Curated OER
Maps in Kindergarten: Rosie’s Walk
Students are read, Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins. In this sequencing lesson, students discover the importance of knowing how to create a map and read it. They listen to the story and complete various map making activities.
NASA
Earth's Global Energy Budget
Introduce your earth science enthusiasts to the earth's energy budget. Teach them using an informative set of slides that include illuminating lecturer's notes, relevant vocabulary, embedded animations, colorful satellite maps, and a...
Centers for Ocean Sciences
Ocean and Great Lakes Literacy: Principle 1
Is your current lesson plan for salt and freshwater literacy leaving you high and dry? If so, dive into part one of a seven-part series that explores the physical features of Earth's salt and freshwater sources. Junior hydrologists...