Curated OER
Social Studies: African Folklore and Geography
Students discover the connection between geography and folklore in several African nations. In groups, they record information from maps of their assigned countries. Students observe the pictures in books and match the geographic...
Curated OER
Chart Making for Navigators
Young scholars discuss the importance and function of nautical maps for sailors. They, in groups, take soundings of a simulated bay in a shoebox and develop a nautical chart that enable them to navigate the shoebox safely.
Scholastic
Perfect Postcards: Illinois
Connect the geography and history of Illinois using an art-centered instructional activity on the railroads. The railroad connected once-distant places, particularly in the Midwest. Using research, class members create postcards of...
Curated OER
Ticky Plans His Trip to Antarctica to See Tacky
First graders participate in a creative problem solving activity to help Ticky get to the Atlantic Ocean. They identify Ticky's problem, brainstorm ways to solve the problem, and develop a plan. They write the steps Ticky needs to take...
Curated OER
My Community
Students identify how their school has changed. In this local community lesson, students listen to a brief history of their town and school and interview someone that graduated from their school. Students then create a map of their...
Curated OER
Floodplains in the field (with GIS)
Students measure a topographic and geologic cross-section across a floodplain by simple surveying and auguring techniques. They consider the spatial context of the field observations, use GPS measurements, and desktop GIS analyses.
Curated OER
Mapping My Community
Ninth graders are introduced to GPS technology. They complete fieldwork as they visit a specific area of their community to identify and map types of land use in the surveyed area. They use the collected data to create a digital map.
Curated OER
Looking into Earth with GIS
Students work with data from a seismic wave model in a freely available GIS (geographic information system) program, ArcVoyager SE. Using a GIS, they examine maps and produce graphs to explore variations in seismic wave velocities at...
Curated OER
The Bozeman Trail
Eighth graders are introduced to the Bozeman Trail. Using the internet, they research the trail to discover the forts located on its path. They must also locate and label landmarks on a map using symbols they create. They answer...
Curated OER
Stream Gages and GIS
students interpret recent regional-scale climate events based on current stream flow, monitor changes in time, and to consider additional interpretations that could be derived if other data were in map form.
Curated OER
Freeform Rhode Island Map
In this free form Rhode Island map worksheet, students study, locate and memorize key cities, physical attributes and surrounding states for a quiz. Students fill out the major cities on a blank map of Rhode Island.
Curated OER
Oil: The Problem or Solution to the World's Economic Future
Students map the major oil producing and consuming countries and regions. They identify current and future topographic and political problems that could affect the production and transportation of oil.
Curated OER
Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Landscape Long Ago and Today
Combine a fantastic review of primary source analysis with a study of Captain John Smith's influence on the Chesapeake Bay region in the seventeenth century. Your young historians will use images, a primary source excerpt, and maps...
Curated OER
The Mekong River
Junior geographers explore the region through which the Mekong flows, its pathway, the landscape, how people depend on the Mekong, and future uncertainties. They apply the five themes of geography to examine the region. They create a...
Curated OER
Leapin' Landmarks: Locating 10 man-made landmarks around the world
Third graders engage in a lesson plan which addresses their curiosity about some of the outstanding people-made landmarks of the world. They explore the geographical themes of location and place through literature.
Curated OER
The blues highway: An integration of music with geography
High schoolers analyze the movement of the blues from rural Mississippi to urban Chicago and how place and the environment affected the development of the blues. They define the blues, where it originated and how and why it moved to...
Curated OER
The Railroads and Settlement of the Great Plains
Enhance your American literature unit with this resource, in which readers access the Nebraska Studies website and read about "Railroads and Settlement." They search for a photograph of some aspect of the railroad from the Prairie...
Orange County Water Atlas
Location, Location, Location…
Young geographers discover not only how to read and recognize coordinates on a map, but also gain a deeper understanding of latitude and longitude and how climate changes can vary significantly across latitudes.
National Geographic
Altitude: What's in the Air?
Introuduce your scientists to the differences in air at varying altitudes with a colorful explanatory graph. After some discussion, they view unbelievable footage of mountain-climbing Leo Houlding and a narrative about how he might do...
Arizona Cooperative Extension
Geocaching
Using GPS units, small groups participate in a scavenger hunt to find an object that you have hidden. They use coordinates for stopping points along a pre-planned path to get to the final cache. This is a terrific activity to include in...
California Academy of Science
Discovering Rainforest Locations
How many rainforests are there, where are they, and do global factors effect their locations? These are great questions that have great answers. Children in grades four through eight use several different maps to determine why...
Curated OER
East Asia Country Project
Get your young historians thinking about East Asian culture and history during this partner research project, in which they analyze a variety of East Asian aspects to prepare for a presentation. After an initial "what do we already know"...
Curated OER
Comparing Kwakiutl, Cheyenne and Navajo tribes
Third graders study the difference between the Kwakiutl, Cheyenne and Navajo tribes. They identify the people, resources, lifestyle and beliefs of the Kwakiutl, Cheyenne, and Navajo Indians. Afterward, they present their projects on each...
Theodore Roosevelt Association
Roosevelt's Legacy: Conservation
The legacy of Theodore Roosevelt carries through modern American politics, economics, foreign policy, and society. But his proudest and most profound efforts were in the world of conservation, and in preserving the natural beauty of...