Students develop and apply a variety of strategies to solve problems, with an emphasis on multi-step and non-routine problems. They acquire confidence in using mathematics meaningfully.

Young scholars, after plotting earthquake locations on the map, should correctly; identify the pattern of earthquake locations and identify the ring of fire.

Fifth graders use captured portions of the Internet ("mininets") to perform research into climate. They create graphs of the data recorded using latitude as the independent variable and temperature as the dependent variable.

Fifth graders create a compass, with the help of written instructions and then write six sentences discussing how compasses work and why they are helpful. They discuss the different types of navigational tools and how they are helpful.

Middle schoolers plot constellations on a grid map. They discuss the various ways early explorers planned their travels. Students identify and recognize major constellations. They color their maps and take them home to try to find...

Students use coordinate graphs in order to identify objects and their locations. They are shown how to plot the x and y coordinates and then are given values to be plotted during guided and independent practice. Students are assessed on...

Students use the Live Access Server (LAS) to form maps and a numerical text file of snow cover for each continent on a particular date. They analyze the data for each map and corresponding text file to determine an estimate of snow cover...

Students review the patterns they discovered from a previous activity.  In this investigative lesson students plot data as a class and color a map. 

Learners create their own countries. In this geography skills lesson, students establish governments, cultural backgrounds, atlas/geography components, national anthems, and national symbols for a country they create.

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...

Students study whale migration and their natural history.  In this migration lesson students plot whale migration on a map and describe their ecosystems. 

Students identify and locate cattle trails on a globe. In this map skill instructional activity, students use a marker to locate Texas and Montana and use the map scale to calculate the distance of the cattle trail.

A fabulous presentation/activity based on geography. The author has designed a "baseball game" where batters advance to the next base if they correctly answer a multiple choice question about geography. Geographic terms are used, along...

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,...

Students access the Global Sun Temperature Project website and research the relationship between the location and climate of a participating school to its building structure. They consider how climate affects the type of structures...

Young scholars locate the Island of Bermuda, and identify its absolute and relative location.

Students are introduced and increase proficiency in the use of the hand held GPS system. They explore the meaning of longitude and latitude lines, then identify the parts of the map.

Sixth graders explore angles, triangles, and investigate the circumference of the earth. They participate in a Webquest, access data bases, and communicate with other students through an on-line project site involving the circumference...

Students 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...

Students create their own "weather" map using data from x-ray sources. They analyze and discuss why it is important to organize data in a fashion in which is easy to read. They compare and contrast different x-ray sources using a stellar...

Students use CERES percent coverage surface data with a world map in locating landmasses and bodies of water at Earth's Equator.

First graders observe a variety of different foods including kiwi, banbnas, coffee, chocolate and discuss where they come from. They discuss the terms import and export then identify the locations where the items came from and their...

Students study the use of a nautical chart and how to obtain information from it. They describe and differentiate the basic topographic characteristics of a chart and demonstrate the use of nautical tools used to plot fixed points on a...

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.