Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Map Directions and the United States

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders search TDC database for images of a compass rose, a miles marker, and a US map. They identify cardinal and intermediate directions to help identify their state and other states on a US map.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making Maps

For Teachers 1st
First graders create a map of their classroom that can be used to find a hidden treasure. They examine two- and three-dimensional objects and discover characteristics.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We Found It!

For Teachers 1st
First graders identify and describe landforms. They demonstrate an understanding of the compass rose and a map key using the trail of Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery. They generate a map key.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Putting the World in Perspective

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students work in small groups to: make a mental map of the world by tearing paper shapes of the seven continents and locating them on a flat surface in their relative positions, compare their finished mental map to a reference world map,...
Lesson Plan
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Deserts

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students do various activities to explain where the United States' desert region lies in relationship to the state in which they live, become familiar with plants and animals in the Sonoran desert, and make a story map of Roadrunner...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reading a Map

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders become familiar with the vocabulary and skills related to mapping.  For this guided reading lesson, 3rd graders find proper nouns on from the map.  Students read Goldilocks.  Students make a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Draw A Coastline

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students identify, locate and draw at least ten different geographical features on a map. Using the map, they must make it to scale and include their own legend and compass rose. They share their map with the class and answer questions.
Lesson Plan
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China Quest

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Read and research information on China. Young researchers complete a knowledge hunt about China then locate and describe each location using directional words. They recognize the word meaning through context clues and application practice.
Lesson Plan
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Geo-Town

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders use a checklist to construct a Geo-Town map including a compass rose, a map key, and a paragraph about a walk around Geo-Town, using appropriate geometric and directional vocabulary to identify the two-dimensional figures...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Are The Characteristics of Your Neighborhood?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners make a mental map of their neighborhood. Using a software program, they make an aerial and digital map of their school and locate their school on given maps. In groups, they calculate the distances to various locations and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gingerbread Map

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders read the book Gingerbread Baby, identify local features and cardinal directions on a map, and then construct their own map. In this mapping lesson plan, 2nd graders construct their own map in groups based on where the baby...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Blowing in the Wind

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students identify and interpret maps, graphs, charts, tables and political cartoons. Students identify what a compass rose is and review its meaning in relation to standard directions. Students design their own weathervanes. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cartography

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Learners research about cartography and how to be a cartographer. In this math activity, students draw a map of their classroom. They use a robot to explore navigation using a compass rose.
Lesson Plan
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Orienteering

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners study navigation skills when a compass is unavailable. They are timed as they move quickly through a predetermined arrangement of numbered traffic cones . They straddle over the cone and read the bearing found on the record...
Lesson Plan
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Map Making/Floor Plans/Map Reading

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students apply their knowledge of scale when mapping the classroom. They determine the use of a map legend and orient a map using a compass. They create the classroom maps using transfer graph paper.
Lesson Plan
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Map Creation

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders identify a map, symbol, key, and compass rose. Students create and print a map for teacher evaluation using the computer. Students identify the symbols on their map and orally present them to the class.
Lesson Plan
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Map It With Pixie

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders use the computer program 'Pixie' to create a topographic, detailed map for the state they live in. In this mapping skills lesson, 4th graders use Pixie to make a map of their state that includes topographic features, state...
Lesson Plan
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El Nino Lesson

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars compare graphs of weather occurrences. In this environmental lesson plan, students will being using the website to gather weather related information for a certain time period. The young scholars will then graph the data...
Lesson Plan
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Simple Machines make work easier.

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine how simple machine work can make work easier.  In this machines lesson students complete an activity that shows them what makes up a machine, and how to measure displacement and velocity. 
Lesson Plan
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Mapping America

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
While learning about the Louisiana Purchase, pupils practice map skills. This motivating activity has them answer questions about the Louisiana Territory and the United States. It provides a quick and easy way review of skills and the...
Lesson Plan
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Migrating to Texas

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore the migration to Texas from other parts of the United States. Through journal entries they write about the trip as if they were the settlers coming to a new and foreign country. Working in small groups, 4th graders...
Lesson Plan
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Sam Houston for President...Again

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders discover the political career of Sam Houston. In this Texas history lesson, 4th graders research primary resources and create a modern-day version of Sam Houston's political campaign of the 1840s.
Lesson Plan
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Rivers Run Through It

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Using a relief map of New York State, learners answer questions about the distance between different cities, identify bodies of water, and more. First, they discuss vocabulary related to the Hudson River area. Then, they complete a...
Lesson Plan
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Exploring the Various Regions of Boyle Heights: Continuity and Change

For Teachers 3rd
Student study the local landscape of Boyle Heights, California and draw a sketch of the area. Students use map making skills in this activity. Studient make a portfolio of information and photographs they accumulate over time on the area.