Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Colonial Vacation Planner

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students plan a family vacation to states that were among the original 13 colonies. The groups determine which state they visit, map their route, calculate the mileage, and determine how much money they spend on gasoline.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Globe Skills Lesson 6 The Louisiana Purchase

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the Louisiana Purchase territory. In this geography skills lesson, students use map skills in order to plot and note latitude and longitude, measure scale distance, and locate landforms that were part of the Louisiana...
Lesson Plan
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Design an Island

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students make a map of an imaginary island using the topographic symbols provided from a worksheet. Students place lakes, dwellins, reefs, etc. in areas where they would logically be located from understanding how the topography of an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth on the Earth

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders plot points on a graph and transfer those coordinates onto a large scale model resulting in an outline of the Western Hemisphere. They identify the major geographical landforms of the Western Hemisphere.
Lesson Plan
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Globe Skills Lesson 8 Dust Bowl Travelers

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students develop their globe and map skills, In this geography lesson, students examine the Dust Bowl as they complete an activity that requires them to plot latitude and longitude.
Worksheet
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Lesson 3-5: Proportions and Similar Figures

For Students 9th - 12th
In this similar figures worksheet, students use proportions to solve 6 short answer and multiple choice questions.  Students use proportions to answer questions about map scales and height of trees given shadow lengths.
Lesson Plan
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Lesson 3 Activity 1: On the Trail of Knowledge

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students plot the earthquake epicenter data on the base map of the North Atlantic ocean floor using different symbols or colors to characterize different values.
Lesson Plan
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Mapping a Stream

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Young scholars map an actual local waterway. They create full color scale drawings that include windfalls, plant cover, streambed composition, and landmarks such as trees, boulders, and slumps. This is a long-term project that involves...
Lesson Plan
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Making Personal Maps

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students study maps and become familiar with how to use one.  In this investigative lesson students create a map of an area and provide a legend. 
Lesson Plan
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Mapping Potato Island

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students create their own topographical map using a potato. For this hands on lesson students construct a topographical map and explain what contour lines are using a potato.
Lesson Plan
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Coordinate Grid: Mapping Archeological Sites

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders discover how to apply the Cartesian coordinate system by figuring out the length and width of their school playground. They determine that pacing is an important tool for the initial mapping of a site. Students conduct a...
Lesson Plan
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Quick-Sketch Artist Tips on Mind Mapping the Urban Landscape

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students interpret maps. They also create mental maps of regions in which they are studying. Students then explain the historical or cultural significance of map features orally or in written form. Students take a walking field trip...
Lesson Plan
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Tactile Maps

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students make a map of an assigned area (state, country, etc.) using a 3-D pictorial-tactile representation of the features to be included. They also learn to create a pictorial- tactile representation of their knowledge of a region, and...
Lesson Plan
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Making a Map of the Classroom

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students create a map of the classroom using the computer programs AppleWorks and iChat in this math-based technology lesson. Lesson extension ideas include a scavenger hunt and maps of other school buildings.
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Chicago Botanic Garden

Climate Change Around the World

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
Look at climate change around the world using graphical representations and a hands-on learning simulation specified to particular cities around the world. Using an interactive website, young scientists follow the provided...
Lesson Plan
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FINDING A RESOLUTION

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students examine detailed Moon and Earth views provided by the NASA-sponsored "World Wind" computer program. They work in groups to create maps of different scales using landmarks of their choice, and challenge their classmates to...
Lesson Plan
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Schoolyard Geology

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Discover that maps show information about an area and that they have common features like scales and legends. View an aerial map of your school and find features on the map such as the playground, roads, and trees. Trace the outline of...
Lesson Plan
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Your Galactic Address

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars discover their place in the universe.  For this astronomy lesson, students identify their location on various maps that have increasingly larger scales.  In the end, the young scholars write their address in...
Lesson Plan
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Design an Island

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students explore islands. They create a two- or three-dimensional map of an island. They explain how the topography of an area influences the location of water sources, ecosystems, and human settlements. Lesson includes adaptations for...
Lesson Plan
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Mush! Tracking Travelers on the Trail

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students get to know Alaska and the Iditarod route that is run by dogs as they track the mushers' progress on a map that they create specifically for the race. They learn about latitude, longitude, plotting on a map, checkpoints, and...
Lesson Plan
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Park Brochures

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders investigate natural environments by researching national parks. In this brochure making lesson, 6th graders explore a specific national park and research it's information by utilizing the web. Students create travel...
Lesson Plan
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The Pilgrims

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Learners use distance measuring tools to follow directions and chart the path the pilgrims made from Plymouth, England to Boston, Massachusetts. In this Pilgrim voyage lesson, students use a map to chart the distance traveled by the...
Lesson Plan
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Salad Tray 3D Topographic Model

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the characteristics of topographical maps. They examine the relationship of contour lines and vertical elevation. Students create a three-dimensional model of a landscape represented by a topographic contour map.
Lesson Plan
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Vocabulary Review and Map Skills

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students, when given the name of a community, identify a food, a craft, a custom, language and music, unique to that community 100% of the time. They find similarities and differences between this community and their own in four...