Institute for Geophysics
Understanding Maps of Earth
Here is your go-to student resource on primary geography concepts, including facts about the surface of the earth and its hemispheres, latitude and longitude, globes, types of maps, and identifying continents and oceans.
Curated OER
Map Puzzles
Students make puzzles from world maps, dramatizing how much of the globe is covered by ocean.
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Variables Affecting Earth's Albedo
Students study the variables that affect the Earth's albedo. In this environmental data analysis lesson students interpret and graph information and calculate changes.
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MAP GRIDS, CLIMATES AND HEMISPHERES
Students compare/contrast the grid and latitude/longitude system used on a globe. They describe the areas which are considered to be a tropical, temperate, and polar, based on knowledge of climates.
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Celebrating the Solstice and Equinox
Fourth graders graph the number of daylight hors throughout the year and examine why day length varies. They discover that seasonal changes and latitude on Earth affect the number of hours of daylight in each day. Students listen to...
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Geography Terms
Introduce the terms and concepts related to basic map and geography skills. Terms include full definitions and cover latitude, longitude, the Equator, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, Prime Meridian, and the International Date Line.
Teach Engineering
Who Can Make the Best Coordinate System?
Working with a map that does not have a coordinate system on it, small, collaborative teams must come up with a coordinate system for their map. Groups then explain their coordinate structure to the class.
Curated OER
Latitude and Longitude
In this latitude and longitude worksheet, students complete 4 activities to demonstrate understanding. Students use a protractor to measure angles on a map of the earth. Students fill out a latitude and longitude chart after studying a...
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Tracking Satellites Using Latitude and Longitude
Students, viewing an Internet site, plot the path of several satellites using latitude and longitude over the course of an hour. They learn the four basic types of satellites and their purpose.
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Giving Students a Little Latitude
Students use a world outline map to locate places using coordinates of latitude and longitude. They answer questions about places based on their knowledge of the map and on their research and make up more questions of this sort for each...
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Understanding Latitude, Longitude, and Time Zones
Students take an imaginary world tour by locating cities with latitude and longitude. They plan an itinerary and calculate the time zones from which they would call home. Then they construct word problems involving travel across time zones.
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Map of Town
Third graders draw a map of the town given different sites to locate on the map by the teacher. They explain that latitude and longitude are used to locate places on maps and globes, identify the distinctive physical and cultural...
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Longitude-Dava Sobel
In this longitude worksheet, students read about how to determine the longitude of location while at sea and they answer 5 questions about calculating longitude.
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And a Star to Steer Her By: A Field Trip Guide for the Planetarium Show
In this field trip study guide for the planetarium show lesson, students construct a model of the Earth and describe the relative positions of the continents using latitude and longitude. Students construct a star chart to find...
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Maps Reinforcement
In this map worksheet, students complete 6 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions about 3 different map figures.
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Plotting Earthquakes and Volcanoes
In this earthquakes and volcanoes activity, students are given the latitude and longitude of earthquakes and volcanoes and they plot them on a world map. They answer questions based on their results.
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Student Exploration: Summer and Winter
In this recognizing the seasons online/interactive worksheet, students explore the Earth's positions and determine the summer and winter season. Students answer 21 short answer questions
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Weather With a Latitude
Students read the temperature from a thermometer. In this weather lesson, students read a thermometer and record the temperature at twenty minute intervals. Students discuss results.
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CLIMATE AND WEATHER UNIT
Students locate on-line weather source, gathers and interprets weather data, work collaboratively on-line with other schools to collect weather data, and write about the cause of temperature inconsistencies in various locations.
Owl Teacher
Latitude & Longitude
Here is a worksheet activity where learners mark the latitude and longitude coordinates of cities all over the world. There are 15 cities to identify, from Baghdad, Iraq to Warsaw, Poland and Anchorage, Alaska.
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Understanding Topographic Maps
Underclassmen create a cone-shaped landform and then draw a contour map for it. Then they examine a quadrangle (which was easily located with an online search), and relate it to what they experienced. The accompanying worksheet is...
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Latitude/Longitude Activity
Youngsters work in groups to solve clues involving latitude and longitude coordinates in order to decipher mystery animals in this fun learning experience!
Curated OER
Storm Clouds-- Fly over a Late Winter Storm onboard a NASA Earth Observing Satellite
Students study cloud data and weather maps to explore cloud activity. In this cloud data lesson students locate latitude and longitude coordinates and determine cloud cover percentages.
Curated OER
Journey to Gettysburg
Students use latitude and longitude to map the path of the Battle of Gettysburg.