Curated OER
Topographic Mapping Skills
In this geography instructional activity, students read an excerpt about topographic maps and why they are useful for various jobs. They also respond to eleven questions that follow related to the excerpt and locating specific map points...
Curriculum Corner
Earth Day Book
This Earth Day, celebrate our beautiful planet with an activity book that challenges scholars to show off their map skills, complete a crossword puzzle, write acrostic poems, alphabetize, and reflect on their personal Earth-friendly habits.
National Geographic
Australia, Antarctica, and Oceana
Go on a traveling adventure throughout Australia, Oceana, and Antarctica! This textbook excerpt offers a full unit of study that can easily be supplemented by extra projects or research materials. Learners study maps, read about...
Curated OER
Math with Maps and Globes
Young scholars round out their math skills with these ‘round the world' ideas. In this math and geography lesson, students try out time zone sticks, a polar race, and tic-tac-globe to engage them in learning more about globes and the...
Cornell University
Too Much of a Good Thing?
Continuing their study of beneficial insects, young entomologists discover where in the world some of these bugs are. By labeling, coloring, and using the scale on a map, pupils explore the territories and arrival of the Asian lady...
Science 4 Inquiry
Edible Plate Tectonics
Many people think they can't observe plate tectonics, but thanks to GPS, we know that Australia moves at a rate of 2.7 inches per year, North America at 1 inches per year, and the Pacific plate at more than 3 inches per year! Scholars...
PBS
Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Earth's surface constantly changes thanks to a variety of geological forces; in fact, Australia currently moves faster than GPS technology. Scholars connect the idea of continental drift to earthquakes and volcanoes with the help of an...
Curated OER
Floods
Students explore Earth science by answering study questions on-line. In this natural disasters lesson, students research Australia flood statistics over the past 40 years and identify patterns. Students utilize the web to view...
Curated OER
What Makes a Tropical Rainforest Special?
Students examine the characteristics of the tropical rainforest. Using a map, they locate the rainforests found around the world, continents and the equator. Using the internet, they research the various layers of the rainforest and...
Curated OER
Shadow Trackers
Students use online websites to inquire about the cycle of day and night. In this web based lesson, students are able to see the movement of the sun and Earth. Students can look at different parts of the Earth as if they were on the Sun...
Curated OER
Give Me Some Latitude
For this latitude worksheet, students use an atlas or other reference to respond to 4 multiple choice questions about the equator and the poles.
Curated OER
How Many Animals?
Students use their math skills to develop estimates for the population of several animal species native to the Austrailian rainforest. It is a simulation that researchers at the Center for Rainforest Studies in Australia perform to...
Curated OER
Droughts
Learners discuss a natural disaster. In this droughts lesson plan, students discover how droughts occur and how they affect the society dealing with one. They discuss how the population of Australia deals with droughts and work on...
Curated OER
Drifting Continents
In this plate tectonics worksheet, learners study the continents map and complete 8 short answer questions related to them. They predict what the Earth will look like millions from now.
Curated OER
The Tilting Earth
Fourth graders use a styrofoam ball on a stick to represent earth and a light bulb in the center of the room to represent the sun. They walk around the light, holding their sticks at an angle to show the tilt of the earth's axis. They...
Curated OER
Let's Visit Hervey Bay
Young scholars explore the concept of saving files on the computer. In this computer technology and science lesson, students download pictures, facts, and sounds of whales and save them to a disk. Young scholars then...
![Geoscience Australia: Map Reading Guide: How to Use Topographic Maps [Pdf] Handout](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Geoscience Australia: Map Reading Guide: How to Use Topographic Maps [Pdf] Handout")
Other
Geoscience Australia: Map Reading Guide: How to Use Topographic Maps [Pdf]
A topographic map can be challenging to read. This guide explains how to decipher one and how to use a magnetic compass to orient yourself to the landscape. It also explains how to use GPS coordinates.