Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Put Me in My Place: Using Alphanumeric Grids to Locate Places

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Learners practice locating points on a large wall grid and create and label a neighborhood map. For this geography lesson, students spell and discuss places as the teacher places them on the map. They discuss the concept of an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

George Washington Teaches Map Directions

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Learners follow teacher given directions, either oral or written to plot points on a grid to create a profile of George Washington. They apply cardinal and ordinal directions to find the points on the grid.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Where Am I? Map Activity

For Students 5th - 7th
In this map activity worksheet, students determine which countries are shown on a set of 16 maps, then read facts about each country designed to help with a report on that country.
Lesson Plan
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

From Ben’s Pen to Our Lives

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What would Ben do? Jumping off from the pseudonymous letters Ben Franklin fooled his older brother into publishing when he was still a teenager, young literary lovers dive into acting, writing, and addressing a local issue with wit and...
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Quantifying Land Changes Over Time Using Landsat

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
"Humans have become a geologic agent comparable to erosion and [volcanic] eruptions ..." Paul J. Crutzen, a Nobel Prize-winning atmospheric chemist. Using Landsat imagery, scholars create a grid showing land use type, such as urban,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping the Bone Field: An Area and Scale Exercise

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Here is an excellent cross-curricular lesson. Learners relate multiplication to area by making a grid on graph paper, and then creating the same grid in real space outside in the school yard.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Grids

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Take your study of coordinates online! Groups of students complete an online graphing introduction, plotting the points of virtual objects. A worksheet is included for extra practice.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Absolute Location

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders examine the geographic concept of absolute location. Using a variety of resources, they create a life-size classroom grid and locate the coordinates of a point, identify latitude and longitude of different locations, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where in the World

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore the global grid system. In this globe lesson, students identify latitude and longitude lines and how these can tell the coordinates of any place. They use the Internet to find the exact coordinates for their town. 
Lesson Plan
Bowland

Outbreak: Infection Detection

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Explore the mathematics of infection outbreaks with activities that ask learners to use coordinate grids to locate infected patients. They calculate amounts of ingredients for antidotes and determine which groups of people should be...
Lesson Plan
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Teach Engineering

What is GIS?

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Is GIS the real manifestation of Harry Potter's Marauders Map? Introduce your class to the history of geographic information systems (GIS), the technology that allows for easy use of spatial information, with a resource that teaches...
Worksheet
Curated OER

All About the Animals

For Students 3rd - 4th
Whose footprints are those? After reading Janet Halfmann's book, Little Skink's Tail, young scholars use footprints to determine where on a gridded map certain animals have been spotted. They use the map to answer 3 questions, one...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Me on the Map Lesson 1

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students use maps, globes, geographic information systems and other sources of information to analyze the nature of places at a variety of scales. They identify on a map and determine the population of the city, county, state, country...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What do Maps Show?

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders practice the skill of reading maps.  In this geography lesson, 8th graders participate in a classroom lecture on how to read a map. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping a Site Using a Coordinate Plane

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners map their playground as if it were an archeological site. They locate objects on the playground and determine their location using coordinate points. A related lesson is Coordinate Grid: Mapping an Archeological Site.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Are We There Yet?

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students discover how to use maps and why they are important when using a map. They calculate distance using a map scale and time using travel speed and a map scale.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Draw an Inch, Walk a Mile

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students work in small groups to solve the problems presented. The main project, mapping the classroom, use these discussions to collaborate in creating a tangible demonstration of their understanding.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

WORLD GEOGRAPHY

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students identify and analyze map symbols and map grids by completing various worksheets and creating their own map using these skills. Students identify and analyze what latitude and longitude are on a map to play a game of Bingo....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Coordinate Grid: Mapping an Archaeological Site

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers examine how archaeologists preserve context of sites through use of rectangular grid or Cartesian coordinate system, and develop sense of distance by pacing off and estimating distances.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Location, Location, Location: Using a Grid to Determine Context

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders are introduced to making inferences about artifacts. Using a grid system, they locate the artifacts and determine where they originated from. They use this information to make conclusions about the way people lived...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Am I?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students apply map reading skills by locating places through the use of latitude and longitude.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making Topographic Maps and Mountain Profiles

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Learners study how to mark inclines and construct a mountain profile.  In this topographic map activity students mark contour intervals and draw mountain profiles. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

4-figure Grid Reference

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study maps and grid lines.  In this weather map lesson students complete an activity that allows them to understand grid lines on a map. 
Unit Plan
University of Southern California

What Is The Ocean?

For Students 4th - 8th
Go on a tour of the ocean through the lens of a scientist. Learners read maps of the ocean floor, study tide behavior, examine wave motion, and analyze components of soil. Each lesson incorporates a hands-on component.