Curated OER
Where Am I, and How Do I Get Where I am Going?
Students describe geographical places through art, music, writing, and math. They compile information in booklets which may be published.
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America Grows - Trailblazers Pave the Way
Students study the time period after the Revolutionary War when people were striving to move away from the coastal areas and look for pathways to the west. Westerward expansion is a central theme and students use a variety of resources...
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How Mountains Shape Climate
Students use raw data to make a climatograph; they explain the process of orographic precipitation and the concept of a rain shadow.
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Introduction to Maps
Students investigate a variety of maps to explain what each one is used for.
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What Do Maps Show?: Lesson 1 Introduction to Maps
Students brainstorm a list of the different types of maps they have seen or used. Using the activity sheet, they look through a social studies book to find all the maps and to determine what they are used for. Using a poster, they review...
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Stopping Deforestation in the Amazon: A Publicity Campaign
Students investigate the environment by designing a group project. For this ecology lesson, students identify the man made threats to the Amazon while reading environmentally conscience vocabulary terms. Students collaborate in groups...
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Creating Climographs
Students chart statistical information on graphs, interpret the information and use it to explain spatial relationships, and identify the relationship between climate and vegetation.
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Spice Up Your Life
Second graders identify major spices found in the world. They link spices with countries they are grown in and the uses for these valuable items.
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Reading the Coyote School News: Lives of Ranchers in Southern Arizona
Fourth graders examine the effects of Mexican-American ranching on life today.
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The Magic of Cranberries
Students research climatic and soil conditions for growing cranberries and illustrate how cranberries grow. They research how cranberries are used past and present and create an a-b-c book on cranberries.
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Personal Travel Guide to a Chinese City
Scholars become travel guides in this group research project to investigate a Chinese city or region for a presentation. Heavily based on Internet research, the activity requires participants to jigsaw the final project, so each team...
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U.S. and Canada: How are We the Same? How are We Different?
Get high school geographers to compare and contrast Canada and the United States. They begin by drawing a freehand map of North America, then complete readings to gain insight into Canada. The text is not provided; however, another text...
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Using Different Kinds of Maps
Third graders explore the landforms and population diversity. They read maps and examine geographic terms. Students create their own map of the United States and answer questions about the location of people. After exploring the map, 3rd...
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Travel Agency
Learners create a travel agency from favorite vacation destinations. The skill of reading and using a database is covered. Profiles of travelers are used to teach sorting into different categories during inquiry.
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T-shirt Passport Lesson Plan
Students locate their t-shirt place/name on maps, then share facts/artifacts (souvenirs) from their place/name location orally with whole class. They create a database using information gathered from the whole class.
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Where is Everybody?
Students collect data from different grade levels at their school and develop thematic maps which show population density, and determine how this might affect the school and themselves in the future.
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Let the River Run
Students explore the environment by reading a story in class. In this water formation instructional activity, students define environmental terms such as rivers, streams, gulf, oceans and lakes. Students read the story A River Ran Wild...
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Volcanoes A-Z
Young scholars examine terminology related to the study of volcanoes, geology, or the ecosystems that surround them. They make note of key words while reading exhibits, interpretive signs, or labels, or hearing them from each other,...
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Masks of Africa
Students explain the purpose of masks to various cultures in Africa. They recognize the conceptual patterns used to create African masks and illustrate their understanding by creating their own masks
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Our Water Resources
Students build a model aquifer to study groundwater zones and water table formation. Students use the models to measure the movement of polluted groundwater.
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Get to Know Your City
Third graders research the history of their home city and how it's development was influenced by different groups of people. They present their research information to the class.
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Rivers of Change
Third graders examine rivers and how they affect the people living around them. They read a chapter in their science text, take a virtual river tour online, read a background information story, and in pairs describe the changes in the...
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Site vs. Situation: Location! Location! Location!
Students examine places with a similar latitude to Alabama, and discuss the importance of a location's site versus its situation. They analyze maps, create a chart, and write a paragraph on the difference between site and situation.
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"Tsunamis"
High schoolers visit a PBS Website about tsunamis to consider their causes, effects and steps countries have taken to try to defend against them. They answer questions and create a brochure explaining tsunami facts and procedures to...