Lesson Plan
National Geographic

Measuring Elevation Past and Present

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
After viewing a short video about a climb up Mount Everest, high schoolers read about triangulation for measuring distant elevations. Have your class work in groups to construct an inclinometer and then use it to measure the height of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Do Maps Show?: Lesson 4 How to Read a Topographic Map

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars examine the use of topographic maps as two dimensional representations that show elevations and slopes with contour lines. They read maps of the Salt Lake City, Utah area and complete the associated worksheets that show...
Worksheet
Richmond Community Schools

Map Skills

For Students 5th - 7th Standards
Young geographers will need to use a variety of map skills to complete the tasks required on this worksheet. Examples of activities include using references to label a map of Mexico, identify Canadian territories and European...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Orienteering - Lesson 3 - Topographical Maps and Contour Lines

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learn how to read a topographical map and understand what the contour lines mean. Explore longitude and latitude. Find a cliff, a valley, a mountain peak, and more. This is just one of the ten lessons in this unit on oreinteering....
Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Topographic and Geologic Maps: Topographic Maps

For Students 9th - 12th
Maps are great for helping you get where you're going, but what does that place actually look like? Geology scholars compare and contrast the features of topographical and geologic maps using an interactive lesson. The resource describes...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Topographic Maps

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Arizona's Biotic Communities Lesson 1: Mapping Biotic Communities

For Teachers 6th - 10th
As part of a unit on Arizona's biotic communities, young ecology learners create a map. They describe how humans and animals adapt in their habitat. They take notes and create graphic organizers from articles they read. Beautiful maps,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How to Read a Topographic Map

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students investigate the use of topographic maps.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Am I: How to Read a Map

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders develop an understanding of maps. They explore what a map is, who uses maps, and how to use maps. Students investigate the compas rose. They create a compose rose which illustrates the cardinal directions. Students practice...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Potato Mountain": Reading/Understanding Topographic Maps

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate how to read topographic maps.  In this map reading lesson students complete a topographic map activity. 
Worksheet
Curated OER

Contour Map Worksheet #1

For Students 6th - 9th
Being able to read a topographic map is a standard in middle school earth science units and imperative for outdoor enthusiasts. As you introduce learners to this skill, you can assign this as an assessment or reinforcement. Pupils view a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tooling Around Arizona: Reading Arizona Maps

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Learners research Arizona maps. In this map activity, students discuss map titles, scales, directions, elevation, and symbols. The class will examine topography, landforms, and rivers found on an Arizona map.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Land Elevation

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students investigate land elevation. In this map skills lesson, students use a physical map to identify various elevations of the land. Students find landform features such hills and coastlines.
Interactive
Curated OER

Anatomy of an Earthquake

For Students 6th - 8th
In this earthquake worksheet, learners read and study earthquake maps and statistics. They complete 8 short answer questions that follow.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Working With Electronic Topography Maps

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Junior geologists examine topographic maps online and learn how to read them. they answer seven associated follow-up questions. This lesson plan is only a general outline and does not provide the details or the websites that you...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to Topographic Maps

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders create a topographic map and see how it represents  different elevations. In this topographic maps lesson plan students read and interpret topographic maps. 
Activity
1
1
Curated OER

Designing a Hiking Trail

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Put your students' map skills to the test with this engaging cross-curricular project. Given the task of developing new hiking trails for their local community, young cartographers must map out beginner and intermediate...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction To Topographic Map Activities

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students discuss different types of maps, their similarities and differences. Using a Topographical Maps CD-rom program students create their own map.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Topographic Maps Worksheet

For Students 7th - 12th
For this geography skills worksheet, students respond to 37 multi-part questions that require them to read and interpret topographic maps.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Unit V: Worksheet 1 - Constant Force

For Students 9th - 12th
In a force diagram, a stick figure man in an elevator takes a ride. Physics analysts work out the force exerted on him by the elevator floor. As the acceleration changes, they draw new force diagrams and compute new force values. This...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cookie Topography

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students construct a cross section diagram showing elevation changes on a "cookie island." Using a chocolate chip cookie for an island, they locate the highest point in centimeters on the cookie and create a scale in feet. After tracing...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planning A Railroad Online Lesson

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Young scholars plan a route across Donner Summit using topographical maps in order to understand the challenges involved in constructing the railroad in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In this history lesson, students first discover how to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

3-D Topographic Maps

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students create a 3-D topographic map.  In this map building lesson plan, students use cardboard to create a topographic map of the Catskills mountain region.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

United States Map- Land Elevation

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students explore a physical map. In this map skills lesson, students discuss examples of elevation and investigate the symbols used to identify elevation on a map. Students use the map to identify various land elevations.