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Mapping
Introduce middle or high schoolers to topographic maps with this PowerPoint. After a review of longitude and latitude, display and describe contour lines and intervals. Also explain map scale. This is a useful presentation for a social...
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Where Am I: How to Read a Map
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...
Richmond Community Schools
Map Skills
Young geographers will need to use a variety of map skills to complete the tasks required on this learning exercise. Examples of activities include using references to label a map of Mexico, identify Canadian territories and European...
Curated OER
What Do Maps Show?: Lesson 4 How to Read a Topographic Map
Students 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 map...
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Tooling Around Arizona: Reading Arizona Maps
Students research Arizona maps. For this map lesson, students discuss map titles, scales, directions, elevation, and symbols. The class will examine topography, landforms, and rivers found on an Arizona map.
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Lesson Design Archaeology- USGS Maps
Students research USGS maps and identify the major features. In this map skills lesson, students identify low and high elevations on a USGS map and practice finding latitude and longitude.
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Land Elevation
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.
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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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Designing a Hiking Trail
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 paths that meet a...
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Introduction To Topographic Map Activities
Students discuss different types of maps, their similarities and differences. Using a Topographical Maps CD-rom program students create their own map.
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Topographic Maps Worksheet
For this geography skills worksheet, students respond to 37 multi-part questions that require them to read and interpret topographic maps.
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Rivers, Maps, and Math
Students use maps to locate and label the major rivers of North and South America. Using the internet, they identify forests, grasslands, mountain ranges and other landforms on the continents as well. They compare and contrast the...
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Tracing Highs and Lows in San Francisco
On a topographic map, students identify the scale bar, north arrow, and contour interval. They then locate a hill on the map and make note of the contour lines. Students then locate other places with similar contour line patterns....
Association of American Geographers
Project GeoSTART
Investigate the fascinating, yet terrifying phenomenon of hurricanes from the safety of your classroom using this earth science unit. Focusing on developing young scientists' spacial thinking skills, these lessons engage learners in...
Curated OER
3-D Topographic Maps
Students create a 3-D topographic map. In this map building lesson, students use cardboard to create a topographic map of the Catskills mountain region.
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Cookie Topography
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...
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United States Map- Land Elevation
Young scholars 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. Young scholars use the map to identify various land elevations.
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Latin American Relief Map
Students, in groups, research, design and construct a relief map of a section of Latin America using papier-mache. They show major landforms, elevations and notable bodies of water. They present their maps to the class.
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Topography: Know the topography of your neighborhood
Students read and identify features on a topography map. In this topography lesson plan, students learn how to read a topography map, and then go out and take pictures of their own and discuss the topography pictures they took.
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Planning A Railroad Online Lesson
Students 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 read...
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Globe Skills Lesson 5
In this map skills worksheet, students read a text selection about locations during the American Revolution and then respond to 8 fill in the blank questions.
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Globe Skills Lesson 1 Some Early American Cultures
Students apply their knowledge of geography. For this geography skills lesson, students read brief selections regarding early Americans. Students respond to the questions included in the self-guided map skills lesson.
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Getting to the Core of World and State Geography
Students create topography relief maps. In this geography skills lesson, students review geography core knowledge skills, design and make a state relief map, and compile a student atlas.