Curated OER
Mapping Ancient Coastlines
Most of this lesson is spent working on the "Bathymetry Worksheet." It includes a graph of the changes in sea level over the past 150,000 years and a bathymetric map of changes in an imaginary coastline over time. Participants answer...
Curated OER
Building A Topographic Model
Students visualize, in three dimensions, features represented by contour lines on a topographic map. They see that the different elevations shown on a two dimensional topographic map can be used to build a 3-D model.
Curated OER
Production of the Lunar Relief Map Project
Students replicate the lunar surface. In this mapping skills lesson, students study the topography of the moon. Students then use craft materials to create topographic maps of the lunar surface where the Eagle landed.
Curated OER
Play Doh Map of Your State
Students create a state map using Playdoh. In this hands-on state geography lesson, students work in groups to form a three-dimensional map of their state using Playdoh made at home following a (given) recipe. Students use four colors...
Curated OER
Is Urban Sprawl Causing Us To Lose More Than Ground?
Learners map the changes that occur in the land as a result of urban sprawl. They explore the problems that paving and building have on the watershed and the habitats on the Northshore.
Curated OER
Candy Bar Subsurface Geology
Students are introduced to drawing and interpreting topographical maps. They each cut through there Jell-o mountain at regular height intervals, and trace around the shape of the Jell-o cut off at the height, overlaying the different...
Curated OER
Volcanoes!: Forecasting the Path of Mudflows
Students construct a mockup of a volcano by crumbling up newspapers and piling them into the shape of a volcano. They place a tarp over the newspapers making sure the tarp is large enough to simulate a flat area at the volcano's base....
National Wildlife Federation
Go with the Flow
The quality of a watershed has a direct impact on the community it services. Learners study their own watershed using a topographical map. They recreate the watershed components using colored pencils to track the upstream and downstream...
Global Change
Impact of Climate Change on the Desert Pupfish
A fish that lives in the desert? You and your class can meet the desert pupfish as they examine its habitat, the role humans play in diminishing water supplies, and how climate change might impact this fishy friend. There are four short...
Curated OER
Science: Draining the Land - the Mississippi River
Students use topographic maps to identify parts of rivers. In addition, they discover gradient and predict changes in the channels caused by variations in water flow. Other activities include sketching a river model with a new channel...
Curated OER
Design an Island
Students explore islands. They create a two- or three-dimensional map of an island. They explain how the topography of an area influences the location of water sources, ecosystems, and human settlements. Lesson includes adaptations for...
Curated OER
Natural Resources
Students explore Iowa geography and topographic maps. For this geography and topographic maps lesson, student investigate maps, newspapers, Iowa flora and fauna. Students gain an understanding of how different landforms can be identified...
Curated OER
Volcano Contour Models Activity and Tracing the Highs and Lows in San Francisco
Learners investigate how to draw topographic contours and read topographic maps.They examine the topography of San Francisco and contrast the elevation of different points within San Francisco.
Curated OER
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....
Curated OER
Water Monitoring Vocabulary
As the title implies, this is a list of vocabulary terms relating to water monitoring. If your ecology class is learning about how to test water quality, this will be an appropriate reference sheet for them. As a bonus, if you live in...
Curated OER
Forcasting the Path of Mudflows
Students visualize consistency of mudflows and how they move down stream valleys away from a volcano's summit. They use topographic maps of Mount St. Helens before the 1980 eruptions to forecast the path mudflows might take during an...
Curated OER
The Delicate Balance - Iowa's Natural Resources
Discover the natural resources in Iowa by studying it's history. In this environmental instructional activity, your students will observe a topographical map of Iowa and identify where its most valuable resources are. They complete an...
Curated OER
Topo Map Mania!
Seventh graders describe the major features of maps and compasses. They read a topographical map. They take a bearing using a compass. They practice using scales on a map.
Curated OER
MAPPING THE TOPOGRAPHY OF UNKNOWN SURFACES
Students describe in words and graphic displays the elevation or depression profile of sections of Mars' Olympus Mons and/or Valles Marineris. They explain how orbiting spacecraft build up global maps one data slice at a time.
Curated OER
Introduction of the Lunar Relief Map Project
Students investigate the geographic features of the surface of the moon. In this lunar relief map lesson, students watch and discuss the Apollo II Moon landing and make preliminary plans for their lunar maps.
Curated OER
Round and Round
Learners interpret data from a three-dimensional array of current monitors to determine an overall pattern of water circulation. They hypothesize what effect an observed water circulation pattern might have on seamount fauna. A very...
Curated OER
Bathymetric Mapping
Young scholars draw contour lines based on NOAA soundings on a nautical chart. They color the contours and glue label tags for topographic features. They determine that the floor of the ocean is composed of hills, plains, ridges,...
Curated OER
Cookie Mapping
Students study the components of a bedrock geology map through a hands-on activity involving a cookie and graph paper.
Curated OER
Using GIS to Construct Water Table Maps and Flow Nets
Pupils examine how to use GIS software to analyze patterns of groundwater flow. Seepage lake elevation data from the Sand Hills of Nebraska is used to construct a water table map and flow net using Esri's Arc Map software.