Lesson Plan
Curated OER

MAPS AND TOPOGRAPHY

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Learners analyze the details of a topographic map and create one of their own by utilyzing a map of elevations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping the Canyon

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare and contrast topographic maps and bathymetric maps. They investigate how bathymetric maps are made and how to interpret one.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Topos, Compasses, and Triangles, Oh My!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students triangulate using a compass, topographical (topo) map and a view of outside landmarks. They take a field trip to another location away from school and mark discernible landmarks (like mountains or radio towers) and changes in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bathymetric Mapping

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students 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, trenches,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Shuttle's Eye View

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners explore the goals of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission as a springboard to exploring the topographical features of their own state or region. They synthesize their understanding of landforms and topography by mapping their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geography And The Revolutionary War

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students gain a deeper understanding of both geography and the Revolutionary War. They practice using on line research in examining historical events and using political, physical, and topographic maps.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Topo Triangulation

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate how to read a topographical map and triangulate with just a map. They convert a compass measurement to a protractor measurement, reverse a bearing direction, and using a worksheet take a bearing of certain landmarks...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Topography of Africa

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners study Africa's diverse landscape and investigate how these features impact the available water supply, food sources, and population distribution of the continent. They compare topographical features and their affect on each...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Siting Wind Power

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze a variety of curves that describe the power extracted from the wind by a variety of commercially produced wind turbines. They utilize site specific topographic maps and political boundary data to evaluate and make...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Book: Spain

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students, after reading Chapter One in the book, "Spain," design and re-create the political boundaries as well as the physical features of nation of Spain. They utilize play-doh or salt dough to illustrate and create their three...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tracking Pollution - A Hazardous Whodunit

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students read a story problem about the issue of hazardous waste and pollution in a fictional town. In groups, they create a topographical map and predict how the water might flow and determine the place of contamination. To end the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Land Surveys

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students read and think about the relationship between maps and nature. They examine the origins of the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the large-scale topographical surveys that were commissioned a century later. They also read and analyze...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

U.S. Geography: The Midwest

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students research agricultural products of the Midwest. In this Midwest lesson, students watch a video about the geography of the Midwest, discuss how topographical features were formed and review the agricultural products the Midwest...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bushy Run: A Decisive Battle of Pontiac's Rebellion

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers study the battle at Bushy Run. In this Pontiac's Rebellion lesson, students examine an 1765 map of the Bushy Run battle as well as letters and a modern topographic map of the area in order to simulate the event and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

If I Can't See It, How Do I Know It's There?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students build a model ocean using a variety of materials representing the various levels of the ocean. They collect data about the ocean floor in a partner activity. They practice working with topographical mapping grids.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Interior of the Earth

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders identify and describe the composition and physical properties of the layers of the Earth. They also explain how scientists used the scientific process to know about the center of the Earth. Finally, 6th graders read a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What do Maps Show?

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders practice reading maps.  In this geography lesson, 7th graders compare a topographical map to a picture of the actual place. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

High And Dry

For Teachers 1st - 12th
Students explore the similarities and differences between desert environments and their local environment. After examining desert scened painted by Georgia O'Keeffe, they discuss the elements of their desert landscapes. Students use...
PPT
Curated OER

Science Jeopardy - The Earth Sciences

For Teachers 6th - 8th
The earth sciences are the focus for this Jeopardy-style review game. Categories include geology, space, scientific investigation, meteorology, and oceanography. Diagrams and pictures are involved with most of the questions, making this...
App
Midnight Martian

Mars Globe HD

For Students 3rd - 8th
Explore the surface of Mars without leaving the comforts of your home or classroom! Learn about volcanoes, missions to the red planet, view the topography, and more. 
Lesson Plan
2
2
Smithsonian Institution

Borders with the World: Mexican-American War and U.S. Southern Borderlands

For Teachers 8th - 11th Standards
The Mexican-American War created social borders—not just physical ones. Scholars learn about the effects of the Mexican-American War on the people living in the borderlands using text excerpts, maps, and partnered activities. Academics...
Lesson Plan
National Park Service

Remembering Pearl Harbor: The USS Arizona Memorial

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Young historians use primary source materials to investigate the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and the sinking of the USS Arizona. After reading background articles and studying maps and images of the attack, class members consider whether...
Lesson Plan
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1
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...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Lewis and Clark's Expedition to the Complex West

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Lewis and Clark's famous expedition is a prime example of the United States' westward expansion. Aspiring historians examine maps from Lewis and Clark's journey, as well as discuss their interactions with Native American tribes. The...

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