Curated OER
What Do Maps Show?
This teaching packet is for grades five through eight, and it is organized around geographic themes: location, place, relationships, movement, and regions. There are four full lessons that are complete with posters, weblinks, and...
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Scaling it Down: Caves Have Maps, Too
Measurement and map skills are the focus of this lesson, where students crawl through a "cave" made out of boxes, desks and chairs, observing the dimensions. Your young geographers measure various aspects of the cave and practice math...
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Mapmaker, Mapmaker, Make Me a Map
Second and third graders practice with basic map skills. They create their own map including a legend and a compass rose. This fabulous plan has many excellent websites linked which allow learners to explore maps of all kinds; including...
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Learning to Use Map Legends
Fifth graders comprehend the purpose of and use map legends. They identify and use symbols and lines from legends on a general-purpose map and four topical maps to completely and accurately answer eight questions on a geography worksheet.
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Learning About the Map's Legend
Students draw a map of a room in their house and place a legend on it. They explain the legend orally.
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Mapping a Garden
Students study the components of a map, particularly the legend, the key, the symbols and the area. They develop their own map of a garden that they can plant in a future science lesson.
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Maps and Legends by Micheal Chabon
Students read an essay to improve language skills and understanding of American culture for ESL teachers. In this American culture lesson, students read the essay 'Maps and Legends' by Michael Chabon and complete various activities to...
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All Aboard the Freedom Train!
Young historians identify Harriet Tubman, her character traits, and role as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. They create an escape map using map legends and the Cardinal directions. This plan utilizes one of my favorite video...
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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...
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Turtle Legends
Students listen to the legend, Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back. They create a new moon for the calendar based on this natural part of everyday life in the seasons. They illustrate it under the story using water color paints.
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Let's Look at Legends: Oregon quarter reverse
Analyzing historical legends is a fun way to develop critical-thinking skills. Pupils will use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast two historical legends relating to volcanoes. While this lesson focuses on the image of Crater...
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Basic Mapping Skills
Establish and study the parts of a map with your class and, then they will work in small groups to create their own detailed map, including a legend. There are specific instructions to follow on what needs to be included.
Institute for Geophysics
Understanding Maps of Earth
Here is your go-to student resource on primary geography concepts, including facts about the surface of the earth and its hemispheres, latitude and longitude, globes, types of maps, and identifying continents and oceans.
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Map Exploration
Are you looking for a terrific lesson on map activities for your second graders? Then, this resource is for you! The activities range from decoding, to fill-in-the-blank, to read-and-search. There is a website activity related to maps...
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Mapping the News
Students explore cartography. In this map skills and map making lesson, Students work in groups to create wall size world maps including legends, compass roses, latitude and longitude, and physical features. Students collect current...
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Map Adventures
Students explore the relationship between a scale drawing and actual distance. In this mapping lesson plan, students use an amusement park map to determine distances and what they would be like in real life.
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As the Kids Come and Go: Mapping a Classroom
Map the classroom with your kids to help them understand how maps work and how to read them. The activity starts off with a story about animals living and moving around the globe, and then kids create maps of their classroom to show how...
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A Walk Around the School: Mapping Places Near and Far
After reading Pat Hutchins’ Rosie’s Walk, have your young cartographers create a map of Rosie’s walk. Then lead them on a walk around the school. When you return class members sequence the walk by making a list of how the class got from...
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Map Scale
Third and fourth graders are introduced to the concept of map scale. Using an illustration, they discuss if it shows the actual size of the object and why scale is used to represent areas. They use some items in the illustration to...
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United States Map
Students describe cities they are familiar with. In this United States Map lesson, students understand how cities are listed on a map. Students become aware of a map legend and the information in it.
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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Students discuss and define folklore, locate town of Sleepy Hollow, NY, on map, calculate distance from Sleepy Hollow to their school, if applicable, review vocabulary list from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, read story aloud, and write...
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United States Map- Map Legend/City Symbols
Students investigate the United States map. In this map skills geography lesson, students explore city symbols on the map legend and identify them. Students use post-it notes to mark various symbols.
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Transportation and Mapping
Students view murals that depict various modes of transportation. They discuss the importance of maps to navigation and create a map. They compare and contrast transportation of the past with modes of transportation used today.