Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Schoolyard Geology

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Discover that maps show information about an area and that they have common features like scales and legends. View an aerial map of your school and find features on the map such as the playground, roads, and trees. Trace the outline of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Your Galactic Address

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars discover their place in the universe.  For this astronomy lesson, students identify their location on various maps that have increasingly larger scales.  In the end, the young scholars write their address in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Klondike Fever

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students consider the geographical aspects of the gold rush. For this gold lesson, students research just what gold is and where it has been found. Students create maps that highlight the regions of the world where gold has...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geography Journey

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine the geographic features that define places and regions and answer questions about the state of California. They discuss the components of a map legend and answer worksheet questions using a map of California as a...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Having a Hot Time on Mars!

For Students 9th - 11th
In this cosmic radiation on Mars activity, students study a radiation map of Mars taken by the MARIE instrument on the Odyssey spacecraft. Students answer 4 questions using the radiation map and they answer questions about the exposure...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Candy Bar Subsurface Geology

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

School Neighborhood Walking Tour

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students list specific boundaries in their school neighborhood and explain their possible purpose. They examine a neighborhood and see what connects us and what divides us. They, in groups, make maps of various neighborhoods and present...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson 3 Activity 1: On the Trail of Knowledge

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students plot the earthquake epicenter data on the base map of the North Atlantic ocean floor using different symbols or colors to characterize different values.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Salad Tray 3D Topographic Model

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the characteristics of topographical maps. They examine the relationship of contour lines and vertical elevation. Students create a three-dimensional model of a landscape represented by a topographic contour map.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Big Apple, Here We Come

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students role play the role of immigrants coming to America for the first time. They complete an imaginary trip with their family and must rent a car and make seven stops along the way. They calculate distances and use maps to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring History Through Photographs

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders compare and contrast photographs from the 1800s to those of 2003. In groups, they create drawings of how society has changed over time and use maps to locate local streets. Individually, they practice measuring the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tracking Satellites Using Latitude and Longitude

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students investigate how to track satellites using latitude and longitude. They investigate what man learns from all the satellites currently being studied today. Students analyze the four basic types of satellite orbits.
Lesson Plan
Discovery Education

Architects in Action

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Hands-on and real-world applications are great ways to teach mathematical concepts. Creative thinkers examine how ratios are used to create scale models of buildings and structures. They practice working with ratios by looking at a map...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Help! I Am Lost at Fox Chapel

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders create a map to locate places on campus and share the map with another student. The other students use the map to locate certain places and validate for accuracy via a checklist. The parents use the completed map at open...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The O Zone-Code Read Alert

For Teachers 4th - 5th
What are the effects of an air quality alert? Expert groups receive one component of air quality information resources to study. Pupils then jigsaw into new groups and share their knowledge. Finally, they draft a statement of what they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cardinal and Ordinal Directions

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students use a compass to locate cardinal and ordinal directions. In small groups, they describe and create a journey for their classmates using their compass. Groups create a scale map for their classmates to follow and relate this...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar Heating in the Himalayas

For Teachers 6th - 8th
A fascinating lesson plan on how solar power is utilized by people who live in the Himalayas is here for you. In it, learners perform a case study which will help them understand that solar energy is a renewable resource, that geography...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Volcano Contour Models Activity

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students experiment with water levels and plastic topographic volcano models to determine the contour lines that would be used to create a topograpohic map of a volcano. They use the traced lines to actually develop the map.
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Science: Matter and Energy

For Students 11th - 12th Standards
Designed to use when teaching adults preparing for their high school equivalency exam, the resource integrates reading practice, writing, and analytical thinking in every lesson. The unit covers 23 topics, but it only includes three...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Coldest Place at the Bottom of the World

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students examine Ernest Shackleton's journey through the Antarctic and trace Shackleton's Actual Route on a map using longitude and latitude coordinates. Students compare his intended route with his actual and determine how far off...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Degrees and Minutes

For Students 6th - 8th
In this latitude and longitude worksheet, middle schoolers place 9 cities on a map using the latitude and longitude of each. Once cities are placed in the correct location, students complete 2 short answer follow-up questions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson on GPS

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students investigate global positioning systems. In this technology and mapping lesson, students view a PowerPoint presentation in which they identify the features of a GPS, state its uses, and follow steps to find a waypoint.
PPT
Curated OER

Folk and Popular Culture

For Teachers 12th - Higher Ed
Good enough for a college class, this resources discusses multiple aspects pertaining to the issues with globalization and the differences between pop and folk culture. It defines major terminology, provides concrete examples, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shipping in the United States in 1835

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners use transportation routes existing in 1835 to plot a shipping route from Boston to Cincinnati. They use the map scale to measure distances and plot a trip.