Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping Community Values

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Students discuss the origin of various maps focusing on the values behind them. Students also explore how human needs and geography influence community settlement patterns. Students extend learning by creating and mapping their own ideal...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping Puerto Rico

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students use maps to discover where Puerto Rico is located. In groups, they use the internet to research the vegetation. They also compare and contrast the relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico's government.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mush! Tracking Travelers on the Trail

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students get to know Alaska and the Iditarod route that is run by dogs as they track the mushers' progress on a map that they create specifically for the race. They learn about latitude, longitude, plotting on a map, checkpoints, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Topographic Maps

For Teachers 7th - 10th
In this topographic map worksheet, learners learn how to read a topographic map and create a topographic map of their own using clay or Play-Doh. Students include contour lines by layering the clay. Learners answer 6 questions about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Waldseemüller’s Map: World 1507

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students take a closer look at historical maps. In this primary source analysis lesson plan, students examine the first world map produced by Martin Waldseemuller. Students complete the included map analysis worksheet and then write...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping the Ocean Floor

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students construct and interpret a line graph of ocean floor depth and a bar graph comparing the height/depth of several well-known natural and man-made objects and places. In addition, they calculate the depth of two points using sonar...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hide and Seek with Bones: A Mapping and Scaling Comparison

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students examine and simulate how paleontologists map objects. They hide and find objects using a grid to map the objects' placements.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Maps/ Scales and Conversions

For Students 6th - 8th
In this math worksheet, middle schoolers look for the actual values for the measurements of distance. The answers are found on page three.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Map Your House

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students are introduced to the concepts of maps as scale models of the whole. After a brief lecture on creating and using an accurate scale when drawing and reading a map. They create a scale drawing of the floorplan of their homes.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Nine: Size and Scale

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students investigate scale as it is related to maps. In this map lesson, students read Jack and the Beanstalk by Carol North. Students then compare the setting in the story to a landscape picture map to help them study scale.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tooling Around Arizona: Reading Arizona Maps

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students research Arizona maps. In 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.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Exploring Earth Through Maps and Technology

For Students 5th - 6th
In this maps instructional activity, students read 3 pages of detailed information about maps, latitude, longitude, topography, satellites and global positioning. Students then answer 10 questions. There is also a research project...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Land Use Over Time

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers view aerial photos and topographic maps of their local area. They compare and contrast major land use patterns over time by comparing these images to maps that are at least 50 years old. They analyze them using the four...
Worksheet
Curated OER

How to Interpret a Map

For Students 5th - 6th
In this social studies worksheet, learners find all the important facts on a map. Students find any map and fill out the chart and answer 12 questions about what they find.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tracing Highs and Lows in San Francisco

For Teachers 9th - 12th
On a topographic map, learners 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....
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Examples of Dilations

For Teachers 8th Standards
Does it matter how many points to dilate? The resource presents problems of dilating curved figures. Class members find out that not only do they need to dilate several points but the points need to be distributed about the entire curve...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Rainforest Alliance

Knowing the Essential Elements of a Habitat

For Teachers 1st Standards
To gain insight into the many different types of habitats, individuals must first get to know their own. Here, scholars explore their school environment, draw a map, compare and contrast their surroundings to larger ones. They then...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

A Classroom Solar System

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Create a scaled model of our solar system in your classroom! Scholars work collaboratively to build paper mache planets and hang them in their proper position to showcase each planet's location in the solar system.   
Lesson Plan
1
1
Chicago Botanic Garden

Climate Change Around the World

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
Look at climate change around the world using graphical representations and a hands-on learning simulation specified to particular cities around the world. Using an interactive website, young scientists follow the provided...
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

Map Scaling

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders use a map scale to determine distances between cities in the state of Florida.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Map Scale and the Pioneer Journey

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders, using a map, ruler and calculator, determine the distance the pioneers traveled from Nauvoo, Ill. to the Salt Lake Valley.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What do Maps Show?

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders practice the skill of reading maps.  In this geography instructional activity, 8th graders participate in a classroom lecture on how to read a map. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Maps

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students figure out the mileage from one state to another using a map. In this map lesson, students look at the scale factor and turn it into a fraction. They measure the distance between two cities and use the proportion to find the...