World Globes & Maps
United States Map- Intermediate Directions
Students identify the four intermediate directions. For this map skills lesson, students use post-it notes to label the four intermediate directions on a map. Students locate various states using intermediate directions.
New York State Education Department
US History and Government Examination: August 2016
Multiple-choice and essay questions test comprehension, writing ability, and skills with primary source analysis. The comprehensive exam covers many different subjects including the United States census, Constitution, and important...
National Geographic
Mapping the Americas
Celebrate the geography of the Americas and develop map skills through a series of activities focused on the Western Hemisphere. Learners study everything from earthquakes and volcanoes of the Americas and the relationship between...
Science Matters
Ring of Fire
Over a period of 35 years, earthquakes and volcanoes combined only accounted for 1.5 percent of the deaths from natural disasters in the United States. The 15th lesson in a 20-part series connects the locations of earthquakes and...
PBS
What's In a Name?
What is in a name? Eager historians trace the geographical history of places in the United States with Spanish names. Using a worksheet activity, clues, and web research developed in conjunction with the PBS "Latinos in America" series,...
Curated OER
What State Are You In?
Students identify the major U.S. cities. In this U.S. geography lesson, students work in pairs and use game cards to name various cities in the United States.
Curated OER
Grid Frame Mapping
Students map and describe small area of the schoolyard and discuss habitats.
Curated OER
Mapping West Virginia
Fourth graders explore West Virginia. For this Unites States geography lesson, 4th graders discuss the type of land and the cities in West Virginia. Students create two overlays, with transparencies, that show the natural land and the...
Curated OER
"Place the State" Game
Students participate in a computer game in which they locate and place the U.S. states on a blank outline map. In small groups, they take turns dragging and dropping the states in the proper location on a map.
Curated OER
Africa: Political Map
Students create a political map for Africa. For this country identification lesson, students locate Africa on a globe and discuss some of its major countries and bodies of water. Students complete a political map of Africa and test...
Smithsonian Institution
Borders with the World: Mexican-American War and U.S. Southern Borderlands
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...
Curated OER
Wales: An Interdisciplinary Unit
Students practice basic map and geographic skills as they compare Oregon to Wales. Students color map of Wales and Oregon using color codes to distinguish between land, water, and bordering nations or states, listen to stories and...
Curated OER
Mapping the News
Students explore cartography. For 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...
Cornell University
Too Much of a Good Thing?
Continuing their study of beneficial insects, young entomologists discover where in the world some of these bugs are. By labeling, coloring, and using the scale on a map, pupils explore the territories and arrival of the Asian lady...
Curated OER
U.S. Political Map
Students explore the symbols found in a map legend. In this map skills lesson, students locate the legend on a political map and explain what each of the symbols mean. Students locate and identify several symbols on the map.
Curated OER
Tears of Joy Theatre Presents Anansi the Spider
Accompany the African folktale, Anansi the Spider, with a collection of five lessons, each equipped with supplemental activities. Lessons offer multidisciplinary reinforcement in English language arts, social studies, science, and arts...
New York State Education Department
US History and Government Examination: June 2017
Ready for a test that uses primary sources as a tool to assess comprehension? Learners answer multiple choice, essay, and short answer questions to demonstrate their understanding of American history.
Smithsonian Institution
Lexington and Concord: Historical Interpretation
Learners view and analyze three different images related to the Battle of Lexington and Concord. They also answer a variety of questions in a graphic organizer to help keep the information straight.
Curated OER
Mapmaker, Make Me a Map!
Students are introduced to the state quarter program and examine the Colorado state quarter. They locate Colorado on a map and create a map with a key. They discuss the state motto and examine pictures of the state's geographical features.
Scholastic
Women's Suffrage for Grades 6–8
Learners study the decisions and solutions involved in winning the right to vote. After reading background information on the fight for women's suffrage, including one woman's story, and its eventual success in the United States and...
Curated OER
U.S. Geography: The Northeast
Students investigate U.S. Geography by creating a map in class. In this natural resource lesson, students create a map of the United States and research the Northeast based on their resources and recyclable materials. Students utilize...
Curated OER
It's Time to Rhyme
Students listen to rhyming book, identify rhyming pairs, guess what rhyme words mean, and create list of rhyming pairs on chart paper. They then discuss Fifty States Quarters Program, identify objects on backs of state coins, and...
Curated OER
Reading distance on maps
Eighth graders complete worksheets on reading the distance on maps in miles or kilometers. In this maps lesson plan, 8th graders use a calculator and ruler.
Illustrative Mathematics
The Longest Walk
How long of a line can you draw within this activity? Learners pick two points outside and within the map to create the longest line they can. After drawing 10 lines, learners plot the length of each line on a line plot. Then they...