Curated OER
Storm Clouds-- Fly over a Late Winter Storm onboard a NASA Earth Observing Satellite
Students study cloud data and weather maps to explore cloud activity. In this cloud data lesson plan students locate latitude and longitude coordinates and determine cloud cover percentages.
Curated OER
Where in the World? The Basics of Latitude and Longitude
Students are introduced to the concepts of latitude and longitude. In groups, they identify the Earth's magnetic field and the disadvantages of using compasses for navigation. They identify the major lines of latitude and longitude on a...
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Hurricanes As Heat Engines
Young scholars examine sea surface temperatures to see how hurricanes get heat from the oceans surface. In this hurricanes lesson students use the Internet to find data and make line plots.
Curated OER
Where in the World? :Understanding Latitude and Longitude
Students play a grid-based game and devise clues to help classmates locate spots on the globe in order to recognize the value of using longitude and latitude for identifying locations.
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Orienteering - Lesson 2 - Topographical Maps
One of the most important skills in orienteering is being able to read a topographical map. Understanding the contour lines and symbols and the scale of the map will make planning your route so much better. In this lesson plan, partners...
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A Map as a Tool
Students study the concept of using a map as a tool with the usage of a balloon designed to mimic the features of the Earth with the major features marked and shown on the balloon.
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Globe Skills Lesson 3 Voyage to the New World
Students explore the globe. In this globe skills lesson, students use their knowledge of latitude and longitude to respond to questions regarding Christopher Columbus's maiden voyage to the Americas.
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Creating Station Models
Students work in groups to interpret weather maps. They use latitude and longitude readings to complete a worksheet together and turn in the worksheet along with the maps and a rubric.
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Spherical Geometry: A Global Perspective
Students investigate spherical geometry using a globe and an apple. In this spherical geometry lesson plan, students translate Euclidean geometry terms to spherical geometry terms using a globe. They answer 3 questions about spherical...
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Geography and Culture of China
Take out a map, a paper, a ruler, and those coveted colored pencils for a lesson on Chinese culture and geography. This is a multifaceted approach to basic geography skills that incorporate story telling, class discussion, primary source...
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Topographic Map Unit Plan
Students examine topographic maps and discover how to decipher contour intervals, use contour lines and apply information to complete a topographic map lab. Working in groups, they identify the scale of the map, latitude and longitude,...
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Sunrise and Sunset
Young scholars utilize a Mesonet daily solar radiation to determine the times of sunrise and sunset and the length of the day. They describe how sunrise and sunset change with latitude and longitude and how the length of the day changes...
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Tell Time With Your Feet
Pupils discover what the latitude and longitude of their location is. They start walking and measure their shadow. They fill in a chart to discover the approximate time.
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Understanding Topographic Maps
Underclassmen create a cone-shaped landform and then draw a contour map for it. Then they examine a quadrangle (which was easily located with an online search), and relate it to what they experienced. The accompanying worksheet is...
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Mapping and Topgraphy- 8th Grade
Eighth graders practice interpreting a contour map as well as reading latitude and longitude in a team activity. Following a discussion on mapping terms, teams are given maps and estimate the distance between two points. Students...
University of California
Seasons Lab Book
Unlock the mystery behind seasonal change with a collection of worksheets and activities. Whether they are drawing pictures of Earth's orbit around the sun or graphing the temperature and daylight hours of different locations...
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Is Portland, Oregon Experiencing Global Warming?
Learners use data to determine if the climate in Portland has changed over the years. In this weather lesson students complete line graphs and study long wave radiation.
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Science: Hurricanes As Heat Engines
Learners conduct Internet research to track the path of Hurricane Rita. They record the sea surface temperature of the Gulf of Mexico during and after the hurricane and draw conclusions about how hurricanes extract heat energy from the...
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Individual Horizontal Sundial 2: Cloud/Rain Activity
Young scholars create a sundial to measure local apparent time as it relates to the position of the sun in the sky. In this sundial lesson, students cut and glue gnomon to a sheet of thin cardboard. Young scholars then set the...
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Where Are We?
Students use Cartesian coordinates or degrees of latitude and longitude to locate important locations within their specific countries. They Use a grid to apply the concept of latitude and longitude, or positive and negative Cartesian...
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Comparing the Effects of El Nino and La Nina
Students examine the differences between an El Nino and La Nina year. In this investigative lesson students create maps and graphs of the data they obtained.
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Biomes: Coastlines and Seas
Students study the different types of coastlines and their territories. In this marine coasts activity students identify life forms that are in the coastal regions.
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Solar Cell Energy Availability From Around the Country
Students determine areas that are the most likely to produce solar energy by using NASA data. In this solar energy lesson students analyze plots and determine solar panel use.
Curated OER
Is Grandpa Right, Were Winters Colder When He Was a Boy?
Students compare current weather data to historic data to see if there is a temperature change. In this weather lesson students complete a lab activity and determine average changes in temperature, precipitation and cloud cover.