Here's a task that is out of this world! Given a description of a fictional cube-shaped planet, scholars answer a set of questions about the planet. They create a two-dimensional map and consider the distances between locations on the map.

Students model a watershed and delineate one using topographic maps. In this hydrology lesson plan, students use aluminum foil to model a landscape and observe how water moves on it. They also observe the features of a topographic map...

Students read various cartoons in their local newspaper and calculate the population demographics, spatial distribution and grouping of the characters. Using this information, they create a population distribution map and share them with...

Students practice reading a national and local weather map. Using this information, they work together to make predictions about the weather for the next few days. They discuss the use of symbols and maps as a class and discuss how...

Students explore issues and situations that make for a city and its local environments. In this local government instructional activity, students design maps, define issues and create brochures that illustrate their understandings of...

Ninth graders investigate the country of Canada by examining their media in this geography lesson plan. They use the Internet to research Canadian newspapers and analyze a topic covered by both US and Canadian media sources. After...

Fourth graders study how atmospheric conditions change while naming the things that make the weather change. They investigate the affects of air masses, weather fronts and high/low pressure by looking at weather maps from newspapers.

Students anaylyze how the west nile virus is passed from mosquitoes to humans. They answer questions based on an article from the CDC. They finally examine their state map and track where cases have been reported.

Students watch a demonstration to introduce them to the consistency of mudflows and how they move. In groups, they compare and contrast volcanic avalanches and mudflows. They create their own model of a volcano, simulate how it erupts...

Young scholars construct a mockup of a volcano by crumbling up newspapers and piling them into the shape of a volcano. They place a tarp over the newspapers making sure the tarp is large enough to simulate a flat area at the volcano's...

Students place the Ohio river in its historical and geographical context. They listen to the radio stories, and are asked what postive and negative influences does the Ohio River have on nearby communities>

Discover the natural resources in Iowa by studying it's history. In this environmental instructional activity, your students will observe a topographical map of Iowa and identify where its most valuable resources are. They complete an...

Three activities introduce upper elementary ecologists to photosynthesis and food webs. In the first, an experiment is set up to determine how plants respond to different types of light. In the second, they connect organism cards with...

Seventh graders examine the job of meteorologists. They decide which characteristics of the atmosphere that meteorologists focus on. They use local weather maps from newspapers to predict weather in their area.

Fourth graders generate an oral presentation on the weather. In this weather lesson, 4th graders watch the weather for a week and record the data on a chart. Students give a weather report at the end of the week.

Students examine the history of Canadian settlement through an interactive program. They learn why some parts of the country where more heavily populated than others. They discover what life is like for a Canadian and their government...

Students use the Internet to gather information on the country of Mexico. They also discover the culture of their people and compare them with the United States population. They take a virtual tour of some of Mexico's most historical ruins.

Students complete four activities that are about meteorology. The first activity is for them to explore weather maps. The second activity is for students to discover high-pressure and low-pressure air. The third activity is for them to...

Pupils read a weather map. Using the local newspaper, Columbus Dispatch, small groups investigate that air has pressure and that temperature and pressure are inversely related in weather. They display their findings on a graph or...

Students analyze what information would one expect to find in a weather report. They list in Spanish weather conditions for today in their community. Students visit Chile and locate it on a map.

Students examine the labor needs in colonial America. Using primary and secondary resources, they explore the major events and life in the United States during colonial times. They complete a chart listing the pros and cons of a slave...

Students organize data collected from their experiments using graphs. In this statistics and biology lesson, students organize their scientific data from an article into readable graphs. They define the usefulness of their graph and...

Fourth graders investigate ecosystems. In this ecosystem lesson, 4th graders explore producers, consumers, and decomposers and study the interdependence of each.

Young scholars evaluate the credibility and reliability of various sources. Students survey the coverage of a particular event in different newspapers, select a current event and compare different perspectives. They write an article...