The asteroid is getting closer and the question is whether the state of Alabraska is large enough for the shelter calculated in the previous activity. Teams determine the scale of their project and then use the scale on the map to...

One cyclist goes to great lengths to make his proposal! Your classes must figure out just what length that is. Using a map with a bike route that spells out Marry Me, learners calculate the total distance of the ride. They base their...

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...

Learners explore scale drawings. They use maps to investigate scale drawings.  Students create a scale drawing of their own island. 

Circles are the foundation of many geometric concepts and extensions - a point that is thoroughly driven home in this extensive unit. Fundamental properties of circles are investigated (including sector area, angle measure, and...

Investigate the use of ratios in scale drawings. Learners scale objects up or down using ratios then find the actual size of something using ratios. They apply their knowledge of ratios as they make their own telescopes in science...

Compare sizes of student footprints with those of elephants and sauropod dinosaurs! Upper graders make estimations of the areas of irregular shapes; young scholars use grids to make and explain estimates within low and high ranges.

Win the war of the worlds! Scholars solve a variety of problems related to an alien invasion. They determine where spaceships have landed on a coordinate map, devise a plan to avoid the aliens, observe the aliens, and break a code to...

Pupils take photos from a given distance and determine the height of the person using a scale factor. Pupils calculate the ratio of student actual height to student photo height. They take pictures from 3 different distances to see if...

Examine an innovative approach to a large-scale model. Pupils across the state of Maine teamed up to create a model of the solar system that spans 40 miles. Put thinking skills to work within your classes as they make the calculations to...

Earth science learners create a two-dimensional topographic map of the floor of the Aegean Sea. They use it to then create a three-dimensional model of the ocean floor features. This comprehensive resource delivers strong background...

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...

Students read and use topographical maps. They also use a compass to find bearing to an object on a map and in the classroom. Ask your students how they might travel to somewhere they have never been to befo

Chart your way to an understanding of nanoscale. Using a Google map, learners estimate a radius around their location of 1,000 and 1,000,000 meters. Predicting what 1,000,000,000 meters would look like takes them off the charts!...

Students discuss different types of maps, their similarities and differences. Using a Topographical Maps CD-rom program students create their own map.

Third and fourth graders are introduced to the concept of map scale. Using an illustration, they discuss if it shows the actual size of the object and why scale is used to represent areas. They use some items in the illustration to...

Second graders discuss the importance of using maps and how they are used. After they listen to a folktale, they develop their own story line maps and write their own folktale to accompany a map. They also identify and locate the seven...

Students discuss what types of things are included on a map. They compare and contrast maps of China with a map they create and practice using different types of maps. They write analysis of their classmates maps.

Students, viewing an Internet site, plot the path of several satellites using latitude and longitude over the course of an hour. They learn the four basic types of satellites and their purpose.

Here is an excellent cross-curricular lesson. Learners relate multiplication to area by making a grid on graph paper, and then creating the same grid in real space outside in the school yard.

Young geologists piece together the puzzle of plate tectonics in an earth science lesson. Given a physical map of the world, they search for land formations that indicate the location of different types of plate boundaries.

Learners discover that multiplying transformation matrices produces a composition of transformations. Using software, they map the transformations and relate their findings to the matrices. 

On a topographic map, high schoolers 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....

Third graders create a model of the solar system. In this solar system lesson, 3rd graders create a scale model of the solar system. Working in pairs students solve mathematical problems to correctly measure the distance each planet is...