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...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Lesson 3: On the Road with Marco Polo: From Hormuz to Kashgar
Young explorers examine the route that Marco Polo and his father traveled to reach China. They examine online maps of the Silk Road and harsh terrain of Afghanistan to determine challenges that may have been encountered during travel.
National Wildlife Federation
Quantifying Land Changes Over Time Using Landsat
"Humans have become a geologic agent comparable to erosion and [volcanic] eruptions ..." Paul J. Crutzen, a Nobel Prize-winning atmospheric chemist. Using Landsat imagery, scholars create a grid showing land use type, such as urban,...
Curated OER
Magical Maps
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...
Curated OER
Exploring Biomes Lesson 4: Mapping Arizona
Once junior ecologists are familiar with Earth's major biomes, they hone in on Arizona's biomes. Using a website about Arizona's natural resources, learners will identify biotic communities. Beautiful maps and worksheets are provided for...
Curated OER
MAPS AND TOPOGRAPHY
Students analyze the details of a topographic map and create one of their own by utilyzing a map of elevations.
Curated OER
Map It!
Fourth graders demonstrate map making skills by using the computer to create maps of the geographic features, regions, and economy for their state.
Curated OER
Africa: Introduction, Geography and Mapping
Students study the geography of Africa through the use of maps. They locate, distinguish, and describe the relationships among varying regional and global patterns of geographic phenomena such as landforms, climate, and natural resources.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
EarthViewer
Can you imagine Washington DC and London as close neighbors occupying the same continent? Learners will be fascinated as they step back in time and discover the evolution of the earth's continents and oceans from 4.5 billion...
Curated OER
Current Earthquake Activity
Fifth graders record any earthquake activity throughout the school year on various maps. In groups, they identify a map locating the points given to them by their teacher. To end the lesson, they add the date, strength and damage to each...
Curated OER
Understanding "The Stans"
Young scholars explore and locate "The Stans" in Central Asia to create, write and illustrate maps, graphs and charts to organize geographic information. They analyze the historical and physical characteristics of Central Asia via...
Curated OER
Greeks Around the World: A Case Study on Greek Diaspora
Students gain an understanding of the concept of Diaspora relating to Greeks. They use guided discovery to apply the geographic inquiry model to an examination of the reasons for Greek Diaspora.
Curated OER
Map Your Favorite Sports Team's Next Road Trip
Students track a sports team across the country. They use a map scale to calculate the number of miles traveled by their sports team on a trip, conduct Internet research, and calculate how much it would cost them to go along on the trip.
Curated OER
Mush! Tracking Travelers on the Trail
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...
Curated OER
Waldseemüller’s Map: World 1507
Middle schoolers take a closer look at historical maps. In this primary source analysis lesson, students examine the first world map produced by Martin Waldseemuller. Middle schoolers complete the included map analysis worksheet and then...
Curated OER
Land Use Over Time
Students 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 land use...
Curated OER
Organization of a Territory, Map Elements
Third graders compare printed and online maps and use proper geographic terminology to answer questions.
Curated OER
Map It With Pixie
Fourth graders use the computer program 'Pixie' to create a topographic, detailed map for the state they live in. In this mapping skills lesson, 4th graders use Pixie to make a map of their state that includes topographic features, state...
Curated OER
Earth on the Earth
Fourth graders plot points on a graph and transfer those coordinates onto a large scale model resulting in an outline of the Western Hemisphere. They identify the major geographical landforms of the Western Hemisphere.
Curated OER
Top to Bottom
Marine science classes read about the 2005 North Atlantic Stepping Stones Expedition and review climate change. They use maps to locate the seamount chains. In collaborative groups, they research how climate change may be altering the...
National History Day
Why Did the United States Enter World War I in 1917?
World War I was the first major conflict on a global scale. Using primary documents, learners determine why the United States chose to enter World War I when it did. After analytical writing and group research, the causes of America's...
Curated OER
Plotting A Hurricane Using latitude and Longitude
Students explore map and plotting skills by tracing the movement s of hurricanes through the Earth's systems. a hurricane map is developed from daily media reports.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Measuring Biodiversity in Gorongosa
Take your biology class' understanding of biodiversity to a whole new level! Ecology scholars use data to calculate three different diversity indices based on the organisms in the Gorongosa National Park. The four-part activity uses an...
Curated OER
The Landscape of a Novel
Students, after reading a novel, utilize geographic skills to map out the places described in the novel. They collect data, envision spatial features and then design a map to work off of to complete their assignment. Each student also...