Unit Plan
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2
National Geographic

Mapping the Americas

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
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...
Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Let's Map the Earth

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Before maps went mobile, people actually had to learn how to read maps. Pupils look at map elements in order to understand how to read them and locate specific locations. Finally, young cartographers discover how to make aerial maps.
Interactive
PBS

Map a Model Solar System

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Creating a solar system map is a snap thanks to a hands-on activity! Science scholars explore the solar system by building it wherever they choose during an interactive from PBS's Space series. Users pick both the location and scale for...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Use Google Maps to Teach Math

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Capture the engagement of young mathematicians with this upper-elementary math lesson on measuring time and distance. Using Google Maps, young scholars first measure and compare the distance and time it takes to travel between...
Lesson Plan
National Research Center for Career and Technical Education

Information Technology: Photoshop Scale

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Scaling is a practical skill as well as a topic to be addressed throughout the Common Core math standards. You are given three different presentations and a detailed teacher's guide to use while teaching proportion, as well as practice...
Activity
1
1
Museum of Science

Make a Map

For Students 1st - 6th
It's important to know the final destination. Scholars first measure distances in a region of interest using a standard measuring device or by counting steps. They then use an appropriate scale and graph paper to create a map of the...
Activity
1
1
Curated OER

Designing a Hiking Trail

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Put your students' map skills to the test with this engaging cross-curricular project. Given the task of developing new hiking trails for their local community, young cartographers must map out beginner and intermediate...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

Charting the Progress of New Horizons

For Teachers 2nd - 6th Standards
In 2006, New Horizons began its mission to fly to Pluto. As it continues its journey, scholars track its progress with the help of an informative website, all the while reinforcing measurement concepts with the construction of a scaled...
Activity
K-State Research and Extensions

Water

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
How are maps like fish? They both have scales. The chapter includes six different activities at three different levels. Scholars complete activities using natural resources, learn how to read a map, see how to make a compass rosette,...
Lesson Plan
Royal Geographical Society

An Introduction to Maps

For Teachers 1st Standards
First graders are introduced to a variety of maps such as globes, street maps, atlases, and different types of floor plans. The focus of the lesson requires individuals to create their own plan of the classroom using the PowerPoint...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Curated OER

Earthquakes: Fifth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities

For Teachers 5th
After learning about P waves and S waves, fifth graders view the intensity of earthquakes by examining seismographs and images of earthquake damage. Young scientists then forecasting future quakes by analyzing data about...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

Planetary Distances on the Playground

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
There's no need to stay inside; get out of the classroom and create a scaled map of the solar system on your playground field! In collaborative groups, scholars identify the distance between the sun and other planets, place planet...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

A Classroom Solar System

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Create a scaled model of our solar system in your classroom! Scholars work collaboratively to build paper mache planets and hang them in their proper position to showcase each planet's location in the solar system.   
Lesson Plan
1
1
Rainforest Alliance

Knowing the Essential Elements of a Habitat

For Teachers 1st Standards
To gain insight into the many different types of habitats, individuals must first get to know their own. Here, scholars explore their school environment, draw a map, compare and contrast their surroundings to larger ones. They then...
Unit Plan
1
1
Curated OER

Plate Tectonics: Second Grade Lesson Plans and Activities

For Teachers 2nd Standards
Second graders explore convection currents and how they relate to the movement of tectonic plates. Then, young geologists reconstruct Pangaea with a worksheet and pinpoint plate boundaries on a map...
Activity
Oregon State

World Map of Plate Boundaries

For Teachers 4th - 10th Standards
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.
Lesson Plan
Science Matters

Finding the Epicenter

For Teachers 6th Standards
The epicenter is the point on the ground above the initial point of rupture. The 10th instructional activity in a series of 20 encourages scholars to learn to triangulate the epicenter of an earthquake based on the arrival times of...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Science: Matter and Energy

For Students 11th - 12th Standards
Designed to use when teaching adults preparing for their high school equivalency exam, the resource integrates reading practice, writing, and analytical thinking in every lesson. The unit covers 23 topics, but it only includes three...
Lesson Plan
Carnegie Mellon University

International Perspectives to Climate Change 1

For Teachers 8th - 12th
After a lecture about how the first industrial revolution triggered the path to climate change, your environmental studies class discusses what the impacts are. In a culminating activity, they get into groups and identify countries on a...
Unit Plan
Mathematics Vision Project

Circles: A Geometric Perspective

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
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...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Channel Islands Film

Island Rotation: Lesson Plan 1

For Teachers 4th - 12th Standards
How do scientists provide evidence to support the theories they put forth? What clues do they put together to create these theories? After watching West of the West's documentary Island Rotation class members engage in a series of...
Lesson Plan
Agriculture in the Classroom

Pumpkins... Not Just For Halloween

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Celebrate fall with four pumpkin themed hands-on activities! After learning about pumpkins, scholars complete two activity sheets that reinforce estimation and word problems. They then plant pumpkin seeds and bake a pie in...
Lesson Plan
1
1
NOAA

Sediments

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Calcareous ooze ... what an interesting name! The 15th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program focuses on sediments found on the ocean floor. After viewing the slideshow lecture,...
Unit Plan
Association of American Geographers

Project GeoSTART

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Investigate the fascinating, yet terrifying phenomenon of hurricanes from the safety of your classroom using this earth science unit. Focusing on developing young scientists' spacial thinking skills, these lessons engage...