Lead your class in exploring their local communities as well as the general environment. As they determine continental distributions by investigating minerals, rocks, and fossils located in their local region, pupils construct...

Students research major natural features on all seven continents. They compare and contrast continents, their sizes, shapes, and major landforms. Students create a unique display of the continents to show major landforms.

Your class will be on top of their game when it comes to mid-ocean ridges! The second installment in a 13-part series focuses on the 65,000-km underwater ridge system that spans our globe. Junior oceanographers practice placing the...

Collaborative groups work together to report on the volcanic activity leading to island formation and construct models to demonstrate the process. Consider having each group present their project to the rest of the class. There are many...

Using this activity, learners could review information they have covered about land forms, such as hills, mountains and plateaus. This 17 question activity could be used with upper elementary or ESL learners to test or review information...

High schoolers examine the most common characteristics of clay and sand, and to understand how the properties of these materials affect the erosion of the landscape and the formation of the many landforms. They explore clay and sand...

Queen Victoria ruled Great Britain until her death in 1901. Here are four slides describing the life and times of Queen Victoria in a bulleted format. The last slide sums up the information as a timeline of her life.

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...

This jeopardy game has 5 categories and 5 point levels, and is designed with a section of hodge podge, geography, and earth science review questions.  The questions are clear and the point selections are designed to darken once used.

Middle schoolers observe evidence of erosion and various rock formations that have formed as a result of erosion and weathering. Their task is to explain how the forces of weathering and erosion contributed to sculpturing these rocks...

Fifth graders investigate the topography of Africa.  In this physical geography lesson, 5th graders research the six regions of Africa and complete a physical map.  Students locate various landforms in Africa.  Students...

Eighth graders examine how the movements of the Earth contribute to fossil distribution.  In this fossils lesson students make maps of the placement of the continents. 

How can we locate places? Maps, of course! Expose second graders to the tools available in maps and discuss how these tools can help people find locations. Students also look at communities, including what makes a community and the...

Sixth graders begin the lesson by researching the different types of ships and shipbuilding techniques used to help trade in the Mediterranean Sea. Using different objects, they determine what one can tell about a society and discuss...

Students identify common landforms and bodies of water from descriptions of distinguishing features. In this landforms and bodies of water lesson plan, students describe the features they see in the pictures given to them.

Fifth graders discover that Anza and Washington lived at the same time but on opposite sides of the American Continent. They identify differences and similarities in their lives. They present the data in an illustrated time line

Students draw names of dinosaurs out of a hat and write a report about the one they picked. Students write a riddle about their favorite prehistoric animal, post it on a bulletin board, and have other guess which animal it is about....

Young historians trace the roots of African slavery and learn about the causes and effects of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade through a PowerPoint presentation and by reading and discussing excerpts from the book Copper Sun.

In less than 25 years, the continent of Australia moved 4.9 feet thanks to plate tectonics. The presentation introduces the idea of the layers of the earth as well as plate tectonics. It goes into why the plates move and where we believe...

Fourth graders discuss the different interactions of plates and the ways mountains are created.  In this plate tectonics lesson plan students complete an activity in groups.

Students use geographic information to make an outline map of Africa, then demonstrate their understanding of the physical landscape of Africa by using a variety of materials to create a physical map of Africa

The Paradise Papers, a year-long research project from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalism (ICIJ) exposed how political leaders, business people, and wealthy individuals used offshore entities to avoid taxes and hide...

Sixth graders view an animated program showing how the continents fit together millions of years ago. In groups, they compare and contrast the distribution of rocks and fossils based on how the continents fit together. After reading a...

Young scholars research and map the North and South American continents. In this geography instructional activity on the Americas, students can locate North, Central and South American countries and states. Young scholars choose a...