Smithsonian Institution
For Land's Sake: George Washington as Land Surveyor
Students discuss the importance of land ownership and the purpose of land surveying in the eighteenth century. They interpret a transcript of an eighteenth-century land survey. They survey and area of land. They create a written or...
Curated OER
Surveying and Assessing the Environmental Compatibility of a Building Construction Site
Students examine an area of land and assess its suitability for construction purposes. This project requires a vast amount of hands-on experimentation, data analysis, community involvement, and job shadowing/career awareness.
Curated OER
Coastal Surveys
Students investigate the human impact on coastal land. In this coastal surveys lesson plan, students choose a coastal area and complete a survey sheet about the area. They choose a topic about a sea side village called Dunwich to prepare...
SeaWorld
Marvelous Manatees
Here is an interesting lesson on the manatee for your upper graders or middle schoolers. A game is played where learners work together to complete a successful manatee migration. It's a board game, and all of the game components are...
Curated OER
Build a Model Watershed
Collaborative earth science groups create a working model of a watershed. Once it has been developed, you come along and introduce a change in land use, impacting the quality of water throughout their watershed. Model making is an...
Curated OER
Land of the Rising Sun
Students survey aspects of traditional and modern Japanese customs and beliefs in the seven lessons of this unit. Both the culture and the geography of the country are studied in this unit.
Curated OER
A Good Foundation
Students examine how regional geology affects bridge foundations. In this physical science lesson, students explore how bridge types are constructed for different purposes.
Smithsonian Institution
Picturing George: A Pictorial Survey of the Life of George Washington
Students create pictorial biographies of George Washington. Working in groups, they research various portions of Washington's life, highlighting significant events. After presenting their projects to the class, they are displayed for...
Curated OER
Science: Draining the Land - the Mississippi River
Students use topographic maps to identify parts of rivers. In addition, they discover gradient and predict changes in the channels caused by variations in water flow. Other activities include sketching a river model with a new channel...
Curated OER
Cookie Topography
Students construct a cross section diagram showing elevation changes on a "cookie island." Using a chocolate chip cookie for an island, they locate the highest point in centimeters on the cookie and create a scale in feet. After tracing...
Curated OER
Campus Habitat Improvement Plan
Students work to improve a plot of land. They assess the needs of the environment and formulate a plan. They plant trees and gardens, build bird boxes, construct waterholes. etc.
Curated OER
Can You Catch the Water?
Students work together to construct a model of a water catchment basin. They survey water patterns and complete experiments to see where rain travels and collects. They discover how engineers design structures that help with drainage.
Teach Engineering
A Good Foundation
It takes a strong foundation to build a house and a stronger one for a bridge. This resource presents the effects of geology and soil on bridge foundations. Working in groups, the class investigates the interaction of shallow and deep...
Curated OER
Green Space in the City
High schoolers identify the different kinds and uses of green space that exist in an urban area. They create maps of local parks and research the history of each park. They conduct a survey of residents near the park and interview a park...
Curated OER
What Can Be Done to Improve Ha'iku Town Shopping Areas?
Second graders examine different areas to determine how they can be improved. They observe and collect data concerning different problems and use a map to record their information. After analyzing the data, they develop possible...
Curated OER
How Does Your Soil Stack Up?
Students examine the soil in their local area and create a soil profile. They record observations in the field and the classroom. They create their own display of the soil profile as well.
Curated OER
Making Sense of the Census
Students problem solve the mean and median of agricultural data by completing a worksheet. They discuss the results of the statistical data.
Curated OER
Does Hawaiian Agriculture Feed Hawaii's People?
Students research background information about Hawaiian agriculture in a variety of resources, then read and collect newspaper ads marketing local produce. They suggest food preparation ideas using local produce.
Curated OER
Preparation and Transition to Two-Column Proofs
Students investigate proofs used to solve geometric problems. In this geometry lesson, students read about the history behind early geometry and learn how to write proofs correctly using two columns. The define terminology valuable to...
Curated OER
Trash Bashing
Students define trash, garbage, or solid waste, discuss ways of disposing of trash, list examples of biodegradable materials, and have trash relay race in order to sort trash into appropriate containers labeled biodegradable, reusable,...
Curated OER
Design an Island
Students explore islands. They create a two- or three-dimensional map of an island. They explain how the topography of an area influences the location of water sources, ecosystems, and human settlements. Lesson includes adaptations for...
Curated OER
Natural Resources
Students explore Iowa geography and topographic maps. In this geography and topographic maps lesson plan, student investigate maps, newspapers, Iowa flora and fauna. Students gain an understanding of how different landforms can be...
Curated OER
Provincial Showdown
Students read an article that compares the provinces of Canada and asks students to suggest reasons why other countries should invest in Canada.
Curated OER
You Gotta Know the Territory
Students examine the relationship between Native Americans and those who settled the Iowa territory. In this Iowa history instructional activity, students investigate the process for settling the territory and how intercultural...