Curated OER
Lights, Shoals & Soundings
Young scholars explore nautical charts and their symbols, with a bit of fun thrown in.
PHET
Where to See an Aurora
Where can you see an aurora in North America? After completing an astronomy activity, scholars can locate the exact coordinates. Pupils plot points of the inner and outer ring of the auroral oval and answer questions based on...
Curated OER
You Can Find It!
Students locate different places including U.S. cities using longitude and latitude coordinates. In this longitude and latitude lesson plan, students locate 10 different locations.
PBS
NASA's Eyes on the 2017 Eclipse
How did the 2017 eclipse look in Los Angeles—or Chicago? Experience both views, plus many more, using a lesson from PBS's Space series for middle schoolers. Scholars follow the movements of the sun, moon, and Earth during the most recent...
Curated OER
How Can We Locate Specific Places On Earth?
Second graders discover how to use longitude and latitude to locate specific sites on Earth. They compare old and new ways of locating specific places, and discover how latitude and longitude coordinates are used to locate places on Earth.
Curated OER
Can You Find Me Now?
Students locate points using longitude and latitude coordinates. They locate their home using longitude and latitude, explore the uses of GPS, and accurately use a GPS.
Geography for Geographers
Five Themes of Iceland
How do the five themes of geography relate to the country of Iceland? Pupils learn about everything from the differences between relative and absolute location to how humans both adapt and change the environment. The presentation...
Curated OER
What in the World?
Eighth graders plot points of longitude and latitude on a world map. In groups, they create a model of the earth's interior and label the parts,
Curated OER
The World (With an emphasis on the United States)
Fourth graders recognize the different continents. They are introduced to longitude and latitude and how to find locations using these measurements. This series ends with an emphasis on the fifty states of the United States and their...
Curated OER
Absolute and Relative Location
Second graders understand the difference between relative and absolute location using the grid map as an example of an absolute location. They observe a class map showing longitude and latitude lines and learn that they provide exact...
Curated OER
Separate Vacations
High schoolers plot the migration paths of birds using latitude and longitude data from a table.
Curated OER
Think GREEN - Utilizing Renewable Solar Energy
Students use data to find the best renewable energy potential. For this solar energy lesson students import data into Excel and explain how solar energy is beneficial.
Orange County Water Atlas
Location, Location, Location…
Young geographers discover not only how to read and recognize coordinates on a map, but also gain a deeper understanding of latitude and longitude and how climate changes can vary significantly across latitudes.
Curated OER
Lesson 1 Activity 1: Tools of the Ancients
Students examine how Christopher Columbus determined his latitude.
Curated OER
National Marine Sanctuaries Shipwrecks
Junior oceanographers access the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Shipwreck Database and plot the locations of several shipwrecks. Shipwrecks are always an enthralling subject and this activity allows your learners to act as...
Curated OER
Terrabagga Activity Using a Magnetometer
Clever! Earth science learners construct a model of a planet containing a magnetic core. The planet, Terrabagga, is made out of a paper grocery bag, magnets, a dead D battery, and rubber bands. Pictures of each step of the construction...
Curated OER
Hurricanes As Heat Engines
Students examine sea surface temperatures to see how hurricanes get heat from the oceans surface. In this hurricanes activity students use the Internet to find data and make line plots.
Curated OER
Coral Bleaching in the Caribbean
Students practice analyzing images, maps and graphs from Internet-based educational resources. They explore the correlation between sea surface temperature and coral bleaching. Students comprehend that coral reefs are collections of tiny...
Curated OER
World Geography - Climate Notes
A challenging activity helps young geographers explore the temperatures around the world! They study how the Earth's land temperatures are affected by their proximity to an ocean, as well their latitude and their altitude. A very...
Curated OER
Plotting Earthquakes
Students plot earthquakes on a map. In this lesson plan on earthquakes, students will explore recent earthquake activity in California and Nevada. Students will plot fault lines and earthquake occurrences on a map.
Curated OER
Differences Between Ground and Air Temperatures
Students examine the differences between air temperature and ground temperature. In this investigative lesson students find NASA data on the Internet and use it to create a graph.
Curated OER
Congressional Travel
Students determine the distances traveled by the members of the legislative branch of the US Government. In this travel distance lesson, students locate Washington, DC on a globe using the longitude and latitude of the city. They...
Curated OER
Japan: Land of the Rising Sun
Learners locate Japan on a globe, name the major physical features, and describe the physical environment. They survey the differences and similarities between the life and culture of Japanese young people and American young people.
National Wildlife Federation
I Speak for the Polar Bears!
Climate change and weather extremes impact every species, but this lesson focuses on how these changes effect polar bears. After learning about the animal, scholars create maps of snow-ice coverage and examine the yearly variability and...