Curated OER
Tropical Regions/Mapping Biodiversity
Students use a world map to locate the country of Puerto Rico. In groups, they identify the various types of vegetation found on the island. They compare and contrast the biodiversity of the country to the United States. To end the...
Curated OER
Mapping Australia
In this mapping Australia worksheet, students locate and label various features and places on a blank map, 10 total. A reference web site is given for additional activities.
Curated OER
Why Does the Cocoa Tree Need a Tropical Rainforest to Grow?
Fourth graders explore the requirements a cocoa plant needs to survive. They research where chocolate comes from and how humans can affect the growth of cocoa trees. Students create a 3-D model of a cocoa tree and compare and contrast...
Curated OER
The Tropical Supermarket
Third graders explore the sources of the various foods they eat. They examine how everyone is intricately connected to the ecosystems in which natural resources are produced. Students observe how the lives of people living in those...
Center Science Education
Hurricanes and Climate
Feeling under the weather? This lesson on hurricanes can whip things up! With professionally designed maps and handouts, teach your future weathermen (or women) where, when, and how hurricanes occur. They identify hurricane regions and...
Curated OER
Where in the World? The Basics of Latitude and Longitude
Students are introduced to the concepts of latitude and longitude. In groups, they identify the Earth's magnetic field and the disadvantages of using compasses for navigation. They identify the major lines of latitude and longitude on a...
Curated OER
Giving Students a Little Latitude
Young scholars use a world outline map to locate places using coordinates of latitude and longitude. They answer questions about places based on their knowledge of the map and on their research and make up more questions of this sort...
Curated OER
Climate in the Pacific Region
Students examine the main features of the climate of the Tropical Pacific region by looking at maps and charting the tracks of one or more recent cyclones. After a brief discussion, they answer questions bout convergence zones and the...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
BiomeViewer
Which holds more influence, the environment over humans or humans over the environment? Young scientists explore an online interactive that addresses this discussion. They observe changes in the natural world over time and see which...
California Academy of Science
Discovering Rainforest Locations
How many rainforests are there, where are they, and do global factors effect their locations? These are great questions that have great answers. Children in grades four through eight use several different maps to determine why...
It's About Time
Present-Day Climate in Your Community
So what exactly is climate? This first installment of a six-part series introduces the concept of climate using real-world data tables and topographic maps. The timely lesson includes a comprehensive overview of climate, as well as...
Port Jefferson School District
Hurricane Katrina
Young scientists track Hurricane Katrina across the Atlantic Ocean as they learn about these destructive forces of nature. Provided with a table of data tracking the location and conditions of Katrina over a one week span, students plot...
Curated OER
Conejito
Third graders read the story "Conejito" and write a descriptive story about the rainforest in Panama. They answer story comprehension questions, complete worksheet questions about a map of Panama, and rewrite a paragraph changing the...
Curated OER
Comparing the Effects of El Nino and La Nina
Students examine the differences between an El Nino and La Nina year. For this investigative lesson students create maps and graphs of the data they obtained.
Curated OER
Create Your Own Country Project
Young scholars demonstrate their knowledge of geography with this fun, collaborative social studies project. Working in small groups, students develop their very own countries, writing descriptions of their physical location, social...
Curated OER
Hurricanes Are They Coming to Your Neighborhood?
Learners study weather systems, hurricanes and tropical storms. They predict landfall of hurricanes and tropical storms.
Curated OER
Where Do Hurricanes Happen?
In this hurricanes worksheet, students label the 6 different regions that hurricanes and tropical cyclones occur around the world.
Curated OER
And the Rains Came Down: A South American Rainforest
Students examine the characteristics of a South American tropical rainforest. They analyze maps, develop graphs, listen to the book, The Great Kapok Tree, and create a rainforest mural.
Curated OER
Air Masses
Students are given maps depicting two or more air masses and they then categorize bodies of air by temperature and moisture characteristics. They recognize large regions of similar type air. Students are given a map of air temperatures...
Curated OER
World Climate Growing Zones
Students create a map showing where crops would be grown around the world. In this crops lesson plan, students show how the world climate would produce different parts of the world at different times. Students fill out worksheets.
Curated OER
Migration of the Neo-Tropical Songbirds
Fifth graders plot the migration of birds using Google Earth. In this lesson on bird migration, 5th graders work in groups to plot the migration of a group of birds using Google Earth. Students present and discuss their findings and look...
Curated OER
Equadorian Rainforest: The Tropical Supermarket
Young scholars study the concept of sustainable agricultural practices through cocoa farming and the lives of the people who are the producers. Students watch a slide show and read a story which helps them understand the origins of...
Curated OER
Hyperlink Habitats
Students explore a series of Web pages designed to illustrate the interconnectedness of a tropical rainforest ecosystem. They discuss their research, create maps and research a local ecosystem.
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
Schoolyard Biodiversity Investigation Educator Guide
In 1980, in the tropical rainforests of Panama, scientists discovered 1,200 species of beetles living in and around just 19 trees, with most of the species new to science—that's biodiversity! In the activity, learners work in teams to...