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Eye From the Sky
Students are introduced to the concept of aerial perspective and scale. Students will use satellite technology to view their neighborhoods and sketch the area surrounding their schools. They will take part in a neighborhood walk to view...
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If You Build It, Will They Come?
Students examine the city of Duluth, Minnesota. In groups, they use the internet to discover its current state of urban geography. After their research, they create and plan their own redeveloping of the city. They share their results...
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Can You Dig It?
Students investigate a fossil site and diagram a site map. They role play as paleontologists.
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Architectural Buildings
Fifth graders explore various styles of architecture. They work together to create a town with clay buildings that come together in order to form this small town. They discuss maps, layouts, and the structure of buildings.
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Earthquakes and Seismic Waves
Students investigate the Richter scale and seismology in a teacher-led lab in which they are introduced to the concept of seismic waves and epicenter location. They further investigate the inner workings of a seismograph and practice...
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The Slave Trade
Students map and explore a possible slave trade route. In this slave trade mapping lesson, students calculate the distance and amount of time it would take for African slaves to arrive in America.
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How Much Further Is It?
Fifth graders use estimation to solve problems and assess the reasonableness of their answers. They may use an odometer, a map with a legend, MapQuest, or a map without a legen. They estimate 4 to 5 different scenarios.
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Possible Locations
Students create maps with cutout pieces of paper that represent caverns. They develop a scale for their map and decide where the best location is to live. They discover the importance of map reading skills.
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From Home to School, GPS Style
Students are introduced and increase proficiency in the use of the hand held GPS system. They explore the meaning of longitude and latitude lines, then identify the parts of the map.
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Where Is Hoku?
Students are introduced to map making and reading. Using maps, they identify the cardinal directions and discuss the importance of a legend. They analyze the human characteristics of the classroom and create overhead view maps of the...
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Big Apple, Here We Come
Students role play the role of immigrants coming to America for the first time. They complete an imaginary trip with their family and must rent a car and make seven stops along the way. They calculate distances and use maps to...
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Astronomy Teamwork
Middle schoolers work together in groups to complete an astronomy project. In the classroom, they find real objects to represent various objects in the solar system. After going outside, they practice using a distance scale and use...
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Gridding a Site
Students make observations of effigy mounds and record them in a notebook. In groups, they must determine the scale of measurement and create their own grid to scale part of the Effigy Mounds National Monument. They also practice using...
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America the Beautiful
Students listen to a read-aloud discussing the landmarks of the United States. In pairs, they use the internet to research a landmark of their choice. They create a visual aid to be given with a presentation sharing the information...
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Stream Gages and GIS
students interpret recent regional-scale climate events based on current stream flow, monitor changes in time, and to consider additional interpretations that could be derived if other data were in map form.
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What Does a Quarter Weigh?
Students study the historical figures and symbols of U.S.
patriotism depicted on the penny, nickel, dime, and quarter coins. They
create a balance scale from common materials to measure the approximate weight
of a quarter.
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What Are The Characteristics of Your Neighborhood?
Students make a mental map of their neighborhood. Using a software program, they make an aerial and digital map of their school and locate their school on given maps. In groups, they calculate the distances to various locations and...
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Possible Causes
Students review any materials from two previous lessons on emissions. As a class, they use a graphic organizer to review their stakeholder's hypothesis. They identify possible causes of global warming and discover how to solve this problem.
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Snow Cover By Latitude
Pupils examine computerized data maps in order to create graphs of the amount of snowfall found at certain latitudes by date. Then they compare the graphs and the data they represent. Students present an analysis of the graphs.
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Exploring Infrared Image Technology
Students view infrared images of a blowing hair dryer, a Popsicle, and a toaster. They discuss the images and ways they are different than visible light images. Students view a temperature scale and discuss which parts of the item are...
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Social Studies For Elementary School
Fourth graders become familar with maps and work in groups to get an overview of what Europe is like. The real assignment is in the form of students creating their own trip if it could really be taken.
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Geography: Islands and Alcatraz
Learners, in groups, create maps of islands including map keys and compass roses. They compare and contrast their island communities with that of the island prison, Alcatraz. Students select from a series of projects, including writing...
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Exploring History Through Photographs
Fifth graders compare and contrast photographs from the 1800s to those of 2003. In groups, they create drawings of how society has changed over time and use maps to locate local streets. Individually, they practice measuring the...