National Geographic
Mapping the Americas
Celebrate the geography of the Americas and develop map skills through a series of activities focused on the Western Hemisphere. Learners study everything from earthquakes and volcanoes of the Americas and the relationship between...
Curated OER
The Exploration and Settlement of North America
Students locate place in Canada and explore highlights of early of early American exploration and settlement. In this North American history lesson plan, students locate provinces, major cities, and physical features of Canada. Students...
NASA
Outline Maps
Don't miss this gold mine of blank maps for your next geography lesson! Regions include traditional continents such as Asia, Europe, and Africa, as well as other major world areas such as the Pacific Rim and the Middle East.
Curated OER
Colonial America and Roots of Government
Learners identify 50 States and the major geographic features, regions, and political representation of each. In connection, they investigate the causes and effects of European colonization on North America. They identify the formation...
Curated OER
Map Keys
Third graders examine maps and map keys. In this locating map features instructional activity, 3rd graders use crayons, markers and colored pencils to label maps. Students work in partners to read map keys and locate given places and...
Curated OER
Pre-Columbian Cultures in the Americas
Native American studies is fun, educational, and highly motivating. Fifth graders will gain a deeper understanding of the six major pre-Columbian culture areas on the North American continent. They will choose one group and conduct...
Curated OER
Food on the Map
Students work together to examine the tastiest towns in the United States. After discovering the names of the equipment, they identify the seven continents. They take a survey and locate the cities and states of the foods mentioned.
Messenger Education
Look But Don’t Touch—Exploration with Remote Sensing
Mars is home to the tallest mountain in our solar system, Olympus Mons. In this set of two activities, learners review geologic land formations through the analysis of aerial maps. They then apply this knowledge to aerial maps of objects...
Curated OER
Rivers, Maps, and Math
Students use maps to locate and label the major rivers of North and South America. Using the internet, they identify forests, grasslands, mountain ranges and other landforms on the continents as well. They compare and contrast the...
Curated OER
The North and South Magnetic Poles
In this north and south magnetic poles worksheet, students read about the presence of auroras over the earth's magnetic poles as opposed to the geographic poles. Students use 2 photographs taken by the IMAGE FUV and the Polar instruments...
Curated OER
Topographic Maps Worksheet
In this geography skills worksheet, students respond to 37 multi-part questions that require them to read and interpret topographic maps.
Curated OER
Mapping the Many Underground Railroads
Students determine the beginning and the end points of the enslaved person's journey to freedom, noting landmarks mentioned along the way such as cities, towns, rivers, mountains, and other geographic features.
Curated OER
Map Literacy
Students locate their home state on a map. They differentiate between physical and population sizes of states. In two groups, students "become" states with string for boundaries. They ascertain that area does not always equal large...
Curated OER
Vikings in Vinland
Students examine the role of archaeology in gaining information about past civilizations. After reading an article, they discover evidence of the Viking settlement of North America. They summarize the information in the article by...
Curated OER
Capitals, Oceans, And Border States
Students investigate geography by completing games with classmates. In this United States of America activity, students examine a map of North America and identify the borders of Mexico and Canada as well as the Pacific and Atlantic....
SeaWorld
Animal Migrations
Here is a fabulous set of activities for your young scientists. Each instructional activity contains map, hands-on, and game activities that will help the class understand why and how animals migrate from one place to another. First...
Curated OER
The Power of Maps & Native American Cultures
Sixth graders discover where and how five Native American cultures lived in North America in what is currently the United States. They examine their way of life and the regions they inhabited. Additionally, 6th graders will understand...
Curated OER
Directions, Directions
Third graders review cardinal directions, moving around the room so that they are standing in the part of the room that is nearest the north, south, east and west. They are asked what would you do if they are lost? Pupils work as a...
Curated OER
America Will Be
High schoolers work together to research and create different types of maps of the United States to be used as part of a geography trivia game.Groups research North American annual rainfall, climate, mountain ranges major rivers and...
Compton Unified School District
How Can We Locate Places?
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...
Curated OER
Mexico: One Land, Many Cultures
Students, through a variety of activities, discover the geography and culture of Mexico. They make maps, read folktales, write a journal, create pinatas and other artistic pieces, and review the history of Mexico.
Curated OER
Equator, North Pole, and South Pole
Students identify the Equator, North Pole, and South Pole on the globe. In this map skills lesson, students use a globe marker to locate specific locations on the globe. Students find where they live in relation to the Equator.
National Wildlife Federation
Massive Migrations
Turn your students into flocks of migratory birds for this fun lesson on animal migration. Prior to the activity, the teacher creates four different migration routes in the classroom or any available open space, labeling nesting...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue
Young adventurers embark on a journey, setting sail along the blue ocean with Christopher Columbus. Teachers will find that this unit makes their lesson planning smooth sailing!