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Follow the Light
Students investigate the role of lighthouses in navigation and practice the use of cardinal directions through reading activities, discussion, locating geographical features, and mapping lighthouses along the east coast of the United...
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Lesson Nine: Size and Scale
Students investigate scale as it is related to maps. In this map instructional activity, students read Jack and the Beanstalk by Carol North. Students then compare the setting in the story to a landscape picture map to help them study...
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Character, You Say? Prove It!
Young scholars discuss character traits, and complete a character map and a Venn diagram for selected characters in their assigned text.
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WORLD GEOGRAPHY
Students identify and analyze map symbols and map grids by completing various worksheets and creating their own map using these skills. Students identify and analyze what latitude and longitude are on a map to play a game of Bingo....
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Claiming Land
Young scholars examine several European maps with conflicting representations of the same geographic region. They uncover why different European nations produced different maps. In addition, they determine the role maps played in helping...
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Running the Road to ABC
Second graders, while reading and discussing the book, "The Best Older Sister," by Sook Nyul Choi, practices predicting the meaning of a passage based on its title and illustrations. They experience determining the main idea from text...
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Map Making
First graders explore maps to realize the concept that maps are simply small representations of a much bigger picture. They discuss the importance of maps in everyday life, examine a map of the school, and then make a map of their...
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Put Me in My Place: Using Alphanumeric Grids to Locate Places
Students practice locating points on a large wall grid and create and label a neighborhood map. In this geography lesson, students spell and discuss places as the teacher places them on the map. They discuss the concept of an...
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Planning A Railroad Online Lesson
Students plan a route across Donner Summit using topographical maps in order to understand the challenges involved in constructing the railroad in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In this history lesson plan, students first discover how to...
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Theatre Lesson Plan: Finding Your Way
Second graders identify story elements in familiar stories from their lives. In this story elements activity, 2nd graders act out familiar activities by following directions. Students read a story and discuss the story elements....
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The Hopi Indians
Fourth graders read and look at maps of the Hopi Indians and compare and contrast their lives with the Hopi Indians. In this Hopi Indians lesson plan, 4th graders learn about different cultures and answer short answer questions.
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Getting to the Core of World and State Geography
Students create topography relief maps. In this geography skills lesson, students review geography core knowledge skills, design and make a state relief map, and compile a student atlas.
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Listen to the Land
Young scholars discover how we use land. They gain insight into the way we use the land, both for benefit and consequence. Students explore how to 'listen to the land' as they make decisions on how it should be used and the consequences...
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Finding Your Way
Students work in small groups to practice basic map skills. They take turns giving directions and tracing a path from one location to different destinations on the map.
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Thinking Critically about Geography
In this map reading instructional activity, students answer 2 critical thinking questions about a map shown. Page has links to additional resources.
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CHARTING THE COURSE
Students uses atlases, maps, and Web resources to determine the distance, driving time, and amount of money they need to make the trip (estimates should include hotel/motel stays, meals, and souvenirs).
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A Priceless Collection
Students read and discuss the background of plants, seeds, and gene banks and grow seeds on their own. In this seeds lesson plan, students also use maps to identify seed banks and research plant farmers.
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World Projections
Students identify map projections and examine polar maps. In this map skills lesson, students use a flat world map to identify various projections and calculate the distances between locations by using a map scale.
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Quadrilaterals
In this quadrilateral learning exercise, students use the street map of quadrilaterals to answer the six different questions. Students locate various parts of the street map as quadrilaterals.
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Ancient Mediterranean Lands: Greece
Students study maps and structures of Ancient Greece and realize how these structures impact times. For this structures lesson plan, students view the structures of how Ancient Greece was put together and discuss how these structures...
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Trailblazers - Now and Then
Students, working in pairs, use maps to determine the most efficient routes between two cities. They research which route would have been used by early trailblazers. They present a first person account of one of the trailblazers place in...
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The Weather Page: Comparing Data
Students analyze data from maps. In this comparing data activity, students use comparative and superlative statements to draw comparisons among the weather in different American cities based on USA Today weather maps.
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Watershed Investigations
Students explore the components of a watershed and the factors that affect it. They read a topographical map and use geometry to determine the area of a watershed. Students estimate the volume of a body of water and perform runoff...
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Direction March
Students participate in a game that explores map reading skills and intermediate directions. The teacher turns over a direction card for each player or team and announces the move, and they move towards a designated cardinal or...