Curated OER
Social Studies: Where I Come From
Students research the countries of their origins and examine life there today. They write family travel logs by interviewing family members about their heritages, and they visit the Xpeditions Website for online resources about their...
Curated OER
Social Studies:
Students identify various types of breads fromother countries and locate them on maps. In small groups, they make story maps of books that mention bread and make books resembling sandwiches. Students have a bread tasting party and...
Curated OER
California's Golden History: 1848-1880
Using a variety of online resources, learners study life and society in California during the gold rush. They use a map to identify area where gold was located, explore pre-selected websites, describe mining practices, and create an...
Curated OER
Wow! You're Eating Geography
Students examine patterns of food producing areas, and identify foods that are grown locally, in the U.S., and around the world. They map and graph the major food crops of their local area, the U.S., and other countries, and discuss the...
Theodore Roosevelt Association
Roosevelt's Legacy: Conservation
The legacy of Theodore Roosevelt carries through modern American politics, economics, foreign policy, and society. But his proudest and most profound efforts were in the world of conservation, and in preserving the natural beauty of...
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
More Tribal Homelands
Here is a very fun idea that introduces young learners to how geographical location affects cultural development. They are introduced to four areas where Native Americans have lived in the past by reading stories and examining images....
Curated OER
Charting Neptune's Realm:
Students explore how to construct and interpret maps and globes and find information about people, places, regions, and environments.
Syracuse University
Erie Canal
While canals are not the way to travel today, in the first half of the nineteenth century, they were sometimes the best way to move goods and people. Scholars examine primary sources, including maps and pictures, to investigate the role...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Hopi Place Names
What's in a name? Historians consider the question as they examine places important to the Hopi people and the meanings of their place names. Included worksheets include maps and charts to help class members examine the geography of Hopi...
Huntington Library
The Corps of Discovery: The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Don't miss this fantastic comprehensive lesson plan on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, packed with instructional guidance, worksheets, map work, informational texts, and secondary source materials.
Channel Islands Film
Arlington Springs Man: Lesson Plan 4
West of the West's documentary Arlington Springs Man introduces viewers to the remarkable finds on Santa Rosa Island. Archaeologist have discovered on this small island that is part of the Channel island chain, human and pygmy mammoth...
Curated OER
Teaching Elementary School Social Studies
Students identify possible social studies themes that can come from the video, "Voyage of Discovery". They list the five themes of geography. They develop elementary-level interdisciplinary unit plans for social study content. They...
Curated OER
Opening Doors to Social Studies with Children's Literature: The Desert Alphabet Book
Students explore the geography of the United States. In this social studies lesson, students identify the major deserts on a map of the United States.
Foreign Policy Research Institute
A Geography Lesson
Fewer and fewer people have a strong grasp of world geography, but this activity helps students understand geopolitics by creating their own original historical map. The activity requires selecting a country from the list provided,...
Curated OER
My World
Students study maps. For this social studies lesson, students draw a map of either their room at home or the route they take to school. Students label items on their maps.
Curated OER
Understanding Geography
Young scholars create a map of their own neighborhood to show the relationships between the geography of the neighborhood and its economy and culture. They view and discuss an introductory video on how geographers study an area then go...
Curated OER
Why All Maps Lie
Eighth graders discover the fundamental advantages/disadvantages of both maps and globes. They see that maps may distort size, shape, distance and direction. They discuss the advantages and applications of 5 types of map projections and...
Curated OER
Africa: Introduction, Geography and Mapping
Students study the geography of Africa through the use of maps. They locate, distinguish, and describe the relationships among varying regional and global patterns of geographic phenomena such as landforms, climate, and natural resources.
Curated OER
Where Do I Fit In?: Mental Mapping Student Neighborhoods
Students examine geography through the themes of place, human/environment interaction, and region. They create a mental map of their own neighborhood, analyze their role in the world, and design a neighborhood that reflects their needs.
Curated OER
Introduction to Maps
Students investigate a variety of maps to explain what each one is used for.
Curated OER
Geography With Dr. Seuss
Students read the book, The King's Stilts by Dr. Seuss and discuss the geographical information given in the book. Then they discuss and locate on a map the physical features that make up the continent of Africa. They create an original...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
La Mobile: A Case Study of Exploration and Settlement
The Le Moyne brothers, Jean-Baptiste and Pierre, were among the first explorers of the Gulf Coast. Class members read biographical information and journal entries about these men, study maps showing where the settlements they established...
Curated OER
European Elevation Sort
Given a prepared database of European countries, sixth graders sort the countries in ascending order by elevation and identify the five countries with the highest elevations. This cross-curricular lesson combines elements of computer...
Curated OER
Our States, My State
Here is a very nice activity on the shape of the United States, and the shapes of the individual states for your young geographers. They utilize worksheets embedded in the plan to color in a variety of states and to become familiar with...