Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Directions, Directions

For Teachers 3rd
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Four Famous Faces

For Teachers K - 1st
Each one of our quarters is embellished with a famous face or image representing the state it came from. This lesson uses South Dakota's state quarter to get kids thinking about monetary value, what the president of the United States...
Lesson Plan
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Exploring our National Parks

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students utilize maps/Atlases to find key spatial information, locate U.S. National Parks, characterize the geography of a specific region, and create a National Park brochure.
Lesson Plan
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From Sea to Shining Sea

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Learners determine the top 5 commodities for each state. In this agricultural commodities lesson, students label a map of the United States with the state capitals and the top 5 agricultural commodities for each. They compile the...
PPT
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The Early Cold War: 1947-1970

For Teachers 9th - 11th
With a combination of images, maps, and valuable information, this presentation is a strong resource for a history class that is coming out of a WWII unit and into a Cold War unit. Some points are outlined for students, while others are...
Lesson Plan
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Push or Pull?

For Teachers K - 1st
Utilizing the Nebraska State Quarter, pupils learn about the pioneers who had wagons that were pulled across Nebraska by oxen during the westward movement. Excellent worksheets are embedded in the plan that guide them through this fine...
Handout
ProCon

Electoral College

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
The Electoral College's role in elections is sometimes confusing and controversial. Pupils use a debate topics website to research the pros and cons of the practice to debate whether the United States should still use the Electoral...
PPT
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Effects of Ozone Depletion

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Explore the causes of ozone depletion and the effect on plankton, algae, plants, amphibians, and humans. Learn how the Montreal Protocol has possibly helped reverse the decline of the ozone layer. Warning: photos of skin and eye...
Lesson Plan
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United States Map- State Capitals

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students explore the state capitals. In this geography lesson, students use a political map to identify the state capitals and place post-it notes on various capitals.
Worksheet
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States and Capitals - Lesson 4 - U.S. Political Map

For Students 4th - 6th
In this U.S. state capitals instructional activity, students identify the capital cities of the 50 states using the latitude and longitude coordinates provided.
Lesson Plan
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U.S. Political Map

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore the symbols found in a map legend. In this map skills instructional activity, students locate the legend on a political map and explain what each of the symbols mean. Students locate and identify several symbols on the map.
Lesson Plan
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United States Map

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students describe cities they are familiar with. In this United States Map lesson, students understand how cities are listed on a map. Students become aware of a map legend and the information in it.
Lesson Plan
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Water Features - Lesson 2 - U.S. Political Map Grade 4-5

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students locate water features on maps. In this geography instructional activity, students complete worksheets that require them to identify water features on a U. S. political map.
Lesson Plan
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United States Map Lesson

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students explore basic map skills. In this United States geography lesson, students define "country" and "state," locate their state on a United States map, and identify and trace state boundaries defining their state and surrounding...
Lesson Plan
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United States Map - Lesson 9

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students explore the concept of cardinal directions. In this geography lesson, students identify the compass rose on a large U. S. map and then discuss the cardinal directions.
Lesson Plan
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3-D Topographic Maps

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students create a 3-D topographic map.  In this map building lesson, students use cardboard to create a topographic map of the Catskills mountain region.
Lesson Plan
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Westward Expansion : Mapping

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders travel along exploring the expeditions of John F. Fremont. In this Westward expansion lesson, 5th graders gain understanding of the events that shaped the west through the use of maps. Students use mapping skills to...
Lesson Plan
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Dos mapas de Florida, el Caribe y parte de Sur America

For Teachers 7th - 12th
What can maps tell us about the past? Find out with a Spanish lesson that incorporates geography. After examining maps individually, comparing two old maps of Spanish Florida and writing notes in the provided Venn diagram, pupils pair up...
Lesson Plan
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Mapping China

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Learners identify cities in China on a map. In this map skills instructional activity, students locate the continent of Asia and the country of China. Learners use a blank map to label China and bordering countries.
Lesson Plan
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U.S. and Canada: How are We the Same? How are We Different?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Get high school geographers to compare and contrast Canada and the United States. They begin by drawing a freehand map of North America, then complete readings to gain insight into Canada. The text is not provided; however, another text...
Lesson Plan
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State Partners

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students practice locating the 50 states on the US map, and move as a "team" throughout the general space.
Interactive
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State Nicknames Quiz

For Students 5th - 10th
In this online interactive geography quiz worksheet, learners examine the chart that includes the names of 49 states. Students identify the nicknames of the states in 6 minutes.
Lesson Plan
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Making a Travel Brochure of a Louisiana Parish

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Although the attachments for this travel brochure project are no longer linked, you can still use the idea here and create your own assignment sheet and rubric. Learners choose a parish in Louisiana (or a city in your state) to research,...
PPT
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The Brief American Pageant:The Triumphs and Travails of the Jeffersonian Republic

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Add these slides into your lecture about the Jeffersonian Era in American history. Slides detail the results of the Presidential Election of 1800, four Barbary states of North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Tripoli) and the...