Curated OER
Electronic Mapping
Young scholars identify countries, oceans, and capitals by building an electronic map.
Curated OER
Orienteering - Lesson 4 - Distance and Height
Pretend that you've been dropped onto a mountain, in the middle of nowhere, and all you have to find your way is a topographical map and a compass. Could you find your way to the nearest town? Orienteering teaches the skills of map...
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
Drawing to Scale
Students examine the process of drawing a picture to scale. They analyze and discuss real-life blueprints for a house, and create a scale drawing of an original invention using calculators and rulers.
Curated OER
US City Quality of Life Analysis and Comparison
Learners analyze US census data and criteria to compare and measure the quality of life in the country's fifty largest cities. After accessing the 2005 quality of life world report online, students conduct their study to compare three...
Curated OER
Zipping Through Our Solar System and Beyond
Launch your class on an exploration of the solar system. Learners construct solar system models to scale and get a better understanding of our place in the vast void of space. This is a great way for them to cement their understanding of...
Curated OER
Geography and Culture of China
Take out a map, a paper, a ruler, and those coveted colored pencils for a lesson on Chinese culture and geography. This is a multifaceted approach to basic geography skills that incorporate story telling, class discussion, primary source...
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 7: Connecting Algebra and Geometry
The coordinate plane links key geometry and algebra concepts in this approachable but rigorous unit. The class starts by developing the distance formula from the Pythagorean Theorem, then moves to applications of slope. Activities...
Curated OER
Map Scale
Third and fourth graders are introduced to the concept of map scale. Using an illustration, they discuss if it shows the actual size of the object and why scale is used to represent areas. They use some items in the illustration to...
Curated OER
Designing a Hiking Trail
Put your students' map skills to the test with this engaging cross-curricular project. Given the task of developing new hiking trails for their local community, young cartographers must map out beginner and intermediate...
Curated OER
Plate Tectonics: Second Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
Second graders explore convection currents and how they relate to the movement of tectonic plates. Then, young geologists reconstruct Pangaea with a worksheet and pinpoint plate boundaries on a map...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Climate Change Around the World
Look at climate change around the world using graphical representations and a hands-on learning simulation specified to particular cities around the world. Using an interactive website, young scientists follow the provided...
Curated OER
Footprints: Take a Step into Estimation
Compare sizes of student footprints with those of elephants and sauropod dinosaurs! Upper graders make estimations of the areas of irregular shapes; students use grids to make and explain estimates within low and high ranges.
EngageNY
Properties of Dilations
Investigate dilations to learn more about them. The second segment in a series of 16 provides a discussion of properties of dilations by going through examples. The problem set provides opportunities for scholars to construct dilations.
Association of American Geographers
Project GeoSTART
Investigate the fascinating, yet terrifying phenomenon of hurricanes from the safety of your classroom using this earth science unit. Focusing on developing young scientists' spacial thinking skills, these lessons engage...
Curated OER
Where Am I: How to Read a Map
Third graders develop an understanding of maps. They explore what a map is, who uses maps, and how to use maps. Students investigate the compas rose. They create a compose rose which illustrates the cardinal directions. Students practice...
Curated OER
Mapping Perceptions
Students create and read maps. In this map skills lesson, students draw a map of their neighborhood, then use skills acquired during map-making to interpret a classmates map and a map of the Ming Dynasty.
Curated OER
Mapping the Aegean Seafloor
Earth science learners create a two-dimensional topographic map of the floor of the Aegean Sea. They use it to then create a three-dimensional model of the ocean floor features. This comprehensive resource delivers strong background...
Curated OER
Genetic Testing: Road Map or Crystal Ball?
After looking at the many aspects of the issues behind genetic testing, students are exposed to the pros and cons and must take a stand by writing a position paper. They will view the "Who Gets to Know?" video and/or reading case studies...
Curated OER
Finding Your Way Using Maps and Globes
Students identify the similarities and differences between different maps and globes. Individually, they create a map of their classroom along with a compass rose. They also practice reading maps as a class and finding specific locations.
Multieducator
Battle of Gettysburg
On July 1, 1863 the Army of Northern Virginia, under the command of General Robert E. Lee met the Army of the Potomac, under the leadership of Major General George Meade. Considered the turning point of the war, the Battle of Gettysburg...
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
Charting the Progress of New Horizons
In 2006, New Horizons began its mission to fly to Pluto. As it continues its journey, scholars track its progress with the help of an informative website, all the while reinforcing measurement concepts with the construction of a scaled...
EngageNY
How Do Dilations Map Angles?
The key to understanding is making connections. Scholars explore angle dilations using properties of parallel lines. At completion, pupils prove that angles of a dilation preserve their original measure.
101 Questions
A Cyclist's Marriage Proposal
One cyclist goes to great lengths to make his proposal! Your classes must figure out just what length that is. Using a map with a bike route that spells out Marry Me, learners calculate the total distance of the ride. They base their...