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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Principles of Flight: Where are We?

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Young scholars explore the concept of topographical maps.  In this topographical map lesson, students discuss how airplanes know where to fly.  Young scholars use topographical maps to simulate a field trip on the computer. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

From Maps to Models

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars explore watersheds through the use of a topographic map. They observe topographical maps and discuss their characteristics. In groups, students create a model clay island and make a topographical map of it. Afterward,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planning A Railroad

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students use topographical maps students explain the challenges involved in building the railroad in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planning A Railroad Online Lesson

For Teachers 4th - 8th
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. For this history lesson, students first discover how to read...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Maps to Learn About Antarctic Topography

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explore maps and familiarize themselves with features of Antarctica. They utilize a topographical map to create a three-dimensional model of Antarctica. They identify and describe the different regions of Antarctic ice.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Watershed Investigations

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Topographic Maps

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students are introduced to the characteristics and uses of topographical maps. Using a worksheet, they examine the use of specific terminology and use cutouts to create their own topographical map of an area. They answer discussion...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Listen to the Land

For Teachers 7th - 9th
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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Describing a Landscape

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils identify the geographical features and find them on a map. They describe the continuities and changes in a landscape between 1846 and the present.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Edible Maps

For Teachers 1st
First graders, in groups, identify major geographical features of Texas. They form a topographical map of Texas using edible dough, candy, etc. They present and then eat their maps.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction To Topographic Map Activities

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students discuss different types of maps, their similarities and differences. Using a Topographical Maps CD-rom program students create their own map.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Is Urban Sprawl Causing Us To Lose More Than Ground?

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students map the changes that occur in the land as a result of urban sprawl. They explore the problems that paving and building have on the watershed and the habitats on the Northshore.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Beyond the Tap

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explain the basic properties of a watershed including how water flows from higher to lower elevations and how watersheds are interconnected. They comprehend how the placement of buildings, roads, and parking lots can be...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planning a Railroad

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students use a topographical map to plan a route from Doknner Summit to Truckee, then compare it to the route selected by Theodore Judah.
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Unit Plan
US Geological Survey

Usgs: Finding Your Way With Map and Compass

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This resource has a topographic map that tells you where things are and how to get to them. Use this site to help you use a map and compass to determine your location.
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Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: The Trouble With Topos

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students learn how to identify the major features in a topographical map. They learn that maps come in a variety of forms: city maps, road maps, nautical maps, topographical maps, and many others. Map features reflect the intended use....
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Graphic
Other

Usgs: The National Map: Us Topographical Map

For Students 9th - 10th
Use this map to explore the topography of the United States.
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Interactive
Other

Ontario Topographic Map

For Students 9th - 10th
Features a topographical map of Ontario. Click on different options to edit the map.
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Activity
Math Science Nucleus

Math Science Nucleus: Topographic Maps

For Students 3rd - 5th
For a picture of a topographical map, go to this page. There is some information to help you understand what they are.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Water Use: Tragedy in the Owens River Valley

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Map the geographical area of a watershed, evaluate watershed use and describe land use practices of the people within one. Investigate the events surrounding the war over the Owens River in California at the turn of the 20th century.