University of Southern California
What Is The Ocean?
Go on a tour of the ocean through the lens of a scientist. Learners read maps of the ocean floor, study tide behavior, examine wave motion, and analyze components of soil. Each lesson incorporates a hands-on component.
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 paths that meet a...
BrainPOP
Latitude and Longitude Differentiated Lesson Plan
Scholars warm-up their map skills with a discussion using location words to describe familiar places. An engaging video informs class members about latitude and longitude. Three leveled activities extend the learning experience for...
Newspaper Association of America
Community Connections with Geography and the Newspaper
Understanding geography and government begins at the local level. Using maps and the parts of a newspaper, a unit plan introduces the concept of community. It starts with the creation of classroom and school maps, and then moves through...
CK-12 Foundation
Direction on the Earth: Using a Compass
Navigate the world of orienteering in an informative interactive. Earth science scholars learn practical direction skills, such as proper polar coordinates and pairing compasses with maps. The interactive map allows them to practice...
Teach Engineering
Projections and Coordinates: Turning a 3D Earth into Flatlands
Introduce your class to map projections and coordinates, the basics for the work done in a GIS, with an activity that uses Google Earth to challenge learners to think about the earth's shape.
Concord Consortium
Understanding Probability Maps
What's the likelihood of your class understanding probability maps? Young scientists explore the concept using a virtual dartboard in an interesting simulation. The darts establish a pattern around the bull's-eye, which provides a visual...
Curated OER
Kid Maps: Reading and Creating Maps with Human Characteristics
Learners look at maps. In this map instructional activity, students listen to the book My Map Book by Sara Fanelli and they see the difference between human characteristics (buildings, etc.) and natural characteristics (rivers, etc.)....
Curated OER
Paint My Counties: Map Coloring the Counties of Arizona
Fourth graders identify the counties of Arizona. In this social studies lesson, 4th graders color a county map of Arizona using the fewest number of colors possible. Students write a persuasive paragraph.
Curated OER
Me on the Map: Homes, Neighborhoods, and Communities
Students read a book about maps and identify the differences between a picture and a map. In this maps lesson plan, students also label maps of their home, neighborhood, and community.
Curated OER
Through the Forest and Home Again: Maps Help Us Find Our Ways
Students read Little Red Riding Hood, focusing on her path home to Grandma's house. In this language arts and geography instructional activity, students perform a reader's theater, re-creating the walk home and possible routes that could...
Curated OER
Map Your House
Students are introduced to the concepts of maps as scale models of the whole. After a brief lecture on creating and using an accurate scale when drawing and reading a map. They create a scale drawing of the floorplan of their homes.
Curated OER
Walking on Maps
Students are introduced to the various types of maps and their functions. As a class, they play a game similar to twister to review map concepts. They answer questions about the map and use the internet to view larger maps of the world.
Curated OER
What Do Maps Show?
Students discover the uses for various types of maps. In this geography skills lesson, students discuss the type of maps that exist and what their individual features are. Students then practice using different types of maps.
Curated OER
Create A Map!
Students examine two- and three-dimensional shapes, and discuss map skills and attributes. They plan and create their own school campus maps using pre-cut building site shapes.
Curated OER
Mapping Counties
Young scholars practice reading a map. In this mapping lesson, students illustrate a map and compare and contrast the counties based on their population. Young scholars also explore what a census is and read census data on a map. A...
Curated OER
Introduction to Maps
Learners develop their map skills. In this geography lesson, students participate in an activity that requires them to survey their social studies book in order to find different types of maps and purposes for their uses.
Curated OER
FUN WITH MAPS
Second graders receive a general overview about how maps are made and used, how specific information can be derived from them, and how a student can gain personal information about their surroundings from examining them.
Curated OER
Reading Maps of the East Pacific Rise
Students make qualitative and quantitative observations and use various maps to investigate the features of the East Pacific Rise The study actual bathymetric maps of the EPR region. They identify key features of the ridge and explore...
Curated OER
Making a Mental Map
Learners discuss maps and explore the concept of the mental maps they use to navigate their everyday routines including the importance of landmarks. They draw a map of how they travel from home to school.
Curated OER
Science Inquiry Lesson: Mapping Project
Students explore the methods of creating maps. They create a map of Animas River Park using a compass and measuring tape, develop a single map from the team map sections, and devise another map of the Animas River Park using a GPS unit.
Curated OER
Exploring Earth Through Maps and Technology
In this maps worksheet, students read 3 pages of detailed information about maps, latitude, longitude, topography, satellites and global positioning. Students then answer 10 questions. There is also a research project assignment available.
Curated OER
Map Studies
Students study maps and use web based activities to develop their mapping skills. For this mapping skills lesson, students use the internet to define cartography they make a list of information regarding a typical road map and explain...
Curated OER
The Global Grapefruit - Maps vs Globes
Students tell how maps differ from globes, state some characteristics of 3 different types of map projections, and realize that distortions are inherent in various systems of map projections.