Curated OER
Floodplains in the field (with GIS)
Students measure a topographic and geologic cross-section across a floodplain by simple surveying and auguring techniques. They consider the spatial context of the field observations, use GPS measurements, and desktop GIS analyses.
Curated OER
Storm Clouds-- Fly over a Late Winter Storm onboard a NASA Earth Observing Satellite
Students study cloud data and weather maps to explore cloud activity. In this cloud data lesson plan students locate latitude and longitude coordinates and determine cloud cover percentages.
Curated OER
Teaching Modeling Water Quality
Students explore the basics of interpreting RUSS temperature and oxygen profile data. They are introduced to the Geographic Information Systems (GIS), particularly with respect to interpreting maps.
Curated OER
Weather Pals
Students study maps of the United States to locate weather pals from a list of schools. They communicate with Weather Pal schools through the use of closed circuit TV. Using weather data collected in their area, they exchange the...
Curated OER
Stream Gages and GIS
students interpret recent regional-scale climate events based on current stream flow, monitor changes in time, and to consider additional interpretations that could be derived if other data were in map form.
Curated OER
Climographs
Students identify trends and characteristics of climate zones and specific places within. Then, they graph annual climate trends (primarily Temperature and Precipitation) and create, interpret and extrapolate information based on...
Messenger Education
Look But Don’t Touch—Exploration with Remote Sensing
Mars is home to the tallest mountain in our solar system, Olympus Mons. In this set of two activities, learners review geologic land formations through the analysis of aerial maps. They then apply this knowledge to aerial maps of objects...
Curated OER
Hurricanes and Climate
Students investigate maps and data to learn about the connections between hurricanes and climate. In this exploratory lesson students describe and graph the 6 regions where hurricanes happen and discuss how hurricanes have changed over...
Curated OER
Exploring Climate Change with GIS
Students investigate climatological changes that are occurring to the Earth. In this climate change lesson, students access an assigned web site to view maps and lessons that show how climate change makes a difference to life on Earth.
Curated OER
Introducing Topographic Maps: Guiding Students from Concrete Models to Graphic Representations
Young scholars interpret topographic maps and infer human activity as it is influenced by the landscape.
Curated OER
The Great MPA Debate
Students study the 'Marine Protected Areas' process. In this ocean lesson students work in groups, conduct research and present it to the class.
Curated OER
What in Our World Affects the Way People Live
Sixth graders study various maps that show geographical features and population. They compare the maps and make inferences about how various geographical features influence the population and human activities of an area.
Arizona Cooperative Extension
Geocaching
Using GPS units, small groups participate in a scavenger hunt to find an object that you have hidden. They use coordinates for stopping points along a pre-planned path to get to the final cache. This is a terrific activity to include in...
Curated OER
Park Problems
Students calculate park acreage and map the distribution of parks in Austin, TX using GIS. Students use a specific website to find the information.
Prairie Public Broadcasting
Egyptian Pyramids Virtual Field Trip!
A virtual field trip takes enthusiastic travelers to the pyramids of Giza. Using Google, scholars explore the grounds of the ancient pyramids found in Egypt then complete three worksheets: a photo analysis page, a reflection sheet, and a...
Curated OER
Mapping My Community
Ninth graders are introduced to GPS technology. They complete fieldwork as they visit a specific area of their community to identify and map types of land use in the surveyed area. They use the collected data to create a digital map.
Curated OER
World Cities of 5 Million or More
Students consult online resources to identify and map the world's largest cities and metropolitan areas. They analyze birth rates, settlement patterns and other demographic data and make predictions for the future. They write essays...
Curated OER
Is the Hudson River Too Salty to Drink?
Students explore reasons for varied salinity in bodies of water. In this geographical inquiry lesson, students use a variety of visual and written information including maps, data tables, and graphs, to form a hypothesis as to why the...
Curated OER
Mapping Population Changes In The United States
Students create a choropleth map to illustrate the population growth rate of the United States. They explore how to construct a choropleth map, and discuss the impact of population changes for the future.
Curated OER
How Mountains Shape Climate
Students use raw data to make a climatograph; they explain the process of orographic precipitation and the concept of a rain shadow.
Curated OER
Macbeth Madness
Students participate in various social studies activities in correlation to William Shakespeare's Macbeth. In this Macbeth lesson plan, students study maps of Scotland, England, and Norway to identify locations mentioned in Macbeth....
Space Awareness
Where on Earth Am I?
Almost every phone has GPS installed, but a large number of teens don't know how the technology works. An initial activity illustrates how GPS determines a location on Earth. Scholars then apply trilateration procedures to a...
Curated OER
Names in the Field: A Simple GPS Field Exercise
Students explore basic methods of GPS data collection, uploading the data to a computer, and making simple maps of their data using GIS software. They create a map of the data using GIS software (or Excel)
Curated OER
U.S. History: What Happened Here?
Students apply the global positioning system to create maps of local historical sites. By collaborating with local historical groups, they research events and relate them to broader, national history. In addition to writing essays...