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Mapping the News
Young scholars explore cartography. In this map skills and map making lesson, Students work in groups to create wall size world maps including legends, compass roses, latitude and longitude, and physical features. Young scholars...
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Map Adventures
Students explore the relationship between a scale drawing and actual distance. For this mapping lesson, students use an amusement park map to determine distances and what they would be like in real life.
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Map It!
Fourth graders demonstrate map making skills by using the computer to create maps of the geographic features, regions, and economy for their state.
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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...
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Text Features of Fiction, Poetry, Drama: Story Matrix
How do novels differ from plays? Explore with your class the text features of fiction and drama by reading The Hidden One: Native American Legend and then performing a reader’s theater script based on the story. Class members create a...
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Waldseemuller's Map: World 1507
Students investigate the 1507 word map. In this world geography lesson plan, students examine the details of each section of the map and then draw conclusions about how the people of 1507 understood the world. Students are evalated on...
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Assessing and Making Maps
Students evaluate maps using the TODALSIGs basic map analysis system, explained on the worksheet. They create a map of Alaska using TODALSIGs. Students brainstorm the elements of maps.
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U.S. Political Map
Students explore the symbols found in a map legend. In this map skills lesson, 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.
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Location, Location, Location!
Twelfth graders locate cities, states and countries on maps. They use the cardinal directions to locate places on maps. They describe where they were born by giving clues without naming the exact state. They trade papers and try to guess...
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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.
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Globe Skills Lesson 8 Dust Bowl Travelers
Students develop their globe and map skills, In this geography lesson, students examine the Dust Bowl as they complete an activity that requires them to plot latitude and longitude.
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Globe Skills Lesson 7 The Transcontinental Railroad
Students explore the Transcontinental Railroad. In this geography skills lesson, students use map skills in order to locate legs of the Transcontinental Railroad on globes.
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Globe Skills Lesson 4 The Colonial Period
Students practice their map skills. In this Colonial geography lesson, students complete an activity that requires them to locate English colonial locations using latitude and longitude coordinates.
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Globe Skills Lesson 1 Some Early American Cultures
Students apply their knowledge of geography. In this geography skills activity, students read brief selections regarding early Americans. Students respond to the questions included in the self-guided map skills activity.
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Globe Skills Lesson 5
In this map skills instructional activity, students read a text selection about locations during the American Revolution and then respond to 8 fill in the blank questions.
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Globe Skills Lesson 3 Voyage to the New World
Students explore the globe. In this globe skills lesson, students use their knowledge of latitude and longitude to respond to questions regarding Christopher Columbus's maiden voyage to the Americas.
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Political Legends and Map Symbols
Students identify the legend and map symbols. In this map skills lesson, students use a world map to find various locations using a map key.
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Topo Map Mania!
Seventh graders describe the major features of maps and compasses. They read a topographical map. They take a bearing using a compass. They practice using scales on a map.
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United States Map- State Capitals
Young scholars explore map skills. In this state capital lesson, students view a United States Political Map and identify and use post-it notes to label the state capitals.
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Map It With Pixie
Fourth graders use the computer program 'Pixie' to create a topographic, detailed map for the state they live in. In this mapping skills lesson, 4th graders use Pixie to make a map of their state that includes topographic features, state...
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Globe Skills Lesson 10 Apollo 11
Students develop their globe skills. In this geography skills lesson, students use a globe and a softball to replicate distance between the earth and its moon.
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
Mask of the Black God
Finally, an astronomy lesson for the high schooler! Explorers are able to read star maps for finding objects in the night sky by determining celestial coordinates. In particular, they locate the Pleiades and read about a Navajo legend...
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Waldseemüller’s Map: World 1507
Middle schoolers take a closer look at historical maps. In this primary source analysis instructional activity, students examine the first world map produced by Martin Waldseemuller. Middle schoolers complete the included map analysis...
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What You Can Learn From a Map
Students discover how to interpret maps. In this geography skills lesson, students explore geographic themes as they complete worksheet activities regarding road maps, shaded relief maps, and topographic maps.