Core Knowledge Foundation
Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue
Young adventurers embark on a journey, setting sail along the blue ocean with Christopher Columbus. Teachers will find that this unit makes their lesson planning smooth sailing!
Curated OER
Mapping My World
Students are introduced to simple maps and view a map of a classroom and compare distances of items shown.
Cornell University
Too Much of a Good Thing?
Continuing their study of beneficial insects, young entomologists discover where in the world some of these bugs are. By labeling, coloring, and using the scale on a map, pupils explore the territories and arrival of the Asian lady...
Geophysical Institute
Latitude and Longitude with Google Earth
Travel the world from the comfort of your classroom with a instructional activity that features Google Earth. High schoolers follow a series of steps to locate places all over the earth with sets of coordinates. Additionally, they...
Curated OER
The Solstices
Compare surface temperatures when the solstice occurs in the different hemispheres. Young scientists draw conclusions from their investigation of data collected using spreadsheets and a globe.
Curated OER
Finding Meaning in the Badge
Children who are three to five years old study two rank badges from the Qing dynasty to develop an understanding of social rank, language skills, and symbolism. The lesson is discussion-based and requires learners to compare and contrast...
Peace Corps
Community
What is a community? Find out with a lesson that sheds light onto the different types of communities—school, local, and global. Scholars read informational text detailing the life of a young girl from Cape Verde and take part in a...
Curated OER
You Can Find It!
Students, in groups, use longitude and latitude to locate various places on a map.
Curated OER
Orienteering - Lesson 9 - Declination
What's the difference between true north and magnetic north? Lesson 9 has your class practicing mapping using a compass and taking the correct declination into account. This lesson is one part of a 10 lesson unit on orienteering. There...
Curated OER
Follow Your Dreams: Career Goals
It is so important for impending high school graduates to start thinking about their potential careers. Here, they discuss the persistence of Blondie Hasler and his impressive transatlantic trip. They follow various routes on a map and...
Curated OER
Geography With Dr. Seuss
Students read the book, The King's Stilts by Dr. Seuss and discuss the geographical information given in the book. Then they discuss and locate on a map the physical features that make up the continent of Africa. They create an original...
Curated OER
United States Map
Young scholars compare the United States on a globe and on a map. For this map lesson, students relate the sizes of the continents and locate the United States. Young scholars identify the location of the continental US as well as Alaska...
Curated OER
Cattle Trails
Learners identify and locate cattle trails on a globe. In this map skill lesson, students use a marker to locate Texas and Montana and use the map scale to calculate the distance of the cattle trail.
Curated OER
The Gold Rush
Young scholars identify the routes involved in the Gold Rush on a map. In this map skills instructional activity, students use a United States map to locate the routes used to travel to California during the Gold Rush. Young scholars...
Curated OER
Where Is Japan? What Direction Is It?
First graders locate countries on maps and globes and learn about the hemispheres and the cardinal directions. They listen to books read out loud and dicuss geography.
Curated OER
Post Roads
Learners locate the major cities in the colonies during the Revolutionary War. In this map skills lesson, students use a globe to locate cities such as Charleston and Boston using latitude and longitude coordinates.
Curated OER
An Early American Culture
Students identify the locations of the Hopewell culture. In this map skills lesson, students use a globe to mark several locations of the Hopewell culture.
Curated OER
Country Capitals
Students locate country capitals on a world map. In this map skills lesson, students review the definition of the word country and discuss what a capital is. Students locate and label capital cities on a world map using a map marker.
Curated OER
Where Is Japan? How Far Is That?
First graders use literature and hands-on activities with maps and globes to explain distance and tools used to measure distance. They select tools to measure various objects in the classroom, then apply those concepts to their map...
Curated OER
The Pilgrims
Students use distance measuring tools to follow directions and chart the path the pilgrims made from Plymouth, England to Boston, Massachusetts. In this Pilgrim voyage lesson, students use a map to chart the distance traveled by the...
Curated OER
Where Is Japan? How Are We Alike And Different?
First graders use literature, maps, and globes to explain how physical environments in various parts of the world are similar to and different from one's own, and that certain areas have common characteristics and can be called regions.
Curated OER
Welcome to My World!
Second graders increase their usage of maps and understand how maps are important in their lives. Students define what an atlas is, and to enforce the students' definition of what an atlas is, they also make their own atlas.
Curated OER
I Can Compass, Can You?
Students discover how to use geographic tools. In this compass lesson, students identify cardinal directions by appropriately using compasses along with a number of various maps.