Curated OER
Map Skills
Thirds graders reinforce that a map is a drawing that shows what a place looks like from above. They use a map key and symbols to create a map of the school and its neighborhood.
Curated OER
Mapping Mistakes
Students examine early European maps and explore geographic errors. They also view maps of the geography of North America. Students discuss the obstacles faced by early explorers in mapping unexplored territory. They consider what the...
National Endowment for the Humanities
On This Day With Lewis and Clark
Walk in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark as they discover the wonders, beauty, and dangers of the American frontier. After gaining background knowledge about Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase, young explorers use primary...
KOG Ranger Program
Fire Behavior in Forests
Understanding the ways a fire will act is a key factor in fire safety and fire prevention. Young campers focus on how the weather and terrain can affect the behavior of a fire with topographic maps and different scenarios.
Curated OER
Africa: Introduction, Geography and Mapping
Young scholars study the geography of Africa through the use of maps. They locate, distinguish, and describe the relationships among varying regional and global patterns of geographic phenomena such as landforms, climate, and natural...
Curated OER
Map Reading in the 21st Century
Students interact with MapPoint tools to view maps of the past and the present in multiple ways. They participate in mini-lessons aimed at locating certain points of interest or famous routes taken in history.
Curated OER
Mapping Your Schoolyard Habitat
Learners explore the terrain, structures, plants and signs of habitats around their schoolyard. They draw a sketch map showing the different areas around the schoolyard. Students identify the location of weeds and native plants on their...
Curated OER
Simple Route Map
Learners identify the best route between various locations on a map. In this map skills lesson, students use a landscape picture map to find routes to and from certain places. Learners use map markers to highlight the routes.
Global Oneness Project
The Value of Ancient Traditions
Imagine having to give up cell phones, computers, and TV? What would be lost? What gained? An examination of the Drokpa, a nomadic people who live in the grasslands of Tibet, provides class members an opportunity to consider how access...
Curated OER
Simple Route Map
Students demonstrate how to locate features on a Landscape Picture Map. In this map skills lesson, students locate and circle places where they would go to mail a letter, return a library book, or play a baseball game.
Curated OER
National Expansion
Students investigate the Manifest Denstiny. They explore how the idea was evident in 19th century American maps. Students brainstorm the relationships between maps and national expansion. They review a map from 1816 that called for...
Curated OER
The World Around Me
Combining visual and language arts, here is a resource that prompts middle schoolers to write stories based on pictures of their surroundings. They use digital cameras to take pictures of favorite areas in the school. Next, they choose...
Curated OER
Adventure to Alaska
Students use their imagination and research skills to create a virtual tour of the "Land of the Midnight Sun." They are told that Alaska is the largest state in the United States. Students gather information about Alaska to help them...
Curated OER
Create a Country
Students work in small groups to list features and elements found on a variety of grade- appropriate maps. They develop a class list of map features and elements to draw from as they create a map of an imaginary country.
Curated OER
Generate an Accurate Landscape Profile from a Topographic Map
Students enerate an accurate landscape profile from a topographic map. They determine the correct interval needed to accurately graph the change in elevation on a single piece of graph paper.
Curated OER
Our City
Second graders familiarize themselves with the town they live in by practicing their imagination, library research and writing skills.
Curated OER
Surveying the Land
Students explore the different kinds of maps and the purpose of each. In this Geography lesson, students work in small groups to create a map which includes the use of a map key.
Curated OER
Places on the Planet: Latitude and Longitude
Students locate different places on globes and maps by learning about latitude and longitude lines. In this latitude and longitude lesson plan, students identify specific locations based on the degrees of latitude and longitude.
Curated OER
Transportation in Indiana
Fourth graders investigate Indiana transportation. In this transportation lesson plan students discover early forms of transportation such as railroads, rivers, boats, and roads. Students compare and contrast the different forms of...
Curated OER
Mapping Roxaboxen
Fourth graders read Roxaboxen and draw a map of the Roxaboxen community. In this language arts and geography instructional activity, 4th graders use specifications given, adding features to the map as described in the book and creating a...
Curated OER
Go West: Imagining the Oregon Trail
Young scholars access the Oregon Trial website to find information on what it was like to experience traveling the Oregon Trial. Then, in groups, they create dioramas depicting events that could have happened along the Oregon Trail.
NOAA
Into the Deep
Take young scientists into the depths of the world's ocean with the second activity of this three-part earth science series. After first drawing pictures representing how they imagine the bottom of the ocean to appear, students...
Curated OER
Idea Mapping
Learners generate, share and display ideas as a group. They break into small groups to work on hand-drawn maps made up of concentric circles. they come before the group and make a similar diagram by charting each other's characteristics.