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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Size Small School

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the concept of scale and ratio.  In this scale and ratio lesson, students work in groups to measure a given space such as a hallway, office, or gym.  Students measure their area using a meter stick.  Students draw a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Artifact Problem

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners work in small groups and make a map of a familiar room. In this artifact lesson, students decide on a suitable scale for their maps, the tools they will use and how they will make it and decide on strategies they would use to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Community Map of The Giver

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers read "The Giver" after finishing the unit on inventions and inventors. Using the information in the novel, they develop a geographic map illustrating the community in the story. They identify human and physical features...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alberta And Saskatchwan: the View in 1905

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Young scholars analyze the differences between maps 1905 and current maps of Alberta and Saskatchewan. They use maps from the Canadian Council for Geographic Education to complete a guided inquiry. This lesson also has many extension...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cartography

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners follow directions to draw a map of an island. They complete the island map adding their own details using symbols and a legend.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pangaea Puzzle

For Teachers 5th - 11th
Learners explore plate tectonics and the formations of the Earth's surface and why maps are distorted.  In this Earth's surface activity students complete a lab and answer questions. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ridgerunner

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students jog at the beginning of the class while learning about the Appalachian Trail. They integrate math into the lesson by adding up how many miles they have run, and comparing it to distances on a real trail map.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building a Topographic Model

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners explore the features of a topographic map. They make paper models that portray, in three-dimensions, features represented by contour lines on a topographic map. Students demonstrate different elevations shown on a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Expanding Children's Geographic and Economic Worlds

For Teachers K - 1st
Students learn their addresses and gain a sense of connection between their neighborhood and the rest of the world and the universe.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shake, Rattle And Roll: Studying the Effects of an Earthquake

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students gauge earthquake intensity by reviewing firsthand accounts. They use the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale and newspaper articles to estimate the strength and effects of a past earthquake.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Air Pressure and Wind

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders study air pressure and learn how it can change the weather. In this air pressure lesson, 5th graders study the given diagrams and complete the experiments to learn how air pressure can change the weather. Students read...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Night by Elie Wiesel

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders explore WWII by reading a book with their class. In this Holocaust research lesson, 10th graders read the book Night, and discuss the horrors of the concentration camps and Nazi brutality during WWII. Students complete...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cookie Topography

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students construct a cross section diagram showing elevation changes on a "cookie island." Using a chocolate chip cookie for an island, they locate the highest point in centimeters on the cookie and create a scale in feet. After tracing...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

THE TRAVELS OF BABAR: An Adventure in Scales

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students locate and identify the seven continents. They use longitude and latitude in establishing a location. Students enhance the knowledge of geographical location with cultures. Individuals or small groups research multiple aspects...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

School Sleuths Treasure Map

For Teachers K - 5th
Students are explained how a grid and compass work. They are also explained that archaeologists use grids as a record of the exact location of artifacts. Students define the term datum as a point of reference on grids from which all...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Effigy Mound Activity

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Young scholars research effigy mounds of Native people in Wisconsin. They create large models of effigy mounds in a given area based on factual information from their studies and research.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring the Hudson in 1609

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners follow the journey of Henry Hudson down the river with his name. Using journal entries and maps, they learn about its exploration. They use maps to identify stages of the journey, and practice converting distances into miles.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping A Stream

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students participate in mapping an actual waterway. They include reach lengths, transects, compass reading, and scale determinations. They include windfalls, plant cover, types of streambed composition, and landmarks such as trees and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping With MapPoint

For Teachers 7th
The class is engaged through a discussion of mapping. They determine what they believe makes a good map and what the essential elements of a map are. Students work independently to complete a worksheet on mapping. They follow clear...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Missouri Time Scale

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Learners plot events that happened years ago beginning with volcano activity.  In this investigative lesson students are introduced to the different eras and plot them on a map. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Activities to Enhance STEDII Data

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students develop an understanding of related weather processes such as wind, cloud cover, and temperature using STEDII data and instrumentation. In addition, they integrate mathematical calculations to produce a forecast map.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Globe Skills Lesson 2: Paving the Way for Columbus

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students explore the expedition of Christopher Columbus. In this geography skills lesson, students consider the technological advances that made Columbus's expedition possible as they complete a latitude and longitude activity.
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Activity

CSI Crime Lab: Classroom Edition

For Teachers K - 12th
Shared Resource Participants use their observation skills, communication skills, and reasoning skills to perform forensic tests and solve a crime. This series of activities provides a first-hand (but scaled-down) introduction to careers in Forensic...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Map-Making Basics

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students study maps. In this geography and art lesson, students create their own map of the classroom.