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Unit Plan
National Geographic

National Geographic: Plate Tectonics

For Students 9th - 10th
A short tutorial on plate tectonics. Includes a video, background reading, three questions, fast facts, and a vocabulary list. Discusses the publication of the Tharp-Heezen map of the seafloor in 1977 which paved the way for a much...
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Handout
National Geographic

National Geographic: Encyclopedic Entry: Non Renewable Energy

For Students 3rd - 8th
A good primer on non-renewable energy sources. Covers the overall advantages and disadvantages, and discusses the different types and their pros and cons. Includes a slideshow with captions.
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Interactive
National Geographic

National Geographic: Mapping

For Students Pre-K - 1st Standards
Media-rich resource features extensive mapping tools including activities, games, reference, printables, and more.
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Handout
National Geographic

National Geographic: Encyclopedic Entry: Rural

For Students 9th - 10th
What is rural living, and how does it compare to city life? Find a detailed description of the difference with this article.
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Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: Geography Awareness Week

For Students Pre-K - 1st
This resource is the portal to all the resources National Geographic provides for celebrating Geography Awareness Week, which occurs the third week of November. Find the toolkit, archives of previous celebrations, videos, and mapmaking...
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Handout
National Geographic

National Geographic: Encyclopedic Entry: Urban

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn the definition of an urban community and how it differs from a rural area.
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Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: Geographic Groceries

For Students 3rd - 6th Standards
This site provides activities and lesson plans for all age levels on mapping.
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Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: The Underground Railroad Route

For Teachers 1st - 4th
A classroom activity enhancing study about slavery in the United States focused on the Underground Railroad. Students will explore the slave and free states and look at routes the Underground Railroad took to help slaves escape to...
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Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: Many Moves of Migration

For Students 4th - 8th
It is well known that some animals migrate annually or semi-annually, but this exercise will identify how many animals actually migrate, how they migrate and why.
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Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: Mapping Ocean Currents

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
An unfortunate spill of 92,000 rubber ducks into the ocean in 1992 elicited invaluable information about global ocean currents as scientists tracked their journeys around the world. In this lesson, students first learn about the Ocean...
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Lesson Plan
National Geographic

National Geographic: Visualizing Watershed Health

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Using data visualizations that show dissolved oxygen levels, students analyze the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. They will also learn about dead zones, which are aquatic areas where there is insufficient oxygen to support life....
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Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: A Latitude/longitude Puzzle

For Students 2nd - 6th
Through examining maps students will be able to identify locations and characteristics of them based on latitude and longitude and infer what events might occur in the places.
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Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: Mapping Landforms

For Students 3rd - 8th
Students will study landform maps of states and then create a project of their own.
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Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: Comparing Historical Maps

For Students 3rd - 8th
Consider the changes that occur in towns, cities, countries through viewing maps from hundreds of years ago and modern day.
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Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: Mapping u.s. Watersheds

For Students 2nd - 6th
Students will identify and explore major rivers and watersheds in the United States.
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Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: Earth's Changing Climates

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this lesson, students investigate changes that have been documented showing how the Earth's climate has changed in the last 120 years and over larger time spans. They use it to infer possible future climate trends, while learning that...
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Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: Building Circuits

For Teachers 4th - 8th
In this lesson, students build series and parallel circuits and test their conductivity. Includes handouts with diagrams, and a vocabulary list with definitions.
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Lesson Plan
National Geographic

National Geographic: Evaluating Other Energy Sources

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A comprehensive lesson where students examine the different costs and benefits associated with renewable and nonrenewable sources of electricity. Includes a 22-question interactive module where they look at real-world data and images...
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Graphic
National Geographic

National Geographic: Geostories: Tracking Animal Migrations

For Students 9th - 10th
This interactive Geostory illustrates how animal tracking data helps us understand how individuals and populations move within local areas and migrate across oceans and continents.
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Website
National Geographic

National Geographic: Education

For Students 9th - 10th
Excellent, comprehensive site from National Geographic that provides lesson plans, activities, maps, and National Geography Standards. Teachers can find lesson plans based on grade and standard. Covers current issues, for example, global...
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Graphic
National Geographic

National Geographic: Geostories: Voyages Across the Ocean

For Students 9th - 10th
Use this GeoStory in formal or informal instruction to provide information about the voyages of numerous historical navigators and explorers. This GeoStory helps students understand the importance of ocean exploration in contributing to...
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Handout
National Geographic

National Geographic: Civilization

For Students 9th - 10th
A photographic history of civilization is captured in a collection of images gathered from around the world. Understand the characteristics of and the criteria necessary for civilizations to evolve as well as the ways they are destroyed.
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Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: Using Waste Heat to Generate Electricity

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students learn about waste heat capture, how it can be re-used to generate electricity and develop a podcast educating others about it. Includes student handouts and links to many online resources.
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Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: Guess the Place

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A 20-questions type game to quiz students on their understanding of the characteristics of place. It can be adapted for students from elementary through high school.