Students identify the characteristics of topographical maps. Using examples, they practice reading them and describing the information they gather from them. They also discover how to use the website from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Students examine the use of topographic maps as two dimensional representations that show elevations and slopes with contour lines. They read maps of the Salt Lake City, Utah area and complete the associated worksheets that show map...

Learners are introduced to the characteristics and uses of topographical maps. Using a worksheet, they examine the use of specific terminology and use cutouts to create their own topographical map of an area. They answer discussion...

A beautiful tapestry map of North America is examined by geology masters. The map incorporates the topography and geology of different regions. You can purchase printed copies or a large poster of the map, or if you have a computer lab...

Underclassmen create a cone-shaped landform and then draw a contour map for it. Then they examine a quadrangle (which was easily located with an online search), and relate it to what they experienced. The accompanying worksheet is...

Students examine topographic maps and discover how to decipher contour intervals, use contour lines and apply information to complete a topographic map lab. Working in groups, they identify the scale of the map, latitude and longitude,...

Begin by showing a six-minute video, Changing Planet: Rising Sea Level as an anticipatory set. Pupils draw a topographic map of a potato continent. Finally, they will visit NOAA's sea levels online map and NASA's carbon dioxide...

Can you fathom a fathom? Through this activity, learners get a grasp of how deep a fathom is and how the floor of The Great Lakes might look. They compare topographic maps to Great Lakes navigation charts, which you will need to obtain...

Students are introduced to drawing and interpreting topographical maps. They each cut through there Jell-o mountain at regular height intervals, and trace around the shape of the Jell-o cut off at the height, overlaying the different...

Students review their prior knowledge on topographical maps. Using a map, they examine the sea floor off the coast of San Diego, California. With a partner, they chart the sea floor of an area and use cutouts to create a visual...

Students construct a mockup of a volcano by crumbling up newspapers and piling them into the shape of a volcano. They place a tarp over the newspapers making sure the tarp is large enough to simulate a flat area at the volcano's base....

Discover the natural resources in Iowa by studying it's history. In this environmental lesson, your students will observe a topographical map of Iowa and identify where its most valuable resources are. They complete an Iowa name...

Students create a geologic map and cross-section of an area of horizontal sedimentary rocks, exposed in several locations. Map must include a complete key or legend with rock descriptions of the various formations.

Students study physical features of a local stream. They study how to identify water features on topographic maps.

Middle schoolers plot stranding sites onto a map using latitude and longitude as well as compass directions with respect to coastal features. They identify several species of marine animals that might become stranded; distinguish their...

Young scholars use topographic maps to identify parts of rivers. In addition, they discover gradient and predict changes in the channels caused by variations in water flow. Other activities include sketching a river model with a new...

Students investigate the importance of watersheds around the world. By visiting resource links, students can locate watersheds and their sources in the USA and Russia and analyze their effects on the surrounding topography. This lesson...

Ninth graders take soil samples and perform tests on these samples.

Students measure a topographic and geologic cross-section across a floodplain using simple surveying and auguring techniques in a field lab. Students also reconstruct the history of a river system.

Collaborative earth science groups create a working model of a watershed. Once it has been developed, you come along and introduce a change in land use, impacting the quality of water throughout their watershed. Model making is an...

Young scholars watch a demonstration to introduce them to the consistency of mudflows and how they move. In groups, they compare and contrast volcanic avalanches and mudflows. They create their own model of a volcano, simulate how it...

Students consider what happens to herbicides or insecticides that are used in agricultural practices, especially herbicides that are used to control noxious weeds. They become acquaint with a chemical assessment method known as...

Students and manipulate data from Internet sites to design a downhill ski course that meets the International Federation of Skiing's requirements for a safe and fair competition.

Students discuss the salt marsh. They define the following terms: habitat, water, land and air. Students work in small groups. They are asked why are they going to a salt marsh? Students discuss whose habitat is it at the salt marsh.