Measurement and map skills are the focus of this lesson, where students crawl through a "cave" made out of boxes, desks and chairs, observing the dimensions.  Your young geographers measure various aspects of the cave and practice...

Sometimes it is difficult to grasp topographic maps. Here is a clever presentation designed to help your middle school earth scientists understand. Beginning with a side view of a pair of mountains, a graphic guy walks up one slope. As...

Teaching learners about latitude and longitude can get a little complicated. Present the concept by first representing it as a graph. Just like finding a location on a graph using the x and y-axis, learners will be able to locate items...

The maps display the statistics for energy consumption and power production, state by state. They are tremendous visual aids for your natural resources unit. Consider having your class compare energy consumption versus production, or...

Students examine the concept of food mapping . In this agriculture lesson, students explore food and agriculture systems in the United States in the past and today. Students complete food mapping activities.

In this weather worksheet students use a weather map to answer given questions. Students answer questions using map symbols and make predictions based on map. Students create additional questions with answers using the same map.

Students explore watersheds through the use of a topographic map. They observe topographical maps and discuss their characteristics. In groups, students create a model clay island and make a topographical map of it. Afterward, groups...

The last activity in a nine-part series has teams create a Google Earth map using the data they collected during a field trip. Using the map, groups analyze the results and make adjustments to the map to reflect their analysis. A short...

Young scholars examine the current technologies used in mapping resources in the marine environment. They look at remote sensing, sounding, and underwater vehicles. They examine image from the benthic habitat produced by the GIS in order...

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...

For the warm-up in this cool climate lesson, you will need to click on "Mapping" and then "US Mapping" once you arrive at NOAA's "US Climate at a Glance" page. Earth science explorers realize that 2012 was a warm winter for us. They read...

In this environment learning exercise, students read an article about extreme weather conditions and mapping it out. They respond to 10 multiple choice questions about what they read. Then, students explain how droughts can occur and the...

Young scholars 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...

Learners define a weather forecast, make a forecast using a weather map, identify three prediction guidelines, and explain how computers help to make forecasts. Students make a 24-hour forecast for each of the thirteen states targeted.

An explanation of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Geographic Information System (GIS) is given in this presentation. Uses and applications are considered. How it works and sources of error are also touched upon. A large...

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,...

Eighth graders participate in an experiment that emulates a sonar signal bouncing off the ocean floor. They determine how the ocean floor is measured by the length of time it takes for the sonar signal to return. They work with a wooden...

Eighth graders are able to write a paragraph describing each system based on the information retrieved in class. They trace a route from Holly Springs, MS to Greenwood using the maps that they were given. Students discuss the role of...

So what exactly is climate? This first installment of a six-part series introduces the concept of climate using real-world data tables and topographic maps. The timely lesson includes a comprehensive overview of climate, as well as...

The earth sciences are the focus for this Jeopardy-style review game. Categories include geology, space, scientific investigation, meteorology, and oceanography. Diagrams and pictures are involved with most of the questions, making this...

In this weather worksheet, students record the weather for the week on individual US maps and include highs and lows, fronts and precipitation. They give all weather facts for the week and analyze the weather systems and trends of the week.

High schoolers map connections among raw materials. For this environmental stewardship lesson, students design strategies to minimize the use of raw materials and discuss how to use more sustainable materials.

How is the wind up there? The class builds a topography model using materials available in the classroom, then place wind flags in different locations on the landscape. Using a fan as a wind source, pupils collect data about how wind...

Discuss Earth's tectonic plates at middle school level with an informative presentation. Packed with maps, satellite images, diagrams, and photographs, the slideshow connects with any curriculum focused on plate tectonics. It...