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Maps and Geography
Classroom Activities and Lesson Plans

Maps and Geography

Below is a list of map and geography lesson plans, classroom activities, projects, reference materials and demonstrations that might be useful in your classroom. With adaptation, many of them can be used for elementary, secondary, middle school, and university students.

Christy Pratt

Popular Earth Science Lesson Topics

Main Earth Science Teacher Resource Page
Astronomy and Space Earthquake Erosion Maps and Geography Plate Tectonics	Rock, Mineral, and Rock Cycle Volcano Water Weather

	State Maps A collection of 250 reference maps for the 50 states. There is a relief, elevation, drainage, county and city/roads map for every state.

	World maps A collection of political maps and Landsat images for over 160 world countries. These maps and satellite images can be an important reference for geography and earth science.

	Satellite Images Satellite images are great resources to use for teaching. Lesson plans, projects, and classroom activities can easily be made using satellite images.

	Beginners Guide to Landsat Satellite Images Landsat images make great resources for teaching. Students will find the information valuable and interesting. With practice the students can recognize different features and landscapes.

	Meteor Crater Map With this interactive meteor impact map, students can explore fifty of the most obvious impact craters. This is a great resource to incorporate into a lesson plan.

	Highest Points in the United States Map Students will be able to explore the highest elevation point in each of the fifty states using maps or satellite images. This highest point map can be incorporated into a lesson plan, classroom project, or classroom activity.

	Provinces and Rock Types This lesson plan requires students to look at maps, color maps, and interpret maps according to the teacher's directions.This project uses Pennsylvania maps, but any state would work. With minor modifications, this classroom activity can be beneficial for all students.

	Working With Maps Lesson USGS lists a few classroom activities and lesson plans for map exploration. These map activities explore basic map skills and interpretationl. Elementary, secondary, middle school, and university level students will benefit from these lessons.

	Play Doh State Map This lesson plan gives students hands-on experience with maps. This map will help the students visualize their state's geography better. This classroom activity can be used for elementary, secondary, middle school, and university level students.

	Map Projections This lesson plan requires the student to interpret map projections to find the most appropriate for various uses. This classroom activity is appropriate for elementary, secondary, middle school, and university level students with minor modifications.

	Regional Layers: Low-Tech GIS This lesson plan has students explore the physical characterisitcs of a hypothetical region using a low-tech version of a GIS map-overlay analysis. This classroom activity shows how multiple criteria define a region and how these regions are to analyze geographic issues.

	Developing a Gateway to the West This lesson plan helps students gain an understading of city growth by looking at topographic features on a map. This classroom avtivity can be used to for elementary, secondary, middle school, and university level students.

	Electronic Mapping This Lesson plan helps students locate places on a map, undestand map scale, create electricity, interact as a group with classroom activities. This demonstration is helpful to educate elementary, secondary, middle school, and university students.

Maps and Geography Classroom Activities and Lesson Plans

Maps and Geography

Maps and Geography
Classroom Activities and Lesson Plans