In a study of 2,791 elementary students (grades four-six) successful location of 10 countries on a map varied significantly with socioeconomic status (SES), gender, grade level, and mobility of students. Improvement of scores was linked with both high SES and higher grade levels. (IAH)

Presents five lessons in a unit designed to teach about land and water forms on relief maps. These lessons rely on teacher instruction, small-group or whole class interaction, and directed and independent practice. Includes four worksheet examples. (Author/AEM)

Discusses the importance of teaching place names and locations to students. Targeting rote memorization as an unstimulating method, offers an exercise and several activities using an incorrectly labeled map to teach place-name and location geography in an interesting manner. (AEM)

Presents ideas for teaching middle school students how to make and use contour maps. Includes a lesson plan in which students make and read such a map. Provides details on the purpose, motivation, development, and conclusion of the lesson as well as the materials required. Identifies points students should recall as they work with the maps. (SG)

Fourth- through sixth-grade students can create drawn-to- scale classroom maps as they prepare for a treasure hunt using mathematics, map, and measurement skills. The activity involves sharing different maps and examining their features; discussing scale and its purpose; describing the in-classroom treasure hunt; making the maps; and allowing…

Provides a lesson plan designed to increase student map skills. Objectives are to (1) trace a route on a street map; (2) use symbols for locating skills; and (3) employ mileage scales to determine distance. Includes the procedures and an answer key. (RW)

This is a set consisting of primer and workbook which provides an introduction to basic geographic concepts and principles for the intermediate grade child. Its objectives are to help the student understand the order and logic of his physical environment and its interaction with human society. Opportunities are provided to view objects and their…

Fifth grade students can become familiar with images of earth generated by space sensor Landsat satellites which sense nearly all surfaces of the earth once every 18 days. Two false color composites in which different colors represent various geographic formations were obtained for the northern Ohio region where the students live. The class had no…

Students must develop skills in map reading, map interpretation, and mapping in order to use maps and globes effectively. Presents a compilation of basic map skills and concepts, along with techniques and "tips" for teaching map skills to grades six through eleven. (CS)

This lesson plan is designed to give intermediate elementary school students the opportunity to use a highway map to prepare for an imaginary trip to a chosen destination in Illinois or surrounding state. In order to complete the assigned task successfully, students will need to utilize all skills learned during preceding class periods. The major…

A two-week map skills unit for fourth and fifth graders is presented. Students learn about the nature of maps, map conventions that cartographers employ to aid map readers in using maps, and map symbols and orientation. They then apply knowledge and skills learned and make their own maps. (RM)

Four map skill lessons for use with intermediate grade students are presented. They deal with map evaluation, orientation, making a photomap, and making a community resource map. (RM)

Presents a classroom exercise entitled, "Latitude, Longitude, Spell It" designed to reinforce the concepts of latitude and longitude. Teachers divide the class into teams, provide them with a map and latitude-longitude coordinate cards, and ask them to record cities found within a given radius of each coordinate. Includes necessary…

Presents a game for learning about Canada's geography, natural resources, and major highways. Suggests that the activity will help students develop map skills, knowledge of capital cities, cooperative skills, and natural and human-made hazards. Includes instructions concerning game objectives, procedures, and materials. (SG)

This guide, designed for use in upper elementary and junior high classrooms focuses on literary works by authors Cynthia Voigt, Elizabeth George Spear, Katherine Paterson, and Marguerite Henry, as a means of developing map skills and exploring the roads, towns, homes, landscapes, and eras of the authors. The geographic setting of each story is…