Kids tracking sea turtles? No, it's not a description for a new nature show on TV, it's a lesson, and it could be happening in your classroom! Sea turtle biologists worldwide are currently working together to track turtles to learn about sea turtle behavior and migration in an effort to conserve these endangered animals. A unit was developed using…

The WebQuest is a four-step process integrated at appropriate points in the Animal Studies unit. Through the WebQuest, students create a series of habitat maps that build on the knowledge gained from conducting the various activities of the unit. The quest concludes with an evaluation using the WebQuest rubric and an oral presentation of a final…

Introduces a science activity on the environment that uses a large canvas floor map and riddles. (YDS)

Describes several activities including directions for surveying and mapping the schoolgrounds, designed to help children comprehend the meaning and significance of contour lines. (JR)

Suggests the use of road maps as a means of teaching children the metric system, and outlines a step-by-step procedure for transforming the scale on an ordinary road map into a metric scale. (JR)

One teacher took her class on a year long earthquake expedition. The goal was to monitor the occurrences of real earthquakes during the year and mark their locations with push pins on a wall-sized world map in the hallway outside the science room. The purpose of the project was to create a detailed picture of the earthquakes that occurred…

Describes a science unit which centers around Halloween festivities and materials. Includes several science activities which use apples and pumpkins to examine such areas as frame of reference and latitude and longitude. (JN)

Activities are suggested for helping students understand the nature of contours (lines of constant geographic elevation), including instructions for preparing a contour map with an apparatus constructed with a sharpened stake and perpendicular crossbar, plumb line (washer tied to string), and a soda straw. (SK)

Presented are 35 activities that center around television and newspaper weather reports. Geography, weather, and other disciplines are included as well as various grade levels. Available resource materials are listed and their uses explained. Parent, administrator, and other faculty member involvement is emphasized. (KR)

The challenge for today's elementary teachers is not "whether" but rather "how" to use computers to effectively teach students essential skills and concepts. One exciting way of meeting this challenge is to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS), computer software that captures, manipulates, analyzes, and displays data on specialized layered…

Describes a collaborative effort involving art, earth science, and computer lessons in teaching the theory and practice of contour mapping. Discusses the approaches and activities contained in the unit for seventh-grade students. Includes the computer program which was written for use with Terrapin LOGO on an Apple II. (ML)

Describes a simple field trip taken by fourth-grade students to a local park. Aided by volunteers, students go through four learning stations dealing with rock studies, tree identification, following directions (mapping), and observation skills. Presite and postsite activities are discussed. (TW)