- Grades 6-12
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13 Unexpected and Fun Geography Lessons To Enhance Your Curriculum
Students can travel across the globe without leaving the classroom!
With the right geography lesson, students can travel around the world without ever leaving the classroom. Teachers of any grade and subject can incorporate geography into their curriculum to help students gain a global perspective and understand the world around them. From students learning to locate different cities, states, and countries on a map to understanding time zones and where their clothing comes from, we asked teachers to share their favorite tips and fun geography lessons to inspire students’ curiosity about the world. Here’s what they had to say:
1. Hold a mock geography bee.
Fourth graders in Ashley Peterson’s class often play Kahoot! before dismissal. She recently held a mock geography bee using Kahoot! to teach geography concepts and help kids prep for the National Geographic GeoBee . National Geographic has multiple geography-themed Kahoot! games available, with topics including State Stats, Source to Sea, and The First Americans. Learn how to use Kahoot! for a mock geography bee in your classroom .
2. Explore the world through pen pals.
Set up a pen pal exchange with a teacher in another city or country to help kids practice their writing skills while gaining a global perspective. Bring the experience to life by ending the year with a Skype chat where kids can finally “meet” their pen pals.
3. Put up a wall of clocks.
Help students start to understand the geography of time zones by putting up a wall of clocks in your classroom. Set one clock to universal time and label it Greenwich, England. Choose a variety of major cities throughout the US and the world to label the other clocks and set them accordingly. Point out the clocks at different times throughout the school day. For example, in the morning when students in your class are just starting school, talk about what students in other time zones might be doing. You can also use the clocks as a starting point to explain how longitude and time zones are related.
4. Travel with technology.
Technology teacher Melinda Klecker teaches fun geography lessons by having her students design travel brochures. She asks students to select different states. They each research their chosen state and two cities in it to include in the brochure. It’s a great way to incorporate writing, technology, graphic design, and geography into a single project.
5. Put the world into perspective with Google Earth.
Anytime fourth grade teacher Julia McIntyre talks about her personal travels, she uses Google Earth to show students the distance between their school and her destination. “It really puts it into perspective for them,” she says. Now you can also use Google Earth to follow National Geographic Explorers , including those working to protect the oceans through National Geographic’s Pristine Seas initiative. Josh Williams’ students explore the Pristine Seas program and use Google Earth to analyze how places around the world have changed over time.
6. Create autobiographical island maps.
Students in Amy Getty’s sixth grade class start off the year by creating maps of islands that illustrate their lives. They first fill out an autobiographical survey and then use their creativity and knowledge of landforms and symbols to design their maps.
7. Play a global game of hide and seek.
Mystery Class , which Christina Michelle plans to try with her students next year, includes fun geography lessons that help kids understand longitude and latitude while learning about continents, countries, and cities around the world. Kids start by gathering data about Earth, based on latitude, longitude, and seasonal changes in sunlight. Then they investigate clues and compare their data, narrowing down their search to find 10 secret sites around the globe.
8. Map character journeys.
When teaching about literary settings, Jessica Brookes suggests having kids create a map of the main character’s travels throughout the story, including a title, scale, key, and compass rose. Reading specialist Melody Arnett says a simple way she incorporates geography is by helping her class figure out where in the world each book they read takes place. “Sometimes it’s obvious … ‘This is a folktale from Thailand,’” she says, “and sometimes we infer based on clues from the story.”
9. Study the geography of ocean currents.
In this activity , students use maps to learn about ocean currents, research case studies of ocean spills, and discuss the role of oceanographers.
10. Engage fast finishers.
Here’s an idea to keep your fast finishers actively learning after they’ve finished their classwork. Runa Zaman suggests photocopying a stack of blank world maps and asking kids to label them. Students can even receive extra credit or a small prize based on the number of countries they label correctly.
11. Map your classroom.
Introduce spatial concepts without ever leaving the classroom. You can practice with familiar places, using this National Geographic activity to help your students understand the world around them—starting with their own classroom.
12. Hold the whole world in your hands.
Play Throw the Globe by tossing a beach-ball-sized inflatable globe around the classroom. When a student catches it, they must tell the class which continent or ocean their right thumb is touching. If they know something about the location, they can also share it with the class.
13. Get to know foods around the world.
Are your students hungry for knowledge about the world’s food production? National Geographic’s MapMaker Interactive layers show leading crop production by country on an interactive map. Challenge your students to think about what the map doesn’t show—like where crops may grow in the future or where the crops travel when they are exported.
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High School Geography Activities
High School Spanish Projects
The study of geography in high schools is particularly important in understanding the world we live in. It offers a wealth of knowledge on the relationship of people and their environment. Geography activities can help high school students gain an appreciation and deeper understanding of the world around them.
Understanding the Geography of the U.S.
Distribute a blank map of the United States and ask the students to write in the names of the states and their capitals. Have them research 20 of the capitals and write an essay describing why each particular city was chosen as the capital. Remind them to consider how waterways or lack of them influenced the selection.
Traveling Across America
Have students pretend that they are driving across America from New York to California. Assign them to plan a trip that will take about eight days by car. Ask them to do research to determine how far they might travel in a given day, where they might stop and what landmarks or places of geographical importance they may pass. Suggest they keep a diary of the trip and record worthwhile sights and exciting adventures. Instruct the students to be aware of how people live in the various parts of the country. Share these materials with the class.
Highlights of the World
Have the students make a scrapbook describing major geographical points of the world. Tell them to find pictures to illustrate and if possible plan a visual or PowerPoint presentation. Examples of appropriate places could be the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, Temples of Egypt, and the St. Basil's Cathedral of Moscow. Research the Seven Wonders of the World to determine why they became well known. Ask the students to describe their findings to the class. Place the scrapbooks on a special table for display.
Rivers, Mountains and Deserts
Instruct the students to make a chart listing the important rivers, mountains and deserts of the world. On the chart, note location, important features and historical significance. Describe these items to the class. Consider the Nile, Amazon, Yangtze and Congo rivers. Bring in visual materials if available. Post these items around the room.
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Have the students research the Lewis and Clark expedition. Check what routes they followed, what unusual problems they encountered on the way, and what plants and animals they may have seen. Write an imaginary journal of the trip. Share with the class. Compare this to the findings on the travels across the U.S. today. Consider the similarities and differences.
World Populations
Make a graph showing major world populations. Discuss the relative population sizes of the various countries. Which have the largest population? Which have the smallest? Are there any particular geographical features that help determine the population? Post the graph on the bulletin board.
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Based in Bellmore, N.Y., Shula Hirsch has been writing since 1960 on travel, education, raising children and senior problems. Her articles have appeared in "Newsday," "Mature Living," "Teaching Today," and "Travel News." She holds a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University and is a retired professor of English.
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Geography games and activities are perfect for teaching your students about their place in the globe. Find 15 here. Pass a globe, toss a bean bag, build with LEGO bricks and more!
Worksheets and activities for geography lesson plans, for kindergarten through high school. Resources based on census data, to increase statistical literacy.
Bring the experience to life by ending the year with a Skype chat where kids can finally “meet” their pen pals. 3. Put up a wall of clocks. Help students start to understand the geography of time zones by putting up a wall of clocks in your classroom. Set one clock to universal time and label it Greenwich, England.
17 TOOLS. Middle and High School Geography Apps and Websites. Geography is concerned with people and places, and the complex relationships between them. The great geography apps, games, and websites on this list help students explore and understand these relationships and how they impact society and culture.
Geography activities can help high school students gain an appreciation and deeper understanding of the world around them. Understanding the Geography of the U.S. Distribute a blank map of the United States and ask the students to write in the names of the states and their capitals.