Activities

Best For
Grades 9-12 (Ages 14-18)

Subjects
Geography, Science

Appropriate For
T I 

Students examine maps of monsoon seasons and climographs to understand precipitation patterns on Everest, then determine the best time of year to climb.

Best For
Grades 9-12+ (Ages 14+)

Subjects
Geography, Science

Appropriate For
T I 

This resource was developed for Geography Awareness Week 2010.

Best For
Grades 9-12+ (Ages 14+)

Subjects
Geography, Science

Appropriate For
T I 

This resource was developed for Geography Awareness Week 2010.

Best For
Grades 4-12+ (Ages 9+)

Subjects
Adult and Family Literacy, Geography, Health, Cross-Disciplinary

Appropriate For
I F K

Discover how delicious sustainable seafood can be with our downloadable recipe cards.

Best For
Grades 9-12 (Ages 14-18)

Subjects
Geography

Appropriate For
T I 

Students gather evidence from the film and related activities to make a case for whether Mallory and Irvine in 1924 were the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Best For
Grades 9-12 (Ages 14-18)

Subjects
Geography, Science

Appropriate For
T I 

Students analyze the features of Mount Everest through maps, photographs, film clips, and a virtual globe, then envision encountering those features while climbing the mountain in 1924 and today.

Best For
Grades 1-12+ (Ages 6+)

Subjects
Adult and Family Literacy, Science, Geography, Informal Education

Appropriate For
T I F S K

Defend your coastline from invasive species with Mission:Explore Food—Sustainable Seafood

Best For
Grades 6-12+ (Ages 11+)

Subjects
Science, Geography, Informal Education

Duration
1 hour

Appropriate For
T I 

Students explore biodiversity, research species of interest, and use the National Geographic FieldScope tool to predict where those species would live in a wetland ecosystem.

Best For
Grades 9-12 (Ages 14-18)

Subjects
Geography

Duration
50 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students investigate issues of energy use in the Americas that are related to energy consumption, carbon emissions, and population size. They map and graph the information and then analyze it.

Best For
Grades 9-12 (Ages 14-18)

Subjects
Mathematics, Geography

Appropriate For
T I 

Students build an inclinometer, then use triangulation to measure the height of a tree. They compare their process to the work of British surveyors in the 1800s.

Best For
Grades 9-12 (Ages 14-18)

Subjects
Geography

Appropriate For
T I 

Students compare and contrast technology and equipment available to climbers in 1924 and present day.

Best For
Grades 9-12 (Ages 14-18)

Subjects
Science

Duration
25 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students examine animals that are examples of convergent evolution. They then analyze wings of bats, birds, and pterosaurs to see why these animals are not closely related.

Best For
Grades 9-12 (Ages 14-18)

Subjects
Science

Duration
50 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students group vertebrates and share their reasoning in classifying them. They compare their approach to Linnaean and modern systems in order to explore evolutionary relationships and the dynamic nature of classification.

Best For
Grades 9-12 (Ages 14-18)

Subjects
Cross-Disciplinary, Geography, Science

Duration
2 hours

Appropriate For
T I 

Students research and compare three deep-sea exploration vehicles to determine how the designs of these types of vehicles have changed over time.

Best For
Grades 1-12+ (Ages 6+)

Subjects
Adult and Family Literacy, Arts, Geography, Health, Informal Education

Appropriate For
T I F S K

File. Discover your connection to the ocean by completing these fun missions from Mission:Explore.

Best For
Grades 1-12+ (Ages 6+)

Subjects
Adult and Family Literacy, Science, Geography, Informal Education

Appropriate For
T I F S K

Discover where in the world doesn't your seafood come from with Mission:Explore Food—Sustainable Seafood

Best For
Grades 6-12+ (Ages 11+)

Subjects
Science, Geography, Informal Education

Duration
1 hour

Appropriate For
T I 

Using the National Geographic FieldScope tool, students explore the human and biological features of the Barataria Preserve and its surrounding landscape. Then they investigate map layers of this landscape and analyze human-environment relationships within it.

Best For
Grades 9-12+ (Ages 14+)

Subjects
Geography

Appropriate For
T I 

This resource was developed for Geography Awareness Week 2010.

Best For
Grades 4-9 (Ages 9-15)

Subjects
Geography, Social Studies, Science

Duration
1 hour

Appropriate For
T I 

Students use FieldScope to examine dissolved oxygen levels across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. They analyze two different visualizations of data to evaluate stream health.

Best For
Grades 9-12 (Ages 14-18)

Subjects
Language Arts, Geography, Science

Duration
2 hours, 40 minutes

Appropriate For
T 

Students research waste heat technology and on-site electricity generation using a set of research questions. They identify an example of waste heat capture and use it as a case study. Then they create a podcast to explain how waste heat capture works, using their case study as an example.

Best For
Grades 9-12 (Ages 14-18)

Subjects
Geography, Science

Duration
50 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students make predictions about marine ecosystems based on combined impacts of anthropogenic and natural disturbances. They evaluate others' predictions and create concept maps to identify cause-and-effect relationships.

Best For
Grades 9-12 (Ages 14-18)

Subjects
Geography, Science

Duration
30 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students discuss endangered and threatened species and learn about captive-breeding programs.

Best For
Grades 3-12+ (Ages 8+)

Subjects
Geography

Duration
30 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students discuss GIS and its impacts on our everyday lives. They use ropes or string to simulate GIS technology, and then discuss how GIS helps users with data visualization and analysis. 

Best For
Grades 6-12 (Ages 11-18)

Subjects
Geography, Science

Duration
20 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students watch a video of experts in the field. Then they reflect on the research process and the real-world implications of that research.

Best For
Grades 6-12 (Ages 11-18)

Subjects
Social Studies, Informal Education

Duration
1 hour, 40 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students draw social boundary maps showing the divisions that exist in their school and discuss ways to cross them. 

Best For
Grades 9-12 (Ages 14-18)

Subjects
Geography, Science

Duration
1 hour

Appropriate For
T I 

Students use online videos and photo galleries to conduct a virtual bolus dissection for the laysan albatross. They investigate how marine debris can be mistaken for food and harm marine organisms.

Best For
Grades 6-12 (Ages 11-18)

Subjects
Geography, Social Studies

Duration
50 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students watch excerpts from the film God Grew Tired of Us. They discuss the challenges the Lost Boys faced while adapting to life in the United States and trying to maintain their cultural identities.

Best For
Grades 6-12 (Ages 11-18)

Subjects
Geography

Duration
2 hours

Appropriate For
T I 

Students identify a need for renewal in their own community, conduct a field study, and make recommendations for renewal.

Best For
Grades 9-12 (Ages 14-18)

Subjects
Geography, Science

Duration
2 hours

Appropriate For
T I 

Students create a marine ecosystem that includes two fictitious organisms. They describe the adaptive, trophic, and symbiotic relationships between the biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem.

Best For
Grades 9-12 (Ages 14-18)

Subjects
Geography, Social Studies, Science

Duration
50 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students use a variety of media to discuss and analyze human-related pressures placed upon marine ecosystems and resources.