Activities

Best For
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-14)

Subjects
Geography, Science

Duration
1 hour

Appropriate For
T I 

Students learn the components of a watershed, identify examples of point and nonpoint source pollution, and then build a 3-D watershed model.

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 6-8 (Ages 11-14)

Subjects
Geography, Science

Appropriate For
T I 

Students analyze a visual representation of air at different elevations, imagine their own activity levels with limited oxygen, and compare with Everest climbers.

Best For
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-14)

Subjects
Geography, Science

Duration
50 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students learn about behavioral and biological animal adaptations, watch a video about the Arctic, and research how specific animals have adapted to this harsh environment.

Best For
Grades 1-8 (Ages 6-14)

Subjects
Adult and Family Literacy, Science

Duration
3 hours

Appropriate For
F S K

Have some family fun by observing and identifying living things in your area.

Best For
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-11)

Subjects
Mathematics, Science

Duration
1 hour

Appropriate For
T I 

Students conduct a series of experiments to test the effectiveness of blubber as insulation.

Best For
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-11)

Subjects
Geography, Social Studies, Science

Duration
45 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students watch the National Geographic video, "Kobu the Lion," and explore the negative consequences of keeping big cats in captivity and the challenges sanctuaries face in trying to care for them.

Best For
Grades K-2 (Ages 5-8)

Subjects
Geography, Science

Duration
45 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students explore what lions, tigers, and leopards look like and analyze how the animals' coats help them survive in their different habitats.

Best For
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-14)

Subjects
Language Arts, Geography, Social Studies, Science

Duration
1 hour

Appropriate For
T I 

Students read a National Geographic Education article, “Big Cats’ Big Problem,” and identify the threats to big cat populations and how the Big Cats Initiative is working to address those threats.

Best For
Grades 3-8 (Ages 8-14)

Subjects
Science

Duration
50 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students build a model of a comet out of dry ice and common household materials. They use the scientific method to analyze the relationship between comets and solar wind.

Best For
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-14)

Subjects
Science

Duration
25 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students learn how fossils provide important clues to past life.

Best For
Grades 4-8 (Ages 9-14)

Subjects
Geography

Appropriate For
T I 

Students analyze population density by state. Then they use 2010 census data to construct a choropleth map of population density by county for their state.

Best For
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-11)

Subjects
Language Arts, Geography, Science

Duration
50 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students work together to illustrate the water cycle as a class. Each student writes an imaginary story about the journey of one drop of water through the water cycle. Then students discuss some of the reasons why oceans are important.

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 3-5 (Ages 8-11)

Subjects
Geography

Duration
50 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students select an endangered or threatened animal to research, locate it on a map, and create a persuasive essay or poster to convince others to help the animals.

Best For
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-14)

Subjects
Mathematics, Science

Duration
1 hour, 30 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students use a formula to estimate energy consumption. They learn to read an EnergyGuide label and then use that information to select an appliance from a number of models based on a provided problem scenario and the factors that are most important to consider in the problem scenario.

Best For
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-11)

Subjects
Geography

Duration
50 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students interact with maps to analyze the geography of the New York region and identify how elevation influenced trade, trade routes, and the growth of cities in that region.

Best For
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-14)

Subjects
Geography, Science

Duration
50 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students read first-person accounts of volcanic eruptions and illustrate the eruptions in order to compare and contrast them.

Best For
Grades K-2 (Ages 5-8)

Subjects
Language Arts, Geography

Duration
20 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students apply the language of location to places on a map of Europe.

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 K-2 (Ages 5-8)

Subjects
Geography

Duration
50 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students learn to identify cardinal directions using their own classroom, other locations in and near school, and maps and globes. Then they discuss differences in temperature due to location.

Best For
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-14)

Subjects
Geography, Social Studies

Duration
50 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students discuss factors that motivate exploration and some consequences of early exploration of the Americas. Then they each research one early explorer of the Americas and present their findings.

Best For
Grades 4-8 (Ages 9-14)

Subjects
Geography

Appropriate For
T I 

Students collect data to identify specific examples of diffusion in their community or nearby city. They present the data in prepared maps.

Best For
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-14)

Subjects
Science

Duration
30 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students use prior knowledge, a photo gallery, and a video to discuss what they already know about extreme weather on Earth and brainstorm and categorize a list of weather-related words and phrases. Then they identify the necessary conditions for weather events to occur, and the factors that affect extreme weather. Students organize information about weather events and conditions, identify patterns, and make connections between weather and climate.

Best For
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-14)

Subjects
Language Arts, Cross-Disciplinary, Arts, Science

Duration
3 hours

Appropriate For
T I 

Through videos, students hear astronauts and deep-sea explorers describe what life is like in the extreme environments of space and the deep sea. Students create a digital story comparing and contrasting life in these two extreme environments.

Best For
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-11)

Subjects
Geography

Duration
50 minutes

Appropriate For
T I 

Students use a map that shows land use, land cover, and major crops to create a large, thematic map of the Americas and analyze the patterns they see.

Best For
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-11)

Subjects
Geography, Science

Duration
30 minutes

Appropriate For
T I F K

Students participate in a simulation of a Shark Bay food web to see the relationships between members of that ecosystem.

Best For
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-14)

Subjects
Geography, Science

Duration
1 hour

Appropriate For
T I 

Students locate the habitat of the northern leopard frog. Then they explore the connection between an herbicide used to kill weeds and the health of some populations of the frogs.

Best For
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-11)

Subjects
Geography, Social Studies

Duration
30 minutes

Appropriate For
T I F K

Students explore the regions of a grocery store to see which foods are grouped together and why.

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

Subjects
Geography

Appropriate For
T I 

This resource was developed for Geography Awareness Week 2010.