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National Geography Awareness Week, Grades 9-12

Lessons, Resources, and Activities Explore the 2011 Theme: Declare Your Interdependence

By Phil Nast, retired middle school teacher and freelance writer

Found in: Social Studies, Grades 9-12

Article Sections

Lesson Plans & Activities

Lesson Plans

Sprawl: The National and Local Situation
Students in grades 9-12 investigate how sprawl impacts the environment, people's daily lives, and the local and regional economy.

A Look at the Population Density of the United States
Students in grades 9-12 create maps showing the population density of the U.S. at different scales.

Activities

Geography Awareness Week 2012 Missions
Twenty missions for GAW help you explore the adventure in your community.

Mission: Explore
Pick your mission, complete the challenge, collect points and unlock rewards. Houses 432 cross-curricular missions. Requires free registration.

The Fifty States
Click the map to learn about each state.

USGS Kids
Activities, games, coloring pages, projects, and stories that teach younger children about animals, climate change, bee population declines, wild birds, and more.

Background Resources

Geography Awareness Week
National Geographic and Mission:Explore provide a series of missions, a poster for GAW 2012, and a list of books that explore new communities—real and imaginary. Includes a downloadable version of the missions in PDF format.

Exploring Maps Teacher Packet
An interdisciplinary set of materials on mapping for grades 7-12. Students learn basic mapmaking and map-reading skills.

USGS GeoData Booklet ( PDF, 777KB, 12 pgs.)
Describes and shows samples of digital data available from USGS.

The National Map Viewer
Zoom in and print a high-resolution map of a local area, a state, or the United States. This is an excellent tool for practicing the use of latitude/longitude, the national grid, elevation, distance, and more. No special software or download is required. Maps can be printed on 8.5" x 11" paper.

Urban Growth in American Cities Booklet
Illustrates and explains the spatial history of urban growth and corresponding changes in land use.

Quizzes

GeoNet Game: Quizzes
Chose a map of the United States or of the world, and then choose a region to be quizzed in six categories. Two levels of difficulty.

Today’s GeoBee Quiz
Ten new questions each day. Two levels of difficulty.

Test your Geography Knowledge
World geography quizzes.

Printables

Geography Awareness Week 2012 - Declare Your Interdependence ( PDF, 19.9 MB, 11 pgs.)
Poster for 2011.

GAW 2012 Activities Booklet ( PDF, 12.22 MB, 34 pgs.)
Complete cross-curricular missions and earn badges in photography, storytelling, mapping, and taking action.

GAW 2012 Mission Booklet ( PDF, 5.8 MB, 51 pgs.)
Complete cross-curricular missions and earn badges in photography, storytelling, mapping, and taking action.

GAW 2012 Teacher Guide ( PDF, 2.9 MB, 5 pgs.)

Maps: Blank Outline and Tests

 

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