General Lesson Plan Resources
National Geographic Education is focused on building a community of geo-educators and helping to redesign the geo-education curriculum by providing a plethora of resources to help geo-educators teach about the fundamental understanding of how the human and natural world works at local, regional, and global scales.
Discovery Education Lesson Plan Library
Discovery Education combines scientifically proven, standards-based digital media and a user community in order to empower teachers to improve student achievement. Free lesson plans written by teachers for teachers. Here you will find hundreds of original lesson plans for elementary, middle and high school students. Use them as they are or modify them to create your own.
Mission Geography contains curriculum support materials that link the content, skills, and perspectives of Geography for Life: The National Geography Standards with the missions, research, and science of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
National Council for the Social Studies Resources
The National Council for the Social Studies provides its U.S. history collection, social studies trade books, curriculum standards, and more.
AAG Teaching & Learning Materials
The Association of American Geographers supports the development of teaching and learning materials through collaborative programs and projects, including Project GeoStart, A Teacher's Guide to Modern Geography, and Human Dimensions of Change.
The Geographical Association (GA) is a UK-based subject association with the charitable objective of furthering geographical knowledge and understanding through education. This site provides hundreds of primary and secondary geography teaching resources covering a range of topics plus directories of geography blogs and weblinks, photo galleries, base maps, careers guidance and our NQT survival guide. Use the Resource Finder tool if you're after something specific.
This website provides supplemental materials for both teachers and students. Its focus is on "global news with a spatial perspective."
The U.S. Geological Survey provides scientific information intended to help educate the public about natural resources, natural hazards, geospatial data, and issues that affect our quality of life. Discover selected online resources, including lessons, data, maps, and more, to support teaching, learning, education (K-12), and university-level inquiry and research.
National Geographic Virtual Library
This collection brings together a complete archive of national Geographic magazine along with a cross-searchable collection of National Geographic books, maps, images and videos.
The New York Times Learning Network
A multitude of lesson plans provided by The Learning Network of The New York Times. Topics include American History, Civics, Health, Technology, Academic Skills, Science, & Mathematics.
Earthducation is a series of 7 expeditions to every continent over the course of 4 years (2011-2014) designed to create a world narrative of the dynamic intersections between education and sustainability. Teachers, students, and our online community expand upon this narrative to explore how education influences the future of our planet.
National Peace Corps Classroom Materials
Lesson plans, curriculum, and teaching materials focusing on ways to connect your classroom to the global community.
Google Earth tours tracing the travels and events occurring within many literature pieces, with abundant links to related web resources. There are "lit trips" for scores of books at each grade band. Don't miss this resource!
Amnesty International: Lesson Plans, Teaching Guides, & Film Curriculum Guides
Amnesty International's Human Rights Education Program provides resource materials as well as training and networking opportunities. All educators, formal, informal, and potential, are invited to join our Human Rights Education Network (HRE Network), which currently includes a range of teachers from those just beginning to consider including human rights education in their curriculum to long-time activists/human rights educators.
Gapminder World illustrates the world's most significant trends. You can highlight individual countries and do regional comparisons on a wide range of demographic and economic data.
By Topic
AP Human Geography
AP Human Geography (College Board)
This is the AP Human Geography home page as maintained by the College Board. It provides essential course resources, as well as relevant information on the AP exam.
AP Human Geography (National Geographic Education)
National Geographic Education's page for AP Human Geography. Resources include instructional materials, encyclopedic entries, news articles, and multimedia maps/photos/videos.
AP Human Geography Teacher Community
This site seeks to connect AP Human Geography teachers worldwide. Educators can connect with colleagues, browse curriculum frameworks, share strategies, and participate in discussions on a wide range of topics.
AP Human Geography Facebook Page
This page connects APHG exam readers.
Asia
Asia Society Teachers' Resources
Learn about Asia and the world through our free lesson plans. These lessons include rich material resources, and are typically short formative activities that take no longer than one to three class periods.
Japanese Asian Culture for Teachers
Sample session handout from the 2014 NCCSS Annual Conference that provides examples on how to use active learning when teaching about Asian cultures.
GeoHistory
Arizona Geographic Alliance Lesson Plans
These GeoHistory lesson plans are from the Geographic Alliance GeoHistory project. They are divided by grade level. Examples include "Chester the Nester Laid an Egg," "Wampum: Money vs. Communication," and "Four Corners Hantavirus: Mapping Geography and Health."
Tea Time on the MAP!
The following lesson plans and activities are from the NCGA's session entitled"Tea Time on the MAP," held at the 2015 NCCSS Conference.
Who Has - I Have Activity
Who Has-I Have Main Activity (PDF, 76 KB)
Who Has-I Have Activity Cards (PDF, 96 KB)
Geography of Tea
The Geography of Tea (PDF, 90 KB)
Map Activity Cards (PDF, 36 KB)
Top Tea Producers (PDF, 29 KB)
Top Tea Consumers (PDF, 30 KB)
Selected Bibliographies
Bibliography of Fiction Books: Asia (PDF, 210 KB)
Bibliography of Tea: Book Titles (PDF, 221 KB)
Spices of Asia
Spices of Asia Activity (PDF, 480 KB)
This NCGA presentation places geohistorical thinking into context for students, teachers, and interested audiences alike.
GeoLiteracy
Arizona Geographic Alliance Lesson Plans
These GeoLiteracy lesson plans are from the Arizona Geographic Alliance GeoLiteracy project. They are divided by grade level. Examples include "Be a Superhero: Avenge the Garbage" & "Create a City: An Urban Planning Exercise."
GeoSTEM
Tallest Buildings in the World (NCGA Geo-Math Lesson)
Tallest Buildings in the World Overview (PDF, 119 KB)
Tallest Buildings in the World Powerpoint (PPTX, 2 MB)
Investigating the Flags of the World (NCGA Geo-Math Lesson)
Flags of the World Overview (PDF, 131 KB)
Flags of the World Fact Sheet (PDF, 755 KB)
Flags of the World Perimeter & Area Activity (PDF, 2 MB)
Time Zones (NCGA Geo-Math Lesson)
Time Zones Overview (PDF, 121 KB)
Calculating Time Travel Powerpoint (PPTX, 3 MB)
Creating a Cartogram (NCGA Geo-Math Lesson)
Creating a Cartogram Overview (PDF, 117 KB)
Making a Cartogram Handout (PDF, 126 KB)
Predicting the Population of Global Cities (NCGA Geo-Math Lesson)
Predicting the Population of Global Cities Overview (PDF, 102 KB)
Linear Regression & Population Prediction Handout (PDF, 256 KB)
Finding the Circumcenter (NCGA Geo-Math Lesson)
Finding the Circumcenter Overview (PDF, 104 KB)
Finding the Circumcenter Powerpoint (PPTX, 3 MB)
Finding the Circumcenter Handout (PDF, 248 KB)
Choropleth Mapping (NCGA Geo-Math Lesson)
Choropleth Mapping Powerpoint (PPT, 213 KB)
Choropleth Mapping Steps (PDF, 117 KB)
Choropleth Mapping: Equal Intervals (PDF, 1 MB)
Arizona Geographic Alliance Lesson Plans
These GeoSTEM lesson plans are from the Arizona Geographic Alliance GeoMath & other GeoSTEM projects. They are divided by grade level; examples include: "Robots Helping Humans," "Don't be such a Drip: Water Conservation," and "Where did the lake go? The drying up of Lake Chad."
Map Literacy
Global Awareness Begins with the Globe: Sample session handouts from the 2014 NCCSS Annual Conference.
OSAE Can You See (PDF, 87 KB)
Two US Population Lessons (PDF, 2 MB)
Voyages of Exploration and Discovery (PDF, 193 KB)
2014 The 100th Meridian (PDF, 151 KB)
100th Meridian 6-8 (PDF, 5 MB)