The Big Idea Activity

How can we find out about places on Earth?

Make a Book About Your Community

  California Standard 2.2 Students demonstrate map skills by describing the absolute and relative locations of people, places, and environments.

Teaching Tips

For other ways to generate pictures for the community books, look in local newspapers or have students bring in photographs from home.

Additional Links

Pictures of California

Click any place on the map of California to find scenic photographs of that locale. If students aren't able to draw pictures, they can print them from here.


John Muir

  California Standard 2.2.4 Compare and contrast basic land use in urban, suburban, and rural environments in California.

John Muir

Teaching Tips

Visit this Web site for lesson plans that link the study of John Muir to California Standards in English, Science and Social Studies.

Additional Links

The California State Quarter was released in early 2005, and students may be aware of it. Here's another Web site that provides interesting information about the California State Quarter.


Pikes Peak

  California Standard 2.2.2 Label from memory a simple map of the North American continent, including the countries, oceans, Great Lakes, major rivers, and mountain ranges. Identify the essential map elements: title, legend, directional indicator, [MORE]

postcard

Teaching Tips

Find out more about the history and geography of Pikes Peak.