High School

The (not so) Great Pacific Garbage Patch Part 2

Click on the image above to download the lesson

Click on the image above to download the lesson

Description: The students will analyze causes and possible solution to ocean debris with an emphasis on plastics.

Grade level(s): Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Janet Hall

The (not so) Great Pacific Garbage Patch Part 1

Click on the image above to download the lesson

Click on the image above to download the lesson

Description: The students will analyze causes and possible solution to ocean debris with an emphasis on plastics.

Grade level(s): Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Janet Hall

Lions, Tigers and Bears: The Dilemma of Ecotourism

Click on the image above to download the lesson

Click on the image above to download the lesson

Description: The objective of the lesson is to investigate the role and effectiveness of wildlife preserves, utilizing a micro-case study from Kenya and making connections to a variety of ecosystems through an online global tour of significant wildlife preserves. Using the essential and supporting questions, students will analyze the advantages and disadvantages of current environmental protection efforts in order to make recommendations regarding a proposed wildlife preserve in Antarctica.

Grade level(s): Middle School, High School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Pam Merrill

Developing Critical Literacy Skills While Examining Controversial Topics

Click on the image above to download the lesson

Click on the image above to download the lesson

Description: Students will be exploring and showcasing an area of development taking place in their local area and how it is impacting their community.

Grade level(s): Middle School, High School
Standards: OAS, GFL   
Produced By: Teresa Potter

Geography 101 LiveBinder

Click on the image above to access the LiveBinder.

Click on the image above to access the LiveBinder.

Description: This LiveBinder provides a crash course in teaching Geography. Topics include the Five Themes of Geography, using data and maps, population, GIS resources, and more!

Grade level(s): Elementary, Middle School, High School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Pam Merrill

Teach a Man to Fish - Controversies Surrounding Foreign Aid

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Click on the image above to download the lesson

Description: Students will analyze the major controversies surrounding the rationale and impact of foreign aid to developing regions in order to formulate informed opinions and effectively engage in deliberations regarding financial assistance to growing economies.

Grade level(s): Middle School, High School
Standards: GFL, OAS             
Produced By: Pam Merrill

Rich or Poor: Barriers and Paths to Development

Click on the image above to download the lesson

Click on the image above to download the lesson

Description: Students will examine basic reasons why some nations and regions develop while other do not, including analysis of the factors used by geographers to measure human development and two opposing models toward development, historically and currently utilized by developing nations’ leadership toward reaching economic progress. Use of real-world families from selected developed and developing regions serve as the catalyst for student investigations.

Grade level(s): Middle School, High School
Standards: GFL, OAS             
Produced By: Pam Merrill

Who? What? Where? Oklahomans Who Made a Difference - Updated 2025

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Click on the image above to open the lesson. It will open as a Google Doc.

Description: In this lesson, students will use the Oklahoma Giant Traveling Map to identify and gain a better understanding of notable historic and present day Oklahomans who made significant contributions to the state.

Grade level(s): Elementary (Adaptable to 8th & 10th grade American History)
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Lynn Tilley

The World at Your Fingertips: Technology Tools for Geography Education

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Click on the image above to download the lesson

Description: This resource includes information on a variety of technology tools that can be used for teaching Geography and World Studies. The resources outlined in this overview are free to use, compatible with any device, include interaction with maps and geographic data, provide opportunities for student inquiry and research, and offer online publication of student digital products.

Grade level(s): Elementary, Middle School, High School
Standards: N/A
Produced By: Pam Merrill

It Happened in Oklahoma! Historically Significant State and Local Landmarks - Updated 2025

Click on the image above to download the lesson

Click on the image above to open the lesson. It will open as a Google Doc.

Description: In this lesson, students will use the Oklahoma Giant Traveling Map to identify and locate important state and local landmarks, as well as gain a better understanding of their historical significance.

Grade level(s): Elementary (Adaptable to 8th & 10th grade American History)
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Lynn Tilley

Geography as a Thinking Tool

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Click on the image above to download the lesson

Description: The purpose of this lesson is to show teachers different ways to interject thinking activities into their daily lesson plans. Geography is an excellent subject for this type of activity because at the center of all geographic issues is the question of “why?” A list of thinking activities is provided in this session, most of which will use authentic and inquiry methodology. Teachers may adapt these activities and ideas to their particular classroom environment.

Grade level(s): Elementary, Middle School, High School
Standards: N/A
Produced By: Teresa Begley

Blown Away! Oklahoma's Wind Energy

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Click on the image above to download the lesson

Description: The purpose of this lesson is for students to learn the fundamental parts of a windmill, to use the scientific method to isolate and adjust variables when constructing a functional windmill that lifts weights, and to understand energy conversions/transfers and how a windmill converts moving air into usable mechanical energy. Students will understand that wind power is a choice we can make that reduces pollution and climate impacts.

Grade level(s): Middle School, High School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Kylah McNabb; Teresa Potter

Examining Statistics: Oklahoma's Wind Energy

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Click on the image above to download the lesson

Description: The purpose of this lesson is for students to examine statistics and understand that as a society and as individuals, we can make choices to help reduce the climatic impact of electricity generation. Students will understand that generating power with the wind is a choice we can make that will reduce the severity of environmental issues.

Grade level(s): Middle School, High School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Kylah McNabb; Teresa Potter

Water We Going To Do?

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Click on the image above to download the lesson.

Description: In this lesson, students will explore how water behaves on various substrates (ground surfaces), what occurs during a flood, and the causes of flash floods. This lesson concludes with students designing and testing various floodplain models intended to mitigate the effects of flash floods.

Grade level(s): Middle School, High School
Standards: OAS, GFL                          Produced By: Danny Mattox

Immigration & Ethnic Settlement Patterns In Post-Reconstruction Oklahoma, 1865 - 1900 - Updated 2025

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Click on the image above to open the lesson. It will open as a Google Doc.

Description: In this lesson students will explore the different immigration and migration patterns of settlement in post-reconstruction Oklahoma, and develop an appreciation of our rich cultural and ethnic heritage.

  Grade level(s): High School                    Standards: OAS, GFL              Produced By: Lynn Tilley

Loaded Language: The Smoking Gun of Bias

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Click on the image above to download the lesson.

Description: The purpose of this lesson is to provide students with the opportunity to explore the language used by various media to sway public opinion.

Grade level(s): Elementary, Middle School, High School                    Standards: OAS
Produced By: Brian Davis

I Have Heard of a Land: Using Oklahoma’s Giant Traveling Map, with Historical Maps, to Tell a Complete Story - Updated 2025

Click on the image above to download the lesson.

Click on the image above to open the lesson. It will open as a Google Doc.

Description: Geography is the landscape on which History happens. In this lesson, students will use an award-winning historical fiction picture book, the Oklahoma Giant Traveling Map, and a series of Oklahoma historical maps, to gain a better understanding of why Blacks from the South, single women, and other pioneers came to participate in the land runs, as well as the impact on Native Americans already living in the areas. Students will gain an appreciation and understanding that history usually has more than one perspective to events happening.

Grade level(s): Elementary, Middle School, High School                  Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Lynn Tilley

When Maps Lie

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Click on the image above to download the lesson.

Description: Students will understand the limitations and uses of different map projections, as well as becoming familiar with how maps can be used to accidentally or intentionally misrepresent facts

Grade level(s): Elementary, Middle School, High School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Janet Hall