National Geography and Oklahoma Academic Standards Connections - English Language Arts

Click on the image above to download the packet.

Description: This resource is designed to show how Geography can be used to supplement instruction in English Language Arts. This packet includes a selection of each applicable Oklahoma Academic Standard for English Language Arts and its alignment to the relevant National Geography Standard(s). The goal of the National Geography Standards is to enable students to become geographically informed through knowledge and mastery of three things: (1) factual knowledge; (2) mental maps and tools; (3) and ways of thinking. Contact us at okage@ou.edu to receive free resources and for more ideas about how to use Geography in your classroom.

This packet includes standards from the following revision:
English Language Arts (2021)

Grade level(s): Elementary, Middle School, High School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Becca Palczynsky and Grace Gierach

National Geography and Oklahoma Academic Standards Connections - Computer Science

Click on the image above to download the packet.

Description: This resource is designed to show how Geography can be used to supplement instruction in Computer Science. This packet includes a selection of each applicable Oklahoma Academic Standard for Computer Science and its alignment to the relevant National Geography Standard(s). The goal of the National Geography Standards is to enable students to become geographically informed through knowledge and mastery of three things: (1) factual knowledge; (2) mental maps and tools; (3) and ways of thinking. Contact us at okage@ou.edu to receive free resources and for more ideas about how to use Geography in your classroom.

This packet includes standards from the following revision:
Computer Science (2023)

Grade level(s): Elementary, Middle School, High School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Becca Palczynsky and Grace Gierach

National Geography and Oklahoma Academic Standards Connections

Click on the image above to download the packet.

Description: This resource is designed to show how Geography can be used to supplement instruction in each subject area included in the Oklahoma Academic Standards. This resource includes a selection of each applicable Oklahoma Academic Standard and its alignment to the relevant National Geography Standard(s). The goal of the National Geography Standards is to enable students to become geographically informed through knowledge and mastery of three things: (1) factual knowledge; (2) mental maps and tools; (3) and ways of thinking. Contact us at okage@ou.edu to receive free resources and for more ideas about how to use Geography in your classroom.

This packet includes standards from the following revisions:
Computer Science (2023)
English Language Arts (2021)
Mathematics (2022)
Science (2020)
Social Studies (2019)
Fine Arts (2023)
Personal Financial Literacy (2019)
World Languages (2021)
Health and Safety (2023)
Physical Education (2023)

Grade level(s): Elementary, Middle School, High School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Becca Palczynsky and Grace Gierach

Using the Oklahoma Giant Map to Understand the Heavy Consequences of Light Pollution

Click on the image above to download the lesson. This lesson will open in a Google Drive folder instead of a zipped file due to its size.

Description: This lesson is designed as a template to introduce the Giant Traveling Map of Oklahoma and provide examples of how this map may be used to enrich instruction in a variety of subjects including Science, Mathematics, English Language Arts, and Social Studies. The content presented in this lesson was selected as an illustrative example of how all subjects are used to understand a particular issue which impacts communities differently around the world and in Oklahoma. These lesson materials were developed in support of OKAGE’s Geo-Inquiry project efforts. To sign up to participate in a dark sky Geo-Inquiry project with OKAGE, visit http://okageweb.org/event-registration-1 or contact us at okage@ou.edu.

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

Exploring Oklahoma’s Cities on the Giant Map

Click on the image above to download the lesson.

Description: This activity is designed to help students identify some of Oklahoma’s major cities on the map. Students will be introduced to coordinates and will use them to identify these locations. By exploring on the Giant Map, students will also become more familiar with cities across Oklahoma while growing their perspective of the world around them.

Grade level(s): Elementary
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Cheryl Ivester

Using the Geo-Inquiry Process to Explore and Understand Black Mesa State Park

Click on the image above to download the lesson.

Description: For this lesson students will look at how COVID-19 has affected Black Mesa State Park. They will then learn how to use the National Geographic Geo-Inquiry process to explore the issues related to Black Mesa through a geographic lens. The students will then develop their own Geo-Inquiry questions so they can research how COVID-19 has affected this state park. After they have gathered this information they will then go to Black Mesa State Park and meet with the Park Manager so students may ask the questions that they have formulated and for the Park Manager to show the students the physical effects that COVID-19 has had on Black Mesa State Park due to the influx of visitors. Upon completion of the in-class and field research components, students will present their findings to classmates and/or publicize their results to be accessed by stakeholders.

Grade level(s): Middle School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Naomi Mayer

I’m on the Top of the World Looking Down on Creation: Using the Oklahoma Giant Map to Enhance the Geo-Inquiry Process

Click on the image above to download the lesson.

Description: The class will examine the Tulsa Race Massacre and develop a relevant Geo-Inquiry question together which is centered around the impacts of this historical event. The Geo-Inquiry process leads students to think through complexities of the world and make connections that empower them to change their communities. After a question is developed, students will be divided into teams in order to create a division of tasks - e.g., -Data Collection, Visualization, Story-Telling, etc.

Watch the student video here, and watch the teacher video here!

Grade level(s): Middle School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Zena Lewis

Lights, Camera, Action!

Click on the image above to download the lesson.

Description: The class will examine the Tulsa Race Massacre and develop a relevant Geo-Inquiry question together which is centered around the impacts of this historical event. The Geo-Inquiry process leads students to think through complexities of the world and make connections that empower them to change their communities. After a question is developed, students will be divided into teams in order to create a division of tasks - e.g., -Data Collection, Visualization, Story-Telling, etc.

Watch the student video here, and watch the teacher video here!

Grade level(s): Middle School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Zena Lewis

Mapping STEM in Oklahoma - Giant Map Edition

Click on the image above to download the lesson. This lesson will open in a Google Drive folder instead of a zipped file due to its size.

Description: The purpose of this lesson is to allow students to explore the connection between Geography and other curriculum areas by utilizing the OKAGE Giant Map Program. Students will identify key geographic features and landmarks on the Giant Map then make connections between these features and other curriculum areas. 

Grade level(s): Middle School, High School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Amber DeWinter

Wichita Mountains Geo-Inquiry Project: A Closer Look at the Impacts of Preservation and Conservation

Click on the image above to download the lesson. This lesson will open in a Google Drive folder instead of a zipped file due to its size.

Description: This unit is designed to allow students to take a closer look at a local ecosystem and compare and contrast the benefits of preservation and conservation. Students will develop their own preservation and/or conservation plan for this local ecosystem while focusing on the ecological, economic, and political impact of this plan. Our hope is to empower learners to understand how government policy can drive both positive and negative outcomes. Furthermore, students can interact with a local environment, complete a hands-on learning experience, then compare what they learned to other environments at the regional or global scale.

Grade level(s): Middle School, High School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Amber DeWinter

Using the Geo-Inquiry Process to Understand Wildland Urban Interface - Advanced Level

Click on the image above to download the lesson. This lesson will open in a Google Drive folder instead of a zipped file due to its size.

Description: Students will utilize the Geo-Inquiry process to understand the meaning, causes, effects, economic impacts, and environmental consequences of the Hochatown Wildland Urban Interface.

Grade level(s): High School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: LeaAnn Wyrick

Using the Geo-Inquiry Process to Understand Wildland Urban Interface - Intermediate Level

Click on the image above to download the lesson. This lesson will open in a Google Drive folder instead of a zipped file due to its size.

Description: Students will utilize the Geo-Inquiry process to understand the meaning, causes, effects, economic impacts, and environmental consequences of the Hochatown Wildland Urban Interface.

Grade level(s): Middle School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: LeaAnn Wyrick

Exploring the Geography of Oklahoma with the State Geography Steward

Click on the image above to download the lesson. This lesson will open in a Google Drive folder instead of a zipped file due to its size.

Description: Join the Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education, Oklahoma State University, and the State Department of Education for a session on Oklahoma's geography. Steve Stadler, Ph.D. from the Oklahoma State University Department of Geography will be discussing wind power and other sources of renewable energy as an illustration of Oklahoma's unique physical and human characteristics.

Watch the recording of the session here.

Grade level(s): Middle School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Steve Stadler, Ph.D.

Tulsa Race Massacre Session 3: Understanding the Rise of Greenwood Using the Five Themes of Geography

Click on the image above to download the lesson. This lesson will open in a Google Drive folder instead of a zipped file due to its size.

Description: Join the Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education for a discussion on understanding the rise of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, OK using the Five Themes of Geography. The content presented in this session is for upper elementary and middle school educators. This material is aligned with the Oklahoma Academic Standards for the Social Studies and the National Geography Standards.

Watch the recording of this session here.

Grade level(s): Middle School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Becca Palczynsky

Tulsa Race Massacre Session 2: Processing the Tulsa Race Massacre Through Literacy

Click on the image above to download the lesson. This lesson will open in a Google Drive folder instead of a zipped file due to its size.

Description: Join the Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education and National Geographic Certified Educator, Taylor Woodard, for a session on helping students process the Tulsa Race Massacre through literacy. The content presented in this session is for upper elementary and middle school educators. This material is aligned with the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies, the Oklahoma Academic Standards for English Language Arts, and the National Geography Standards.

Watch the recording of this session here.

Grade level(s): Elementary, Middle School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Taylor Woodard

Tulsa Race Massacre Session 1: What was Black Wall Street and Where is it Now?

Click on the image above to download the lesson. This lesson will open in a Google Drive folder instead of a zipped file due to its size.

Description: Join the Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education and Professor Quraysh Ali Lansana for a session about the history of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, OK during the years leading up to the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921. This material is aligned with the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies.

Watch the recording of this session here.

Grade level(s): Middle School
Standards: OAS
Produced By: Quraysh Ali Lansana, Autumn Brown, Najah-Amatullah Hylton, Crystal Patrick

We Got Cows (and Quakes)

Click on the image above to download the lesson

Description: The objective of this lesson is to introduce students to natural disasters, which ones occur in the state of Oklahoma, and their aftermath. Students will analyze the spatial patterns of natural disasters in the state using the Giant Traveling Map of Oklahoma. Students will also learn the effects of natural disasters on people and how the government responds.

Grade level(s): Middle School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: Carole Hollman

Feed the Need: Taking a Closer Look at Food Insecurity in Oklahoma

Click on the image above to download the lesson

Description: Students will gain an understanding of food insecurity and hunger in Oklahoma. Students will examine the worldwide humanitarian crisis and the humanitarian relief efforts by the United Nations to address hunger around the world. Learners will create and engage in a service project stemming from this lesson. This is a tiered lesson which may be adjusted for desired level of difficulty.

Grade level(s): Middle School, High School
Standards: OAS, GFL
Produced By: LeaAnn Wyrick

Oklahoma Giant Traveling Map Escape Room

Click on the image above to download the lesson

Description: Students will answer questions in an escape room format using the Oklahoma Giant Traveling Map.

Grade level(s): Middle School Standards: N/A
Produced By: Angela DeLong; Kim Richter

Oklahomans on the Move

Click on the image above to download the lesson

Description: Students will use the Giant Traveling Map of Oklahoma to explore the state’s population distribution—past and present.

Grade level(s): Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School
Standards: OAS
Produced By: Clayton Canon