Collections 

USGIF Anthology 

(K-5) + (5-9)This resource includes different lessons for K-5, 5-9, and high school students, as well as an open-source compendium of data for research and lesson planning. Lessons and resources are categorized by grade-level and application. Lecture notes, videos, and print outs are supplied with lessons. 

Think Geospatial 

Classroom resources for elementary, middle and high school students, as well as educators. Additional resources focus on social justice, Esri ArcGIS, and Illinois-specific GIS tools and projects. 

GeoInquiries 

GeoInquiries™ are short, standards-based inquiry activities for teaching map-based content found in commonly used textbooks. Each activity is designed using a common inquiry model and can be presented quickly from a single computer and projector or modified for students’ hands-on engagement. Collections of 15-20 activities per topic enhance your curriculum throughout the year. 

Open Educational Resources (OER) Commons 

A public digital library of open educational resources. This site features a section dedicated to STEM literacy, and targeted collections for different topics or learning objectives. This site has over 600 geography lessons and nearly 50 lessons dedicated to geospatial. 

GeoTech 

Lessons range from introductions to geospatial technology to using Python. Lessons include lecture resources and syllabi. Appropriate age ranges are not included. 

GeoTech Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) 

These lessons specifically focus on drones and other unmanned aircraft. Features nine segments on UAS. 

United States Census Bureau Open Mapping  

A two-part lesson at the intermediate level, with an estimated two hours for completion. The first part is designed to teach OpenStreetMap skills, while the second part focuses on geospatial skill building. Prior knowledge is not required.  

Harvard Center for Geographic Analysis 

This collection contains 13 different categories of learning surrounding GIS, remote sensing, and other geographical analysis skills. This is mostly a host for materials available through other sources, but acts as a comprehensive place to find the necessary and ordered steps in learning a new topic. 

Maryville University C3 Creative Computing Curriculum

This guide is a collection of ideas, strategies, and activities for an introductory creative computing experience using the Scratch programming language. The activities are designed to support familiarity and increasing fluency with computational creativity and computational thinking. In particular, the activities encourage exploration of key computational thinking concepts (sequence, loops, parallelism, events, conditionals, operators, data) and key computational thinking practices (experimenting and iterating, testing and debugging, reusing and remixing, abstracting and modularizing). Appropriate for a range of ages and developmental abilities.

Boeing Curiosity Machine Satellite Systems Challenges

(4th Grade) Instructional videos and a list of supplies for challenging students in the classroom or at home. Most projects are suitable for children in a 4th grade classroom.

Boeing Curiosity Machine Aerospace Design Challenges

(4th Grade) Instructional videos and a list of supplies for challenging students in the classroom or at home. Most projects are suitable for children in a 4th grade classroom.

University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) Instructional Resources

(College Freshmen/HS Seniors) This set of resources, including syllabi, textbooks, and online videos, covers three categories of experiential learning: how geospatial is taught, what is taught, and additional learning and connecting opportunities. These materials are designed for the collegiate level, but could be adapted to high school seniors.

Tour of the Electromagnetic Spectrum

This unique NASA resource on the web, in print, and with companion videos introduces electromagnetic waves, their behaviors, and how scientists visualize these data. Each region of the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) is described and illustrated with engaging examples of NASA science. Come and explore the amazing world beyond the visible!

 

Lessons

Maryville University's CyberReady STL

(High School) CyberReadySTL is a 15-lesson curriculum developed with a Bayer computer scientist focusing on incorporating cyber readiness and career awareness among high school students. 

Insertion Points for geospatial/remote sensing

(Grades 4-12) A publication and "template" from an AmericaView principal investigator, which in the first chapter for teachers identifies the "insertion points" where geospatial/remote sensing information can be easily included in curriculum. While the author has focused on Texas curriculum requirements, this first chapter contains tables that show both the Texas and the national science standards' requirements. Although non state-neutral, version this is an excellent document (in totality) that may help interested teachers

 

Books 

The Adventure of Echo the Bat by Ginger Butcher

(Ideal for ages 5-9) PDF and interactive versions available. Are you ready for an adventure? Follow the journey of a young bat named Echo as he makes his way from the high mountains of Arizona through cities and across deserts to find a bat cave to call home. Our home planet is a fascinating place, and we are all connected by Earth. For nearly 50 years, Landsat satellites have helped us record Earth’s changing land surfaces. Join Echo on his trek and you too can see what Landsat sees.

Introduction to Geographic Information Systems by R. Adam Dastrup, MA, GISP 

A free and easy to navigate online book that covers an introduction to GIS, data and information, cartographic principles, mapping Earth, and GIS data models. Grade level/age range for book is not available, though it appears to be appropriate for middle and high school students.  

Essentials of Geographic Information Systems by Jonathan Campbell and Michael Shin 

(High School) A well-reviewed, comprehensive overview of GIS. This book has ten chapters that cover topics like map anatomy, cartographic principles, and GIS project management. This book is most likely an appropriate resource for high school students.  

Open Geography Education Textbooks 

These textbooks are freely available under creative commons licensing, and are mobile friendly. Six books in the collection focus on geography topics and one is geared towards GIS. Age or grade ranges for the books are not available.  

 

Software 

Esri free bundle for K-12 educators 

This version of Esri’s mapping software is free and available for classroom, school, district, or club use. No account is needed, but creating an account expands access. 

QGIS 

QGIS is a free and open-source geographic information system. It will work with various hardware and operating systems, including Windows, Mac, and Linux. A comprehensive help or “for users” section contains a user guide, training manual, and tutorials.  

SAGA GIS 

Free software for geodata processing and analysis. This software appears more user supported than QGIS, with limited support documents. Can import and process data from various scripting environments such as shell scripts, Python, and R.  

GRASS GIS 

GRASS GIS includes tools for terrain and ecosystem modeling, hydrology, visualization of raster and vector data, management and analysis of geospatial data, and the processing of satellite and aerial imagery. Includes a host of resources for first-time users.  

 

Data and Datasets 

USGIF Compendium 

An up-to-data and thorough collection of geospatial datasets ranging from government to commercial to international. Each source includes a brief description.  

Esri Living Atlas 

Geographic and data layers that can be used to enhance mapping in ArcGIS.  

Missouri Spatial Information Service 

Vector data, aerial photography, and LiDAR elevation data from Missouri, sourced by local, state, and federal agencies.