Geographic Alliance of Iowa

Putting Iowa in its place

Mystery Class for Math

This lesson plan was created by David Sundstedt (Don Bosco High School) for students in 9th grade. In this lesson plan, students will spend half a year learning about places on Earth, calculating photoperiods, and analyzing data using the website, Mystery Class.

Discipline/Subject

World Geography

Mathematics

Theme

Environmental

Climate

Cartography/Maps

Cultural/Social

Region

None specified

Five Themes of Geography

Location

Place

Region

National Geographic Standards

1. How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective

2. How to use mental maps to organize information about people places, and environments in a spatial context

3. How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth's surface

4. The physical and human characteristics of places

5. That people create regions to interpret Earth's complexity

7. The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth's surface

8. The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on Earth's surface

Iowa Core Social Studies Standards

GE 1. Understand the use of geographic tools to locate and analyze information about people, places, and environments

GE 2. Understand how physical and human characteristics create and define regions

GE 4. Understand how physical and human processes shape the Earth's surface and major ecosystems