Foundations & Spatial Inquiry (maps • climate/biomes • watersheds • settlement)

Map literacy & projections

• National Geographic — Map Projections (overview)
  https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/map-projections/
  
  

• USGS — Topographic Map Symbols (PDF)
  https://pubs.usgs.gov/tm/11b02/tm11-B2.pdf
  
  

• Google Earth Web (explore & measure)
  https://earth.google.com/web/
  
  

• Google My Maps — Create a custom map (Help)
  https://support.google.com/mymaps/answer/3024454
  
  

Field mapping (lite)

• Field Papers — print a map, sketch, and upload
  https://fieldpapers.org/
  
  

• Compass basics (NOAA)
  https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_geodesy/geo06_compass.html
  
  

Climate & biomes

• NASA Earth Observatory — Biomes (intro)
  https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/biome/
  
  

• WWF — Terrestrial Ecoregions (map)
  https://www.worldwildlife.org/biome-categories/terrestrial-ecoregions
  
  

Watersheds & land use

• USGS — What is a watershed?
  https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/watersheds-and-water-flow
  
  

• How’s My Waterway (EPA)
  https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/hows-my-waterway
  
  

Settlement patterns (starter)

• U.S. Census — QuickFacts (find your city/county)
  https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045223

Map Story Portfolio (thematic maps • local data • “GIS-lite” storytelling)

Make thematic maps

• Datawrapper — Make your first chart/map
  https://academy.datawrapper.de/article/245-how-to-create-your-first-datawrapper-chart
  
  

• Datawrapper — Choropleth maps (how-to)
  https://academy.datawrapper.de/article/83-choropleth-maps
  
  

• Google My Maps — Style layers & share
  https://support.google.com/mymaps/answer/3188329
  
  

Local issue data sources

• Heat & climate: Heat.gov (NIHHIS) Explorer
  https://heat.gov/
  
  

• Flood risk: FEMA Flood Map Service Center
  https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home
  
  

• Food access: USDA Food Access Research Atlas
  https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/
  
  

• Transit & stops: OpenStreetMap (search + edit view)
  https://www.openstreetmap.org/
  
  

• City open data (search your locality)
  https://www.google.com/search?q=Open+Data+Portal+%5Byour+city%5D
  
  

Cite & explain your map

• Esri — What is a map legend & best practices
  https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-pro/mapping/mapping-legends/
  
  

• ColorBrewer 2.0 — Choose color schemes for maps
  https://colorbrewer2.org/
  
  

Global Systems, Cities & Change (urban planning • development • hazards & resilience)

Urban geography & planning

• National Geographic — Urban Growth (overview + resources)
  https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/urban-growth/
  
  

• BTS (U.S. DOT) — Transportation Data Portal
  https://data.bts.gov/
  
  

Development & globalization

• World Bank Data — Indicators
  https://data.worldbank.org/indicator
  
  

• OEC — The Observatory of Economic Complexity (trade flows)
  https://oec.world/en/
  
  

Resources & conservation

• Global Forest Watch (interactive map)
  https://www.globalforestwatch.org/
  
  

Hazards & adaptation

• NOAA Sea Level Rise Viewer
  https://coast.noaa.gov/slr/
  
  

• U.S. Drought Monitor
  https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/
  
  

• NASA FIRMS — Fire Map (near-real-time)
  https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/
  
  

• USGS — Latest Earthquakes (interactive)
  https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/

Capstone: Place & Policy Brief (maps + one chart + public product + presentation)

Tell a place-based story

• ArcGIS StoryMaps — Get started
  https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-storymaps/overview
  
  

• Datawrapper Academy — Chart design & storytelling
  https://academy.datawrapper.de/
  
  

Policy brief & communication

• Harvard Kennedy School — Writing Policy Memos (guide)
  https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/hks-communications-program/pages/policy-memos
  
  

• Purdue OWL — Writing a research paper: organization & argument
  https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/index.html
  
  

Accessibility & citation

• WebAIM — Writing alt text for images/figures
  https://webaim.org/techniques/alttext/
  
  

• Creative Commons — Find openly licensed images
  https://search.creativecommons.org/
  
  

Presentation tools (optional)

• Canva for Education — Slides/posters (free for K-12)
  https://www.canva.com/education/