5 Engaging Topographic Map Activities for Middle School

Inside: You’ll find my top five tips for teaching topographic maps to middle school students including the hands-on model that makes the most impact!

Raise your hand if you’re looking for new topographic map activities for middle school students!

Teaching topographic maps in middle school might seem intimidating, but it’s really a lot of fun!

Hands-on topographic map activities are a great way to help students read and interpret topographic maps!

Growing up in the mountains of Pennsylvania, topography has always fascinated me. I love the way a flat map can show mountains, valleys, and stream directions.

Learning how to read a topographic map (also known as a contour map) is more than a state standard – it’s a life skill!

If you have students who love to spend time in the great outdoors hiking or camping, they’ll be hooked when they learn how to visualize the terrain of an area using a flat map.

Take a look at these 5 engaging topographic map activities for middle school!

 1. Easy Topographic Map Lesson Hook

Teaching students about topographic maps doesn’t have to be complicated!   

Pull up a local map on Google. Ask students to make a list of information that they can gather from the map. They will most likely see roads, rivers, lakes, and some landmarks.  

Can they tell which areas contain hills or valleys?  Nope 🙂

Then pull up a topographic map of that same area.  Ask students what they see on this map.  This is a great time to demonstrate a quick lesson on reading contour lines and show how you can tell the terrain of the area.  Point out areas with steep slopes or flat land. 

Students can collaborate to create a Venn diagram or T-chart showing the differences between the two types of maps.

2. Latex/Nitrile Glove Topographic Map Activity

The latex glove activity is one of my favorite quick and easy topographic map activities to help middle school students understand contour lines.

Materials: Latex/Nitrile Glove and pen (Sharpies work great)

Directions:

• After putting on the glove, instruct the students to make a fist.  Explain that the knuckles represent four small hills.
• With a partner, have students trace small contour lines around the knuckles. They can continue to draw more gradual contour lines as they move toward the wrist.  
• When the drawing is complete, have students flatten their hand to see the topographic map they created.  

3. Topographic Map Presentation and Practice with Answers

If you’re looking for a ready-made lesson to teach middle school students how to read and interpret topographic maps, take a look at this no-prep topographic map resource!

This easy-to-teach unit includes instructions on reading contour lines, determining contour intervals and elevation change, determining stream directions, and more. The included practice pages will help students gain confidence in their topography skills.

A PDF answer key is included if you’re new to topographic maps!

4. Topographic Map Task Cards

5. Topographic Map Models

There are so many ways to make topographic map models!

Over the years, I’ve created topographic maps using stacked salad containers, clear overhead sheets, and play dough.

By far, though, the craft foam topographic map activity has been the best way for my students to create topographic models!

Using inexpensive craft foam, students can create a drawing of a topographic map and transfer it into a three dimensional model.   

This includes:

• differentiated templates for topographic maps
• teacher instructions
• worksheet for creating the profile view
• Don’t worry if you’ve never done this before – a video tutorial for drawing profile lines is included!

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