Geography Resources

Teaching the Colorado Academic Standards in social studies is supported through a wide array of free instructional resources. This webpage lists just a few of these resources and will be updated regularly.

If you are an educator in Colorado and have suggestions for a great free resource please email Stephanie Hartman.

The resources provided on this website are intended to provide a quick access list for educators to use in a way that supports their instructional planning. Provided resources should be previewed and used with teacher discretion. Because this page contains resources outside of the CDE website, CDE cannot control changes in outside content and listing these resources does not indicate an endorsement by the Colorado Department of Education. 

American Factfinder
The U.S. Census Bureau's source for population, housing, economic, and geographic data.

Colorado Geographic Alliance Though the CO Geographic Alliance is no,longer operational, the website is still available. This material is being kept online for educational and historical purposes. Though accurate at the time of publication, the content of this webpage is no longer being updated. 

The Flat Stanley Project
For this project, elementary students create a "Flat Stanley" doll, and then send him, along with his journal, on a world adventure!

PBS Frontline World
Resources and “stories from a small planet” for middle school and high school teachers.  Topics cross the disciplines of culture, geography, economics, history, and politics.

Gapminder
Gapminder produces free teaching resources making the world understandable based on reliable statistics. They have developed data visualization tools to let people explore the vast treasure of global statistics. For their Dollar Street project, they sent photographers to 240 homes across the world to show how people really live.

Geographic Information Systems
This site provides an introduction to GIS, and how GIS informs people on a daily basis to improve our way of life.

Google Earth
This page allows you to search for any address, any place in the world and then view it via satellite!!

National Geographic Education!
National Geographic’s site filled with lesson plans and activities for teaching the national geography standards.

National Geographic Kids
National Geographic Kids provides students with opportunities to engage with science and geography through brain boosters, cool stuff, weird but true, and games!

National Geographic Mapping
This portion of the National Geographic site focuses on everything maps; including an interactive map maker, mapping activities, and a plethora of world and thematic maps.

National Geographic's Map Machine
Includes an interactive atlas, both political and physical maps, and satellite imagery.

Teaching with Historic Places
This site, from the National Park Service, explains how to use historic places to teach about history, culture, and issues. The site includes lesson plans too.

The World Factbook
The World Factbook provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities. The online version of the World Factbook is developed and maintained by the CIA.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
The USGS provides K – 12 educational resources for teaching geography (and biology, geology, etc.).