Solar Eclipse Mapping Activity

 

Materials Needed for Mapping the Eclipse

In this blog post, I'm excited to introduce an engaging activity centered around the 2024 solar eclipse. I recommend using the NASA interactive eclipse path map and providing students with blank maps of the USA. Students will also require a small box of raisins to mark the path of totality on their maps.  During the activity, display the NASA map onto a whiteboard, and students replicate the path using the raisins on their maps.  Large maps work best. Inexpensive maps are available at the Dollar Tree.

 

Think Process Instead of Product

The photo above showcases beans used to represent the path of totality on the map. It's important to note that while the representation may not be perfect, the emphasis is on the process rather than the end result. Focus on the engagement and learning experience with your students rather than achieving perfection in their representations.   

 

United States in the Path of Totality

Teachers should ensure that students mark at least one bean or raisin on each state within the path of totality, emphasizing the states' names and the path's direction and shape. The 2024 solar eclipse's path of totality forms a curved path across North America, resembling a diagonal line. It stretches from the southwestern United States, arcs through the central and eastern portions of the country, and extends into eastern Canada. The 15 states that will experience some totality during the 2024 solar eclipse are:

1. Texas
2. Oklahoma
3. Arkansas
4. Missouri
5. Illinois
6. Kentucky
7. Indiana
8. Ohio
9. Pennsylvania
10. New York
    
11. Vermont
12. New Hampshire
    
13. Maine  
14. Tennessee
15. Michigan 

 

Tactile Mapping Activity

This hands-on activity enhances mapping skills and sparks curiosity about celestial phenomena. If you'd like, tap the image below to get the list of states for your students to refer to.

 

Free Solar Eclipse Materials

Additionally, I'm excited to announce two new free resources in my shop. The first is a crossword puzzle focused on the eclipse, providing a fun way to reinforce vocabulary. Tap on the images below to view at my shop.

 

 

The second freebie is a reading passage about the 2024 solar eclipse with questions and multiple-choice answers. The reading passage is a fifth grade text level. Younger students with strong comprehension skills could have the passage and questions read aloud to them.

 

© 2024 Molly McMahon, Lessons by Molly