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Teachers

Teach with GIS and bring interactive maps to your classroom

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Paper maps have given way to interactive digital maps that engage students with content. Students in social studies, science, literature, and math classes use online maps to gain deeper understanding and build critical thinking skills. ArcGIS Online users learn anywhere, anytime, on any connected device.

Esri Schools Program

Our future depends on youth ready to address challenges large and small. The Esri Schools Program provides teachers with resources that engage students, preparing them to understand complex issues through a geographic approach.

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What you can do

Use map-based activities

Get started using maps and teacher-created activities about your subject matter. Open a map and jump right in to meet content standards in an engaging way.

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Project-based learning (PBL)

Let your students go hands-on, diving into topics through solo and collaborative projects. Use GIS to explore questions, generate data, and build maps to illuminate solutions.

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Create your own maps

Create, save, and share your own vision in a map that communicates your story. Use provided data or add your own. Perform analysis and configure the map to highlight the key patterns and relationships.

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Collect and map data

Data sources abound and everything happens somewhere. Transform spreadsheets, documents, and images into a map. Add your own observations to the map, gathering data on the fly.

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Author presentations with maps

Combine maps with text and media to provide context and tell stories. Add maps to existing presentations or build ArcGIS StoryMaps stories to educate and persuade. Assemble your projects into a cohesive digital portfolio.

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GIS and schools | Education for a brighter future

What is the right teaching strategy for tech-savvy teens concerned about their community?

GeoInquiries

GeoInquiries are short, standards-based inquiry activities for teaching content found in commonly used textbooks via an online map. Collections of 15–20 activities per subject area enhance your curriculum throughout the year.

Explore the collections
Ready-to-use maps

Ready-to-use maps

Each GeoInquiry has an interactive digital map you can present quickly from a single computer and projector, or provide to students for hands-on engagement.

Standards-based activities

Standards-based activities

Each activity is designed using a common inquiry model and is tied to popular textbooks. Companion student worksheets are available.

No login or installation

No login or installation

GeoInquiries work in a browser on any device connected to the internet. Use them on Chromebooks, tablets, and laptops without any software installations.

10 subject areas

10 subject areas

There are 15–20 activities for each subject area—social studies, science, and more. Upper elementary through high school and college classes can engage with a thousand datasets.

Free software for instruction

Ready to create, save, and share maps? Get a license. Accounts are free for teachers, students, and mentors to use for instruction.

Learn how to get free software

Contact us

Contact us

Outside the United States

Connect with the Esri education team