10 Engaging Resources for Teaching the Geography of South America

If you’re a middle or high school geography teacher planning a unit on South America, you know how important it is to go beyond maps and capitals. Students learn best when they explore the region’s landscapes, cultures, and current events in ways that are hands-on, visual, and thought-provoking.

Here are 10 teacher-approved resources that make teaching the geography of South America engaging and memorable for your kids. Each resource links to a ready-to-download lesson, activity, or project you can use in your classroom today.

Use this as your go-to list for bringing the Amazon, Andes, and beyond to life in your classroom.

Resources for Teaching South America's Geography

1. Amazon River & Rainforest Escape Room Lesson

Get your students excited to “escape” the Amazon! In this fun activity, students solve puzzles and decode clues to learn about the Amazon River, rainforest ecosystems, and the geography of the region.

For middle school kids, use the printable clues to guide groups through each challenge. For high school, encourage more independent exploration or have teams race for completion time.

2. Andes Mountains Geography Activity

This activity focuses on the Andes, the world’s longest mountain range, and how geography impacts the people and cultures living there.

Students analyze maps, answer comprehension questions, and complete short creative tasks related to adaptation, elevation, and culture in the Andes.

The lesson helps your students understand how geography shapes human life and connect physical and human geography concepts.

3. Motorcycle Diaries Geography Project

Inspired by the journey of Che Guevara, this project takes students on a virtual road trip through South America. Students map key locations, research geography and culture, and reflect on how travel reveals the continent’s diversity.

If you teach middle school geography, you can help students select the stops. If you have more advanced students, allow them to design their own route and present findings in blog-style journals or slideshows.

The project connects geography with culture, history, and storytelling—making South America come alive beyond the textbook.

4. Geography Case Study Activity: Drought in Chile

This case study introduces students to a real-world environmental issue affecting modern South America: a megadrought in Chile. Students analyze data, maps, and short readings to understand causes, impacts, and possible solutions.

This resource is perfect for NGSS or inquiry-based learning to link geography to global issues, critical thinking, and sustainability.

5. South America Daily Warm Ups & Bell Ringers

Start your class off every day with quick, meaningful geography prompts! These warm-ups cover maps, landmarks, and trivia about the countries of South America.

You can project one up on the board each day as kids enter your classroom. This gives you time to greet students, take attendance, and answer questions. 

These kinds of short, consistent activities help reinforce knowledge and basic geographic concepts.

6. Galápagos Islands PowerPoint and 3D Activity

Take your students on a virtual field trip to the Galápagos Islands! This interactive PowerPoint includes 3D images and notes to guide students through the islands’ unique geography and ecosystems.

You can purchase cheap red/cyan 3D glasses in bulk online and then pass them out to kids to start class for an unforgettable classroom experience.

7. South America PowerPoint & Guided Notes

This thorough PowerPoint lesson introduces students to the physical and human geography of South America. It includes editable slides, a flipped classroom video option, and guided notes for students to fill in as you go.

The lesson is a perfect foundation for any South America unit and keep students focused.

8. Dictators in the Southern Cone & Operation Condor PowerPoint

This is another engaging PowerPoint which dives into the political geography of South America during the 20th century. The slides focus on Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay under military dictatorships.

It connects geography to political movements, human rights, and Cold War influences.

9. South America Unit Guide Packet

This printable packet includes maps, vocabulary, reading passages, and review activities for an entire unit on South America.

For younger students you can assign a page each day. Or, if you have more advanced students, give them the full packet up front for students to complete as you progress through lessons.

A structured packet like this gives students a reference guide and you an organized framework for the whole unit.

10. South America Geography Unit Bundle

If you want your full completely planned out for you, this bundle has it all! Every one of the resources above is included in the one download. Plus, there's additional maps, projects, PowerPoints, warm-ups, escape rooms, and assessments.

It combines every resource into one cohesive unit so you can teach confidently without endless prep. You’ll have weeks of engaging, ready-to-use materials that meet standards and keep students invested from start to finish.

Conclusion

If you’re Googling for “South America geography lesson plans,” “interactive map activities,” “world geography projects,” or “hands-on lessons for middle and high school,” these resources are the perfect fit.

No matter if you’re teaching a single class period or a full unit on South America, these lessons will help your students explore landscapes, cultures, and environmental challenges in fun and meaningful ways.

Don’t wait until just before you're about to you start your South America unit! Save this blog post, explore the links now, and grab the South America Geography Unit Bundle to have everything ready in just a few clicks.