I was hooked the first time I spun the world on its axis. Fascinated, I quickly zoomed into my house in Encinitas, California. I could see my kids’ trampoline in the backyard! Then, I flew to the Colosseum in Rome, Italy. I was able to actually view the gladiatorial battleground in the center! I flew to the Arabian Desert, the Euphrates River, the Amazon, and Mt. Fuji. By the end of my 3-minute travel romp, I concluded that using Google Earth in the classroom was far more exciting than the map in the back of our textbook.
Geography Lessons with Google Earth
I love maps, I mean I really love maps, but a colorful topographical map can’t come close to the real thing! Therefore, I immediately began developing a comprehensive Geography lesson centered on Google Earth for the classroom. I set out to combine Google Earth and Google Maps with snapshots from satellite pictures that I have been using for years.
As a transition from World History, ending with the Exploration unit, I decided to provide my students with a preview of U.S. history. I did this with the Physical Geography Exploration and Scavenger Hunt lesson. This lesson is Google Classroom-friendly and, of course, utilizes Google Earth. I worked on it for about 3 nights and nervously pushed it down to my Google classroom on the next-to-last day of school. I knew it would be a gamble since the students typically clock out those last days, but they, too, were hooked.
Using Google Earth
Of course, the first thing they did was zoom into their own house. However, the more time they spent on Google Earth, the more they began to explore America. Students were able to drag labeled features and place titles, read about the first colonies, and fly to key features in Google Earth. They were excited!
Students even began talking to each other about what they were seeing, using words like “cool” and “sick”. In the end, the average score on the US Physical Geography Google Forms test was 92 percent! A sweet student-centered activity success!
Trial and Error
Assumably, there were a few bumps that needed to be smoothed over. For example, explanations needed to be clearer and more prominently displayed with graphics. Also, the order of operations was tweaked, and a few items were omitted entirely.
Ultimately, I knew I had something worthwhile. Using Google Earth in the classroom was engaging and effective. In an instant, my summer plans were carved out for me.
I had created 13 Google Earth Geography Scavenger Hunts with Instructions and Quizzes, and they have become some of our best-selling products! Introduce your students to these fun, interactive, and informative lesson plans!
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