Get Science and Social Studies Going with Google Earth
Looking for innovative, technology rich ideas to integrate into your social studies and science lessons? Look no further than Google Earth.
If you haven’t had a chance to look at this versatile Google App, you are missing out! Google Earth incorporates features such as maps, 3D terrain and buildings and satellite imagery into a “virtual globe,” allowing students to explore the world from their computer. Students can examine content from organizations such as NASA and Discover Education, or examine various aspects of the ocean, moon and even the sky.
Here are some ideas to get you going with Google Earth:
- Use Google Sky to map and research celestial objects
- Create a tour of your home, school, or neighborhood
- Study climate change and global warming
- Create a multimedia presentation of presidential homes
- Track earthquakes
- Explore the animal kingdom through National Geographic content
- Research food chains and create a food pyramid
- Set the scene for various lessons, including geography, history or even literature
- Track and graph with real-time data on subjects such as weather or earthquakes
- Invite students to participate in Google Outreach projects
- Calculate the volume of the great pyramids
- Have a scavenger hunt for North American landmarks or capital cities
- Estimate the area of the Amazon forest destroyed by deforestation
- Have students compile an international cookbook by virtually visiting foreign countries
- Create Google “Lit Trips” by following and visiting sites mentioned in famous works, such as Gulliver’s Travels
Google Earth even offers detailed lesson plans, and tips and tutorials for educators at http://sitescontent.google.com/google-earth-for-educators/tutorials-and-tips. So spice up the day with activities using Google Earth!
