By: Katherine LaBonde

What is Google Earth?

Google Earth is a free downloadable browser that is a 3D globe that uses satellite images to create an interactive earth. Google Earth allows you to navigate any part of the earth including the ocean floor and even into outer space. 

How does it work?

     Basic Functions-

*Navigation Controls: rotating, panning, zooming in and out

*Search Panel: search for specific places, find a landmark, or get directions; once entered Google Earth will zoom into your place of interest

*Layers Panel: you can customize your view by turning layers on or off by selecting or deselecting the boxes; layers available are borders and labels

*Add Place Marks: drop a pushpin into any location to mark it

*Ruler: measure the length or distance of any line, path, drive, distance between two places or section of the world

*Print and Email: email a graphic of your current view, or print it

     Tools-

*Record a Tour: create a tour of your favorite area; it allows you to record video as you navigate through the world and save it to watch later or allow others to watch

*Historical Imagery: explore the past of the location by sliding the date and year to when you desire

*Explore Earth, Sky, Mars or the Moon:  see outside the earth; look into outer space including the moon, the stars, the sun and Mars

     Tutorial Video-

Here is a link to a tutorial video that will help you understand better the basic functions of Google Earth and how to use them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYapu-TDW30

How can we use it in the classroom?

                Lesson Ideas-

1) For Kindergarten/1^st grade:  In these grades, students are being introduced to a variety of literature along with the components of literature (character, setting, plot, resolution, etc.) Google Earth can be great tool to introduce setting in a fun and engaging way. One idea for an interesting lesson would be to choose a book where the setting is another country. Understanding where this country is and about this country may be essential to comprehending the text, but your students may not be familiar with this place. Use Google to better display the setting. For example, a story set in China about a young girl growing and up and going to school there may be hard to grasp for first graders who do not know very much about China. Use Google Earth to show them the Chinese city where the story is set-what the town looks like, what the homes look like, what the businesses look like, also look at the street view to get a snapshot of daily live in the city. Utilizing Google Earth to help the children understand story settings better will allow children to understand the text more fully and the importance that setting can have in a piece.

2) For Second/Third Grade:  In second and third grade students are asked to write with a variety of purposes. One of these purposes is narrative. One idea for an interesting lesson is having students write narratives with descriptive and important settings. Have them choose a unique and far-off setting (another state, another country, a different climate) and have them use Google Earth to research what the setting is really like and how they should describe it in their narrative. Students should finish with a narrative that includes a descriptive and accurate setting of a place that explored on Google Earth.

3) For Fourth/Fifth Grade: In fourth and fifth grade students are learning about expository texts and how to write their own expository texts. One idea for an interesting lesson is using Google Earth for an expository texts research. Students in small groups will be expected to write an expository text about a location they have never been (a state, a man-made or physical landmark, a country).  All groups should pick a different topic and plenty of time will be given to use Google Earth as the primary research tool (along with supplemental reading). Students will be able to personally explore the area they are researching and will be able to feel like they are really there.

Links

1.  Classroom Resources: Features for My Class: This is a website sponsored by Google Earth that has many Google Earth tools specifically designed to be used in the

classroom. Some of the tools include looking at the Hubble Space Telescope images, using the historical view, looking at 3D buildings and creating tours of destinations. All of these are wonderful resources which can be integrated into classroom lessons.

http://sitescontent.google.com/google-earth-for-educators/classroom-resources/features-for-my-class

2. Google Lit Trips: This is a fabulous website that has many popular book titles (including adult and children's literature) that are linked to Google Earth based on the stories setting. Search for books you are

reading to better display the setting of the story to your students. New books are being added all the time.

http://www.googlelittrips.com/GoogleLit/Home.html

3. Scholastic: Explore Your Earth: This website is put on by Scholastic and gives teacher lesson plans for better understanding the earth. It gives lessons plans that allow students to explore our planet using the many tools of Google Earth.

http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonplans/exploreyourearth/

4. Google Earth-Education Community: This website is an educational community that teachers and other educators post on. All of the ideas on this website are lessons that teachers have used in their classroom using the integration of Google Earth into many subject areas. There are a lot of great classroom ideas on this website for a teacher who wants to use Google Earth. http://edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/dherring/ge/googleearth.htm

5. Google Earth-Classroom Resources: This website is also sponsored by Google Earth and is a long list of ideas and links of how to incorporate Google Earth into many learning activities. Google Earth has lots of resources for teachers and how to use Google Earth in the classroom. This is the website to access all of those wonderful resources.

http://sitescontent.google.com/google-earth-for-educators/classroom-resources

Works Cited

1.

https://support.google.com/earth/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=148176&topic=2376018&parent=2376017&rd=1

2.

http://support.google.com/earth/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=188201&topic=2376010&ctx=topic#