Hello!

So...my lesson plan for 2nd-3rd grade, would involve Google Earth, partially because it's THE GREATEST, but also because it can involve aspects of Literacy, Math, Social Studies, and Pacific Northwest History and Geography!

My plan would be to split the glass into groups of 4 and give them two iPads per group. Then, I would share a prepared Google Earth Map with them which had preset pins for locations and landmarks around the city that they might know. Let them play for a few minutes, then....

Assign each group a landmark and give them some simple questions to answer about it, and challenge them to create a presentation. In this way, one half of the group can look at one iPad for Google Earth reference and the other half can reference their work to visually present the information. The questions would be things like, "is there a river nearby", "what street is this on" and "where is the nearest grocery store". A challenge question would be how to find directions, and distance to the next nearest pin or landmark. The students could then present the location in street view to their classmates on the smart board, as well as the presentation the questions.They could make a movie, a prezi, or draw a digital picture-I as the instructor would guide and moderate the presentations.  We could then publish the presentations on a blog!

I believe that this modifies the task as it would have been done before, as kids have used maps to present information and discover landmarks in reference to each other. However, it is so amazing and probably redefining to be able to present the street view of ANYTHING via a device or smart board. The possibilities are endless and you can  literally walk the streets of many cities using that application. I think the kids would enjoy it, and it would teach them search skills in addition to the many other skills presented!

Confession: I have spent many happy hours on Google Earth and found today that I knew very little about it. I may now be a Google Earth junkie.

Thank you!