You are on page 1of 8

F R E E T E C H 4 T E A C H E R S .

C O M

Google Earth Across


the Curriculum
There’s more to Google Earth than just finding your house.

This guide was designed to provide teachers with some ideas for using Google Earth in their
classrooms. Most people hear “Google Earth” and think of Geography, but Google Earth can
be used as an instructional tool across the curriculum. The following pages offer some ideas
for using Google Earth in the typical middle school and high school core courses.

This is not an all-inclusive how-to guide rather it is a quick-start guide that teachers can use
to familiarize themselves with the basics of Google Earth. This guide links out to some
excellent video tutorials that new Google Earth users should watch.

If you don’t have Google Earth installed on


your computer. You can download and
install from Earth.Google.com remember,
it’s free.

This guide was developed by Richard Byrne.


Richard is a high school social studies,
Google Certified Teacher, and author of
Free Technology for Teachers. If you like this
guide, please visit Free Technology for
Teachers where everyday you will find new
free resources you can use in your classroom.

Richard Byrne. FreeTech4Teachers.com 1


F R E E T E C H 4 T E A C H E R S . C O M

Google Earth Across


the Curriculum
There’s more to Google Earth than just finding your house.
English / Mathematics Science Social Studies General Interest
Language Arts
The most famous use Real World Math is There are numerous The possibilities are Take health and
of Google Earth in commonly regarded layers and features endless for Social physical education
English/Language as one of the best built into Google Studies teachers to students on a virtual
Arts courses is Jerome collections of Earth that science use Google Earth in climb of Mount
Burg’s Google Lit mathematics lessons teachers can utilize. If their classrooms. Everest to inspire
Trips. that incorporate the you’re teaching interest in life-long
In history classes
use of Google Earth. lessons on astronomy physical activity.
Google Lit Trips maps students can view
or space exploration,
out the story-lines of Some of the things switch Google Earth
and create their own High school students
books providing that a mathematics tours of military exploring their
into Moon, Mars, or
students with a teacher can do with campaigns. Take college options may
Sky mode. In the
geographic context Google Earth include advantage of the want to virtually tour
Moon mode students
for the stories they measuring distances, historical imagery in campuses and their
can explore Apollo
read. Google Lit Trips angles, depths, and landing sites and
Google Earth to surrounding cities.
maps the biographies elevations. Switch even listen to phone
compare and contrast Egiate makes an
of authors. Some Google Earth into Sky the views of cities application for that.
calls from astronauts
Google Lit Trips mode and challenge today with the views
to the President of the Take a virtual
include video them to calculate of the past. Go on a
United States. submarine tour via
segments within the distances between virtual field trip to
Sea Seek.
tour. stars. Switch to Moon If you’re teaching the Great Pyramid.
or Mars view and ask Earth Science your Turn on the
With a little In a Civics course you
students to calculate students can analyze Wikipedia layer to
instruction your could have students
and compare the size earthquake data. conduct research by
students can create record a narrated tour
of the two. location.
their own Google Lit Teachers of of their hometown as
Trips. Students can Real World Math environmental part of a “tourism Use the 360 Cities
map their includes some science will want to campaign.” layer to have a
autobiographies. excellent lessons explore the climate panoramic look at
Use the KML
Switch to Sky mode which use Google data layers. Biology cities and tourist
Factbook to create
and students can Earth to explore teachers may want to attractions.
layers of
create sci. fic. stories fractals and graph look at endangered
demographic data.
about space travel. theory. species habits.
2 Richard Byrne. Freetech4teachers.com
F R E E T E C H 4 T E A C H E R S . C O M

Google Earth Across


the Curriculum

There’s more to Google Earth than just finding your house.

Watch a video from Google about viewing Mars.


Watch a video from Google about viewing the Moon.
Richard Byrne. FreeTech4Teachers.com 3
F R E E T E C H 4 T E A C H E R S . C O M

Google Earth Across


the Curriculum
There’s more to Google Earth than just finding your house.

Watch a video from Google about historical imagery.

4 Richard Byrne. FreeTech4Teachers.com


F R E E T E C H 4 T E A C H E R S . C O M

Google Earth Across


the Curriculum
There’s more to Google Earth than just finding your house.

For detailed video tutorials on adding placemarks and creating


tours, watch this video and this video created by Joe Wood.

Richard Byrne. FreeTech4Teachers.com 5


F R E E T E C H 4 T E A C H E R S . C O M

Google Earth Across


the Curriculum

To learn more about using StreetView in Google Earth watch this


video and read these directions from Frank Taylor.

6 Richard Byrne. FreeTech4Teachers.com


F R E E T E C H 4 T E A C H E R S . C O M

Google Earth Across


the Curriculum
There’s more to Google Earth than just finding your house.

Watch a video from Google about viewing the Moon.

Richard Byrne. FreeTech4Teachers.com 7


F R E E T E C H 4 T E A C H E R S . C O M

Google Earth Across


the Curriculum
There’s more to Google Earth than just finding your house.

Watch a video from Google Earth Outreach which


demonstrates use of Global Awareness layers.

8 Richard Byrne. FreeTech4Teachers.com

You might also like