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Logo Google Geography: What Can I Do with Google Maps?

By now you are probably ready to explore some ways others have used Google Maps in their classrooms. Here is a short list of ideas. You can search Google for many more!

Language Arts
Google Maps logo

Google Lit Trips

Google Lit Trips are free downloadable files that mark the journeys of characters from famous literature on the surface of Google Earth. 

 

Famous Places relating to a novel

After reading a novel such as Anne Frank, create a map with the placemarks of all the concentration camps in Europe.

  My Reading Mapped includes maps for many famous explorers and includes books when available to accompany the maps.
Science
 

Field Trip Report

Record GPS waypoints and take pictures of various points of interest on a field trip. Come back and map these and include the pictures in placemarks. Great for geology, plant identifaction.

 

Map Earth Science Data

Create and use maps of many earth science topics such as volcanoes, earthquakes, geological formations (e.g., fault activity, world crisis spots.,etc.).

 

Create a Local Environmental Resource

Create a map of a local environmental area that people could use with a mobile device.

 

Astronomy

Find locations of stars in the sky using Google Sky. Use Google Earth as a sky map. Explore the surface of the moon and Mars with Google Moon and Mars.

Social Studies
 

Map Battles and Wars

Map major battles of any war complete with placemarks and historical photos. Here are some great examples.

 

Explorers

Follow the journeys of famous explorers and create placemarks for famous events. This site, My Reading Mapped, is a veritable treasure trove of maps and much more!!!

 

Campaigns

Create maps that highlight the various campaigns of governments and famous leaders (i.e., Alexander the Great or Napolean).

 

Latitude and Longitude

Give students practice with this really difficult concept! Give them a latitude, have them predict what cities they would find there, and then have them use Google Maps to find out!

 

Tours

For younger students, create a tour of their neighborhood or school yard.

For older students, createa a tour of their town or state (especially good for Washington State History).

Map out a walking tour of a famous city. Students would have to research the city, identify significant historical sites and then create the placemarks for each.

Or, have students plan a family trip and make a Google map for it (their own Dream Trip!).

Art
 

Museums

Create a map of art museums of the world with links to each one in the placemarks. Use the Streetview in Google Maps to go inside many of these.

 

Artists of the World

Create a map showing where artists of the world lived and worked. Make sure to include at least one example of the artists work in the placemark.

Math
 

Distance

Find the shortest distance from point to point.

 

Area

Use Google Planimeter to measure area of any region.

PE
 

Exercise Route

Map a walking, running or biking route using Gmap Pedometer site. Calculate calories burned. You can get a nice elevation map on this site as well!