Google Earth Lesson Idea

In third grade we study the Thirteen Colonies. This is a very introductory unit and the students will go into greater depth of the history in future grades. What we do focus on is the geography of the Thirteen Colonies and the history of them up until right before the Boston Tea Party. As we progress through out unit, my students will be creating a tour of the 13 colonies.

In past years I have discovered it is very difficult for students to remember information specific to each colony, such as important crops and geography. I think that incorporating an interactive Google Earth tour will help solidify these concepts in my students’ minds.

         This will be an activity that the students will complete throughout the unit. They will work in groups of 5 students. They will select which layers on Google Earth they want visible in their tour. They will drop pins in each colony and distinguish which region each colony was in. They will also select different pins for each region, making them easy to identify. As we study each region, they will add to their tour, and save it at the end for a summative assessment and for future reference.

         I like this project because it provides opportunities to compare and contrast the original Thirteen Colonies and the East Coast as it is today. It is also a very visual project and allows the students to associate the geography with each region’s climate and how it helps certain crops thrive.