Google Earth Tour - preliminary stages

I chose the 3^rd grade Social Studies Standard 1 (Students will understand how geography influences community location and development), Objective 1 (Determine the relationships between human settlement and geography). I think that Google Earth is an effective tool to demonstrate geographical features and learn about earth's history.

I have chosen a variety of research and analytical activities to help the students think about how and why people have settled where they have. It is one thing to show a map and point out geographical features, but to have them think about the different places shown in the tour and analyze the influences of the geographical features helps make it more exciting.

Along with using Google Earth, I have chosen several features available that will help enhance the tour. Not only will they see the topographical view, but there are many pictures and articles to read. The students also have opportunities to search out other information not found on Google Earth. Google Earth is an exciting technology teaching tool because students can feel like they're “flying” around the world, not just sitting at their desk looking at a map – it is more interactive.

Here is a rough outline of my Google Earth tour:

Location	Activity Description	Google Earth Content
1. Mississippi River (by Memphis)	Research when steamboats came about and how that impacted trade and transportation. Use the historical imagery tool to see how Memphis has looked over the last several years, then draw a picture of what you think Memphis looked like 100 years ago.	Placemark; maybe image overlay; historical imagery tool
2. The Nile River	View the 360 picture of the King's valley and Valley of the Nile – compare and contrast the geographical features you see. How does the area around the Nile look? Why might it look more alive? Might this have influenced the ancient Egyptian's choice in where to settle?	Placemark; image overlay, 360 cities in the Gallery
3. Rio Grande River (by San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico)	Identify reasons that ancient Pueblans moved down off the mesa tops. Many of their decendents still live in the Rio Grande valley today. Create a picture album of the modern day Pueblos, which are still along the Rio Grande. Why might these people have chosen to remain there? What does the geography look like in contrast to the surrounding area?	Placemark; image overlay; Panoramio;
4. Columbia River (by Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington)	Read the Wikipedia article found on Google Earth about the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. Take a self-guided picture tour of Fort Vancouver. Analyze why the location of the Fort helped make the Portland/Vancouver area become such a center of activity on the Pacific coast ranging from Alaska to Mexico and the Hawaiian Islands to the Rocky Mountains. What made them so accessible to all of those areas. May the geographical features have contributed to the naming of Portland?	Placemark, image overlay, Panoramio, Wikipedia article