Using Google Earth™: Bring the World into Your Classroom Levels 3-5 1st Edition

I think this may be the most well-written and well-designed teacher resource book I've ever come across. I ordered all 3 books (Level 1-2, Level 3-5, and Level 6-8) for the elementary school library where I'm librarian, after I attended a teacher workshop on GoogleEarth. The workshop had gotten me excited about the possibilities for using GoogleEarth in the classroom, but I found the prospect of learning all the ins and outs of the software, sorting through the wealth of online resources related to it, and deciding how to apply it to the curriculum, to be a bit daunting (as in, taking more free time than I could find to apply to it.) These books were the perfect solution. The lesson plans are creative, clear, concise, and complete. They offer step-by-step and "click-by-click" instructions that make learning GoogleEarth easy for both teacher and students, and that make excellent use of this amazing online resource. Teachers can get familiar with all the functions and features of GoogleEarth one lesson at a time, as they share the lessons with students, rather than feeling like they have to learn the whole package themselves before beginning to use it in class. The lessons show how to use GoogleEarth in teaching many different subject areas beyond the obvious ones (geography and Earth sciences) -- the applications for bringing history and literature alive for students are really creative. I love the way the lesson plans have all the substance you need, in a very uncluttered, easy-to-follow format, and include a reproducible hand-out for the student which helps him/her focus on the main idea of the lesson.GoogleEarth is an amazing tool, and these books are curriculum-writing at it's very best. I highly recommend them for all elementary and middle school teachers, and for high school teachers who teach Earth sciences, history, literature, or geography (although there isn't a book in the series specifically for grades 9-12, many of the lessons in the level 6-8 book could be adapted for higher grade levels.)Thank you, JoBea Holt, for this awesome resource!

I didn't learn about this book until the end of our school year so I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but I am very excited about using it next school year. I did get a chance to show my students "Google Earth" and they loved it. Reading through the activities, I can see that this book has ideas that I never even thought of. I think it will be a big part of my social studies curriculum next school year.

What we wanted

Great book for teaching the curious child how to discover the world around him using Google Earth. Your child will be able to explore the world with Google Earth in so many ways they never knew possible. This book explains how to help your child learn to use Google Earth and discover places that are familiar to them with a whole new perspective. From the real Island of the Blue Dolphin, to Magellan's journey to baseball fields over time, this book guides your child to some of the most fascinating places of interest to elementary school children. Well written for both teachers and parents to use.

This is a resource that every teacher who says they are teaching 21st Century Skills should have. I found practical, easy to use model lessons that not only taught me how to use Google Earth, but will allow me to enhance every lesson I teach. Best of all my students will learn to use Google Earth through the student activities in the book. Now they actually demonstrate their knowledge with this exciting FREE tool. Book reports will never be the same again!!