Google Earth Classroom Activities
Google Earth is a platform for viewing maps of Earth, locating places all around the world, studying satellite images of cloud cover above Earth, accessing images of Earth's buildings in 3D and selecting many other options from which activities can be planned. Downloading Google Earth at the Google Earth website is the first thing you do in order to use it.
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Finding Latitudes and Longitudes for Cities
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Open Google Earth. Click on "Fly to" on the menu bar at the top left corner of the window in the "Search" frame. Type in the name of the place you want to find the latitude and longitude for into the search box. Move the cursor on the point that locates the place. For example, type in New York, New York. Google Earth will take you there by revolving the globe to simulate an air flight. Once you are there, move the cursor to the plus sign in the middle of the small square on the map. Look at the bottom for the latitude and longitude. Write the name of the city down and its latitude and longitude. Then repeat for other cities.
Find Your House or Apartment Building
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Open Google Earth. Click on "Fly to" on the menu bar at the top left corner of the window. Type in your address followed by a comma and your ZIP code. When Google Earth finds your house, move the cursor out of the square that locates you house until the arrow changes into a fist. Double-click to move down and click and drag to move left or right using the fist until you reach the roof of your house in the window. Draw what you see. Write the address, city and state with the correct punctuation marks. Hang the image on the bulletin board.
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Take a Sightseeing Tour
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Expand the "Places" frame (Google calls this a "Layer"). Locate the "Sightseeing Tour." Click on the square next to it. When you do, all of the squares will be marked with a check. That's the tour you want to go on. Note that it says, "Make sure 3D buildings is checked." To check this, expand the "Layers" frame. Click on the square next to where it says "3D Buildings" to check it. To play the tour, click on the folder at the bottom right of the "Places" frame. Write the name of all the places you visited.
Find Pizza Places in Your City/Town
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Click on "Find Businesses" in the "Search" frame at the top left corner of the window. Type in "pizza" under "What." Type in the name of your city under "Where." Google Earth will fly you there and show a list of pizza places in the "Search" frame. Write down the names and addresses of your favorite pizza places from the list.
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References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
