Latitude and Longitude Game (Ontario – Grade 6)

Ontario Curriculum Expectations:
Social Studies: 6z46

Tools:
Google Earth
Computer Projector

Task:
Students are given latitude and longitude of a major city and are asked to find it using Google Earth, in order to gain a better perspective of latitude and longitude.

Procedure:
1. Teacher pre-selects a diverse range of cities from across the globe and collects latitude and longitude information through placemarks. (You might try this set of network links to get you started)

2. Students are grouped in teams and asked to go into full screen mode in Google Earth by selecting F11 and turn on the Lat/Lon grid by selecting Ctrl+L.

3. Teacher displays the placemark of a major city at approximately 60 mi eye altitude in full screen mode, without giving away the city name.

4. The groups always start in the default view of Google Earth and race to find the location of the city by using the latitude and longitude measurements, and then zoom out to try and identify the name of the city.

Reflective discussion should occur around what directions they moved the globe in Google Earth in order to find a particular latitude and longitude. Through discussions and synthesis you should be able to come up with a few rules with your students regarding the hemispheres relationship to latitude and longitude.

Assessment:

This game could be used as an introductory activity.

Similar Examples:

Latitude with Attitude Game

Three-Dimensional Structures (Ontario – Grade 6)

Ontario Curriculum Expectations:

Mathematics: 6m44, 6m50, 6m51

Tools:

1. Google Earth
2. Google SketchUp
3. Google SketchUp 3D Warehouse

Task:

Students build three-dimensional models of famous buildings using different views of that building (i.e., top, side, front).

Procedure:

1. Teacher pre-selects a diverse variety of famous 3-d structures from the Google SketchUp 3D Warehouse, based on simplistic designs and makes a list available to students.

2. Students work in groups on their favourite or most interesting structure to gather visual research on what the building looks like. They might examine different images that they have found online or in books, and the views available in Google Earth. Students try to identify different faces of the buildings and perspectives.

3. Students then break done the pictures into the basic three-dimensional shapes of the images and do a rough sketch of what the building might look like.

4. Students work independently to create the outline of the 3-dimensional building by replicating the different views of the building. They might even create other buildings based on the visual research done by other groups of students.

5. The resulting three-dimensional building is placed into Google Earth where the actual building exists.

6. A teacher guided discussion on the faces and the actual three-dimensional buildings would complete the main part of the activity.

7. Students could then take a look at the same three-dimensional buildings that other people have created in the Google SketchUp Warehouse to enhance the closing discussion.

Assessment:

This activity could be used as assessment activity or a final project for the Geometry and Spatial Sense strand.

Similar Examples:

Maths in Las Vegas (Asks students to identify 3-d shapes from buildings)

A quick idea around Using Google Earth:

North American Explorers (Ontario – Grade 6)

Ontario Curriculum Expectations:
6z7, 6z16, 6z17

Tools:

1. Google Earth
2. Online Research and Information Literacy Skills
3. Wiki or Collaborative Document(optional)

Task:
Students create presentations of the routes that Viking, French and English explorers had taken to North America and explain the reason for their journeys.

Procedure:

1. Divide the class into groups around one of either a Viking, French or English explorer that has been selected.

2. Students collaborate bringing together the online research that they gather using a wiki. This includes information, images, videos or files that support the students' point-of-view. Teacher looks at appropriateness of the data, ensures correct referencing and information acuity before moving on to next stage.

3. Students synthesize the information into specific locations in order to include them into placemarks.

4. Students transfer the data into location placemarks, which develop tours within Google Earth. Placemark locations should relate specifically to the information that is contained in the placemark.

5. Groups present their tours to the class or record in order to share with a wider audience for feedback.

Assessment:

This activity could be used as an introductory knowledge building activity or something assessed through a rubric.

Examples:

Explorer Movies in Google Earth