1. Integrating Google Earth Into
Your Curriculum
Beth Heim, ITRT
Potomac View Elementary
heimbm@pwcs.edu
703.496.1126 ext. 333

2. Beginning with Google Earth

3. Search Places
and View
Layers

4. Toolbar (versions prior to 5.0)
Print
Ruler
Sky View
Add Placemark Image Overlay
Hide Sidebar Add Path Show sunlight Email View in Google
across the Maps
Add Polygon landscape

5. Social Studies

6. A Closer Look… Kelly Leadership
Center

7. A Closer Look… Washington D.C.

8. How far did the soldiers travel on
D-Day?

9. Use photos from Google Images or United
Streaming to compare today to yesterday.

11. A Closer Look… View photographs taken by
visitors and get Wikipedia info

12. Japan: before, after, and today

13. Ground Zero- Nagasaki

14. Introduction
• This lesson is being provided as a lesson
on George Washington for 4th and 5th
grade students following standards set for
the Virginia Standards of Learning.
• The lesson makes the following
assumptions:
– Students have been taught how to use
Google Earth prior to this lesson.
– Students have been taught to use Google
Docs prior to this lesson.

15. Standards
ISTE:
3.Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
A. plan strategies to guide inquiry.
B. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.
c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
d. process data and report results.
Virginia State Standards
Grade 4
VS.5 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the role of Virginia in the American Revolution by
b) identifying the various roles played by Virginians in the Revolutionary War era, with emphasis on
George Washington
VS.6 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the role of Virginia in the establishment of the new American nation by
a) explaining why George Washington is called the “Father of our Country”
Grade 5
USI.6 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the causes and results of the American Revolution by
c) describing key events and the roles of key individuals in the American Revolution, with emphasis on George
Washington

16. Google Earth
• For the first part of our field trip, we
are going to visit Mt. Vernon, the home
of George Washington, by air!
• Step One: Open Google Earth.

17. Google Earth
• In the search window, type Mt.
Vernon Estate and Garden, Mt.
Vernon, VA.

18. Google Earth
• You will see Mt. Vernon at the bottom of the screen.

19. Google Earth
• Zoom in so that the estate fills the screen. Make sure you have
Google Earth set to display photographs.

20. Google Earth
• Look at the photographs that have been taken
by visitors.
• Look at the layout of the main house, the
outer buildings and the gardens.
• Look at the relationship to the house and the
Potomac River.

21. Google Earth
Move over to the left of your screen and locate the following: the original
vault, Washington’s grave site, the farm, 16 sided barn, and the wharf.

22. Google Earth- Assessment
• In the discussion board, post your
thoughts on Mt. Vernon after seeing it
in Google Earth. Is your initial reaction
that you would like to live there? What
part of the estate would you most like
to see if you were only given an hour to
tour? Your response must be at least
150 words.

23. George Washington Website
• Go to
http://www.mountvernon.org/learn/explore_m
v/index.cfm/
• Use the navigation on the left side of the
screen to move through the different areas of
the estate. Read carefully about each area.

24. Website Assessment
Post at least 5 interesting things you learned
from the website on our discussion board. Make
sure you answer in complete sentences and in
paragraph form.

25. Virtual House Tour
• For this part of our virtual tour, we
will go to the Mount Vernon website.
Go to
http://www.mountvernon.org/virtual/i
ndex.cfm/ss/2/
• Click on launch the flash tour.

26. Virtual Tour Assessment
• Enter the tour and answer the
questions found on your Field Trip
Guide Sheet.
• Once completed, upload your
document to our Google Docs site.

27. • Field Trip Guide Sheet
Field Trip Guide
• Answer the following questions. Save a copy as yournamefieldtripguide, upload and share with your instructor in
Google Docs.
• 1st Floor Central Passage
– Find the Bastille Key. Who sent the key to GW?
– What significant event did it mark?
• 1st Floor, Little Parlor
– Washington bought the harpsichord for Nellie Washington. What is a harpsichord?
– What do you think this says about the hobbies or pastimes of the family?
• 1st Floor, Large Dining Room
– This is the room where the Washington’s and their guests spent many hours. Meals here could take as long as
4 hours.
– Why do you think this room needed to be so large?
– How did GW make this room personal? Use the item descriptions from around the room to answer.
• 1st Floor, Small Dining Room
– What color is this room? Why did GW paint the room that color?
• 1st Floor, Study
– Why do you think GW didn’t allow most people in this room?
– What was the purpose of this room?
• 2nd Floor, Lafayette Room
– Why do you think GW had so many visitors?
• 2nd Floor, Nelly Custis Room
– How was Nelly related to GW?
– Did GW have any children of his own?
• 2nd Floor, Master Bedroom
– George Washington died in this room in the bed that is shown in the room. How old was he when he died?
– What caused his death?
– Do you think he would have survived if they would have had modern medical techniques that are available
today? Tell why.
• 3rd Floor, Cupola.
– Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupola and look up cupola. Why do you think GW added this to the house?

28. ELA
Literature Trips

29. Literature Trips- By the Great
Horned Spoon
Full of coots, codgers, geezers, and outlaws,
this is the rip-snortin’-- and suspenseful-- saga
of a young man and his butler bound for
California from Boston during the great Gold
Rush.
Annotation
Jack and the butler stow away on a side-
wheeler bound for California where they join
the Gold Rush of 1849

30. Use Paths and Placemarks to mark
chapters or events

32. Math
Use the measurement tool to
measure distance or compare
measures.

33. Measuring Distance
Ruler
(measurement tool)

34. Converting Measures and Drawing
Paths
Use the path tool
to draw a path to
measure
distances that
may not be in a
straight line.
Convert the
measurement for
the unit of
instruction.

35. Science
Study astronomy using the sky
view or study oceanic features
looking at the sea.

36. Astronomy
Switch to
sky view.
Click it
again to
return to
Earth
view.

37. View Ocean Features
**View
from GE
5.0

38. Art
Look at Architecture

39. Study the architecture of buildings
using the 3-D feature

40. Roman Coliseum

41. Music
Look at locations of composers
and compositions.

42. Haydn, Rohrau (Austria)
Mozart, Germany
Brahms, Germany

43. How can you use Google Earth in
your classroom today?