This was a tip from a colleague and I am glad I remembered it as I was caught up in some recent traveling. Humanities Teachers at my school have the job of teaching both Literature/Writing and History/Geography. Within the context of a story, one can often bring the history and geography into it and provide a richer experience.
With Google Lit Trips, much of the work has been done for you. Simply look at the top of the page for the level of reader (K-5, 6-8. High School, and Higher Ed) and scroll to find the book you are reading. Then download the file to Google Earth and play the tour for your students. The content has been created by teachers just like yourself and can include a landmarks tour and Sketchup Models of ancient or fictional buildings. You will also find great resources like reader guides and links to interesting websites about the book.
If you have a passion for a particular book, why not add it to the website and share it with the world!
If you have not used Google Earth or Sketchup before, you will be amazed at how easy and fun it is for learning. There are many great tutorials on how to use both: Google Earth Tutorials (Historical Imagery), Getting Started with Sketchup are some examples.
Be sure to check out the BrokenAirplane Humanities Resources page for other resources for English, Social Sciences, Geography, Music, Foreign Language and more!By the way, this project was created by Jerome Burg, a Google Certified Teacher. If you are interested in becoming one, the deadline for this year's Teacher Academy is June 16th so click the link and apply!
