Google Earth Research

This wonderful article has a host of information about using Google Earth to do scientific inquiry. Starting out with one research question - "What are the geologic features characteristic ... See More

This wonderful article has a host of information about using Google Earth to do scientific inquiry. Starting out with one research question - "What are the geologic features characteristic of the different plate tectonic boundaries?” led students to explore Google Earth to collect data to answer this question. Students also proposed future research questions. The teacher gave them time to explore those. There is also a list of web resources to accompany this lesson.

Studying the Earth using Google Earth

This great article is a wonderful introduction to using Google Earth while developing inquiry skills. Too often, we show the same lame videos, use the same textbook examples, and overworked ... See More

This great article is a wonderful introduction to using Google Earth while developing inquiry skills. Too often, we show the same lame videos, use the same textbook examples, and overworked labs. This article, complete with lesson plans, also contains a substantial list of sources, and suggestions to guide inquiry. Intended for grades eight and nine, ideas to expand and enrich for older classes are also provided. The lesson also does an excellent job of showing students the importance of indirect observations.