Last spring, fourth graders at Irene Reither Elementary School used Google Earth to demonstrate their learning of Washington state history about why people move to different places. During this project, students worked collaboratively in groups. The classroom based social studies assessment (CBA) used for the project was developed by OSPI and is called People on the Move. It was used to plan the project and to evaluate students’ learning once the project was completed. This project combines skills in literacy, history and technology.
First, students selected a group of people they wanted to study. Using their social studies book and other supporting documents and maps, students researched missionaries, explorers (land and sea), fur traders, and settlers to the Pacific Northwest, particularly Washington.
Once students selected a people group to focus on, they began their research to learn more and develop a claim as to what motivated the group to leave their homes, exploring their routes and stops along the way to their destination, and the end result of their migration. They then had to explain their claim in a clear and coherent way by providing specific evidence from their research. All this information was compiled into a graphic organizer to support their thinking.
Once their research and graphic organizers were complete, students pulled all the pieces together in a presentation using Google Earth. Google Earth is a robust and interactive free tool that renders a 3D image of the Earth. Students are able to access it through an app on their district-issued Chromebooks.
“Using Google Earth is a unique way to use technology as opposed to a standard presentation or a standard written report. This is both a visual representation of information and written explanation of how geography impacts people groups,” said technology integration coach Cynthia Richardson.
Within Google Earth, students could locate a place or region where their migration group started their journey. They then used the tools in Google Earth to create slides to explain information, highlighting different locations on Earth and explained how geography may have impacted the movement of their group. As students researched, they cited their sources of information. Part of the project requires students to create a map which they are able to do using Google Earth. When students were done, they saved their project in Google Earth and submitted it to Google Classroom. The project concluded with students sharing their findings through a presentation to their class.