Welcome to Making Connections: Discovering the World with Picture Books and Google Earth!

Google Earth is an exciting  tool that can be used to enhance and support geographic education. The possibilities for creating meaningful learning experiences with this application seem endless ... and perhaps a bit overwhelming. Hopefully the resources provided at this website can help teachers interested in teaching geography with this virtual globe.

Our goal is to provide teachers with access to high quality geography activities that integrate Google Earth and children's books. While our lessons are written primarily for elementary-level teachers, mid-level educators may discover activities that can be modified for slightly older students.

Literature Connections

Each of our geography lessons is aligned with a selection of children's literature. Check out the thumbnail images of each book cover to get a sense of the texts we have selected. We are currently in the early stages of our work on this project, so visit the site regularly to explore new resources.

New to Google Earth?

Click the Google Earth Help Tab for information on installing and getting started with the free software. There's no need to master Google Earth before exploring the lessons. Each lesson opens with an overview of the Google Earth skills needed to teach the lesson, so the help page can be referenced when necessary.