Using Google Earth

Students in 7th and 8th grade use Google Earth to follow the character's journey in two different stories. The object is to not only follow the journey, but to learn about the places these characters visit. They pick several places to visit, research historical information, link photos or video, and create a path for the journey. It's a great project that encompasses Language Arts, History, Geography, and Technology. The only app required is Google Earth.

PLEASE NOTE: The files associated with this project are linked below. You will need to download Google Earth to open and view the files. Here is a tutorial on the Basics of viewing a Google Lit Trip.

For 7th grade, student's follow Victor's journey to the US. 
"Crossing the Wire" by Will Hobbs
Link to Google Lit Trip example.

Description: When falling crop prices threaten his family with starvation, fifteen-year-old Victor Flores heads north in an attempt to “cross the wire” from Mexico into the United States so he can find work and send money home. But with no coyote money to pay the smugglers who sneak illegal workers across the border, Victor must struggle to survive as he jumps trains, stows away on trucks, and hikes grueling miles through the Arizona desert.

Victor’s journey is fraught with danger, freezing cold, scorching heat, hunger and dead ends. It’s a gauntlet run by millions attempting to cross the border. Through Victor’s often desperate struggle, Will Hobbs brings to life one of the great human dramas of our time.

For 8th Grade, students are follow Heidi's journey to New York

"So B. IT" by Sarah Weeks
Link to Google Lit Trip example

Description: Heidi knows her mom loves her. But because of her mother's mental disability, she is unable to care for herself or her daughter. Their loving neighbor, Bernadette, helps out and is a vital part of their family.The truth about her mother's identity eats away at Heidi. She simply cannot rest until she pieces together Mama's past through clues that appear over the years. Why is her mother terrified of buses? Why do rainy days make her anxious? When Heidi finds some old photos of her mother at a Christmas party held at Hilltop Home in Liberty, New York, she decides she must travel there alone in order to discover who her mother truly is. The trip is a frightening yet exciting adventure for determined, courageous Heidi.