Supplemental Resources

Hitting home runs.

Student Worksheet

View on Earth

Classroom Activity

Add a couple of layers to a Google Earth project can easily create greater engagement for a static webpage with a lot of great information. In this case, the layers added are Earth’s Plates from the U.S. Geological Survey, a flashy plate boundaries map from NOAA, the tried-and-true Seafloor Age and 10,000 years of volcanoes maps from NOAA, and lastly, 5+ magnitude earthquakes from 2016.

1. Virtual Venue Exploration

Use Google Earth to give students a virtual tour of the Olympic venues. They can "fly" from Milan, where the opening ceremony and ice sports will be held, to Cortina d'Ampezzo and other locations hosting the snow events. This helps students grasp the scale and geography of the Games.

Activity idea: Have students create a digital tour using Google Earth's "Create" tools, marking and annotating key locations like the Olympic Stadium, the ski jump, and the bobsleigh track.

2. Terrain and Elevation Analysis

One of the most powerful features of Google Earth is its 3D terrain. Teachers can use this to show students the actual gradients of the alpine ski slopes. By drawing a path along a course, students can view a detailed elevation profile, allowing for discussions about the physics of downhill skiing, the difference in technique required for a slalom versus a downhill race, and the extreme physical demands on the athletes.

Activity idea: Compare and contrast the elevation profiles of a downhill course and a cross-country skiing course. Have students analyze why one requires brute force and gravity, while the other demands endurance and strategic pacing.

3. Sports Geography and Cultural Context

Google Earth provides a great opportunity to explore the cultural and geographical context of the host cities. Students can learn about the history of winter sports in the region and see how the natural environment of the Alps has shaped both the culture and the sports.

Activity idea: Create a virtual pinboard where students can place images, videos, and information about the different countries and athletes participating in the Games. They can use the map to visually represent the global nature of the Olympics.

4. Interactive Data Visualization

Once the Games are underway, students can use Google Earth to track and visualize data. They could plot the home countries of medal-winning athletes on the map to see which nations are dominant in certain sports, or create a virtual timeline of where the Winter Olympics have been held over the years.

Activity idea: Have students "map" the medal count. They can use custom icons or pins to represent gold, silver, and bronze medals and place them on the home country of each winning athlete, providing a dynamic and visual representation of the final tally.

Small changes can have Big impact.

Quick Activity

• A historical timeline? Map the locations of key events.

• A book you're reading? Trace the characters' journeys.

• A science unit on biomes? Pinpoint and describe different biomes around the world.

• Placemarks: The most fundamental tool. Use them to mark points of interest. You can add text, images, and videos to them.

  
  

• Lines: Great for showing a route, a border, or the path of a river.

  
  

• Polygons: Use these to outline a specific area, like a country, a state park, or a neighborhood.

• Start with an introduction slide that sets the scene.

• Use titles and descriptions for each slide to provide context and questions for students to answer.

  
  

• End with a conclusion slide that summarizes the project or asks a final thought-provoking question.

By starting small and building on your skills, you'll soon be able to create rich, interactive, and educational projects that will bring your lessons to life.