Activity Link Description

Grade
Google Lit Trips

Google Lit Trips is a site developed to enhance teaching great literature by having students discover where in the world the greatest road trip stories of all time took place.  Trips & lessons for K-5, 6-8, 9-12
 

 K-12
Explore Your Earth Scholastic's new cross-curricular language arts, geography, and science program and contest, designed to help students in grades 6 through 8 learn about local and worldwide environmental issues. Developed by Google and Scholastic Inc., these fun, easy-to-use, standards-based lessons will enable your students to take a virtual tour around the world!
 		 6-8
Map of Languages in the US A wealth of information from MLA including interactive maps showing language and speakers across the USA.
 		  
A Map is Worth a Thousand Words Students will realize the importance of "place" in their lives and the lives of others. They will study maps, then document the places they spend an hour/day/lifetime. They will learn that GPS is a new way of documenting locations on earth, then use their creativity to write stories, poems, or other creative communications as they imagine new uses for GPS, as well as how it may have changed history. Companion math, science, & geography lessons found at site as well.
 		 adaptable
to all
grades
K-9
GIS & Geography Friendly
Literature		 A resource sheet for educators to assist them in making spatial connections to common curriculum materials.
 		 all grades
Twain's Travels A 34 page (pdf) lesson pack that includes: introductions, national objectives, language arts activities for "The Celebrated Jumping Frog" by Mark Twain, GIS investigations of the Mississippi River and other student research activities.  This activity originated with 7th graders studying The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and "The Million Pound Bank Note", but is applicable with any of Twain's works.  
Data Download (zip)
 		 6-12
Journey North- Reading & Writing Connections Activities, strategies, vocabulary, and lessons  to help teachers integrate Journey North's high interest, content-rich materials into the reading and writing curriculum.
  		K-6
All the Places in Shakespeare's Plays Google Earth tour featuring 89 place marks that show students almost all the places quoted in Shakespeare's plays. For each place, the name of the play is noted with the number of the scene of the first appearance of the place. Some places are in many plays, all are mentioned.
 		 9-12
Print Powerpoints as Mini Books "How To" for turning kids' PPTs into their own mini books.  This is an easy way to include spatial imagery into a story or fact book!  Check out other good ideas for your classroom at http://tw.neisd.net/webpages/sreeve/tcea2008.cfm
 		 K-3
What Does a Picture Tell
You About Culture?		 National Geographic Xplorer's lesson that uses photographs to create an understanding of cultural landscapes.
 		 6-8
Huck Finn Project Who might have Huck Finn met if he took his journey today?  Explore this question through activities for younger and older students. Or see the journey through Huck Finn's eyes with the Historic Maps of Interest.
 		 5-12
Literature Latitudes A pdf document that addresses English standards, ideas to make connections to spatial thinking and technology.  A great teacher resource to read!
 		  all grades
Journey to the Ganges A story writing activity inspired by Mark Twain's travels to India.  The students assume the persona of an Indian student whose family is making a special journey to the Ganges River with his/her family. 
  		  6-12
1963- A Journey North to South

Inspired by The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis, this lesson explores the Watson family’s journey from Flint, MI to Birmingham, AL in 1963 as well as several social issues that faced them at this challenging time in American History.  The 1963 unit is designed to accommodate a variety of classroom content and situations.  Martin Luther King "I have a Dream" video (zip)
 

  6-12
Shakespeare on the Net 
 		  Virtual field trip  9-12
Author, Author Field Trip The field trip accompanying this module introduces students to the writing process through the eyes of children's book authors. Children usually encounter the steps in the process of writing -- pre-writing, writing, revising, editing, and publishing at some point in their elementary experience, but they rarely apply that understanding to the work of real authors.  2-6
World Wise Language Arts & Literature An extensive list of lessons from the Peace Corps and their web WorldWISE- connections to books, folk tales, and real experiences of volunteers. MS/HS