Patrick Spensley
A Lesson to Introduce the “MY MAPS” Application in Google Maps
Instructional situation

Classes are taught at the American School of Guatemala, which is a private international school based upon an American
curriculum.
Analyze learners
General characteristics
 Classes are generally homogeneous and consist of 12-13 year old boys and girls who come from an upper middle class
family background without any major learning disabilities.
Entry Competencies
 Students have a background in computer skills and have a technology course as a part of their curriculum and therefore should
already have the basic computer skills needed to complete this lesson.
Learning styles
 Some members of the class will require a step by step instructional guide that they will be able to reference as they complete
the assignment.
State standards and objectives
It is expected that students will be able to:
Use various types of graphs, tables, timelines, and maps to obtain or communicate information.
Compile a body of information from a range of sources.

Describe the learning objectives
 Introduce a new tool and skill to Social Studies 7 Students.
 The use of the Google Maps application to create a “My Map”
 Classes will be conducted in the Library computer lab and observed by their Social Studies Classroom Teacher.
 Students should be able to use the “My Maps” section of Google Maps to create a biography of their travels.
Select strategies, technology, media, and materials


Students will be required to use the Google Maps application to create a biography of their travels. In order to achieve this
they will need to use keyboarding skills, mouse skills, searching for, saving, and uploading pictures, and web research skills.
Once students understand the uses of this application they can use it to create presentations for the biographies of important
historical figures and events.
Utilize technology, media and materials
Preview technology, media and materials
 This application can be found at maps.google.com
Prepare technology, media and materials
 First watch a video found on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TftFnot5uXw . Then as a teacher practice creating
a “My Map” yourself.
 Show the You Tube video and display the creation of your “My Map” to the students and this should give the students a strong
background for this assignment.
 Students should also prepare a list of the cities and countries that they have traveled to as well as the highlights and/or
lowlights of their travels that they want to give information about in their maps.
 For students who have not traveled very much this assignment could be done as a way to describe a trip they would like to
take and why.
Prepare the environment
 Have the ICT teacher help to create Google accounts for the students prior to the activity or ask students to create these at
home before class.
 Make sure a computer lab is booked that has a sufficient amount of computers for each student with an active internet
connection.
Prepare the learners
 Students should have been prepared by watching the You Tube video and seeing the presentation of their teachers map.
However, they can also reference the “how to” manual presented by Google here:
http://maps.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=68480 and this along with the link to the instructional You
Tube video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TftFnot5uXw should be made available to students so that they will be able
to answer a lot of their own questions and these will provide for those students who need extra assistance.
Provide the learning experience
 The “My Maps” application can be used to for teachers to supplement information in history and can be combined with
Google Earth to help students understand the geography and the locations of the people and places they are studying.
 For students, it gives them another presentation tool that they can use not only for Social Studies but for many of their other
subjects as well.
Require learner participation


Students will have to be able to organize and prepare a presentation that either explains the history of their travels or shows
a trip that they would like to take in the future using the “My Maps” features in Google Maps
It allows them to organize and present information using a new tool and will prepare them for future project such as creating
maps for famous historical figures or events.
My Maps: My Travels Assignment
Organization
Tools
Conventions
Graphics
4
3
2
1
Your map follows a
logical chronological
order and is easy for
others to follow.
You have
demonstrated
excellent use of the
tools available
including the
uploading of
pictures or video,
linking to websites,
and plotting tools.
All of the writing has
been done using
complete
descriptive
sentences and there
are no spelling or
grammatical errors.
Your map is
somewhat easy to
follow but tends to
jump around a little.
You have
demonstrated a
good use of the
tools available but
seem either
unwilling to take
risks or have not
fully understood
their capabilities.
All of the writing has
been done using
complete
descriptive
sentences but there
some small
grammatical or
spelling errors.
Most of the graphics
chosen are related
to your trip and
have been clearly
explained.
There is no pattern
to your map and it is
difficult to follow.
Your map is missing
one or more major
component or has
not been created.
The tools available
to you have not
been used properly
or at all.
All of the graphics
chosen are related
to your trip and are
clearly explained so
that they enhance
the readers
understanding.
You have created a
map that only uses
the very basic tools
and is not supported
by any of the
advanced features.
Only some of the
writing has been
done using
complete sentences
or there are many
grammatical or
spelling errors.
Writing is of a very
low level with
almost no complete
sentences being
used or the bare
minimum of effort
being apparent.
Some of the
graphics chosen are
inappropriate or do
not make sense or
many of the
graphics have not
been explained.
Either many of the
graphics chosen are
inappropriate or
there are no
graphics apparent.
Evaluate and Revise



Use traditional and authentic assessments to determine learner achievement of stated standards and objectives (Rubric- See
Above)
o Were students able to complete the assignment in a timely manner?
o Were they given enough instruction?
o Are they creating a finished product that incorporates all of the tools available to them?
o How else could they use this application?
Examine the entire instructional process and the impact of using technology and media (not be relevant at this time)
If discrepancies between learning objectives and student outcomes are identified, revise the lesson plan to address the areas
of concern (not be relevant at this time)