Social Studies Telecollaboration Project Using Google Earth
Danielle Degelman
Grade: 5
Goal: To analyze the dynamic relationships of people with land, environments, events, and
ideas as they have affected the past, shape the present, and influence the future (dynamic
relationships).
Outcome: To analyze the historical and contemporary relationship of people to land in Canada
(DR5.1).
Indicator: c) To outline the predominant physical features of the regions of Canada, including
the Western Cordilleran, Interior Plains, Canadian Shield, Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Lowlands,
Appalachian, and Arctic/Innuitian Regions.
Description of Activity:
For this activity, grade five students will use Google Earth as a useful and fun tool to
identify Canada’s six main physical regions—the Cordilleran Region, Interior Plains Region,
Canadian Shield, St. Lawrence Lowlands, Appalachian Region, and Innuitian Region. The
purpose of this activity is to allow students to use and research a variety of clues that will help
them locate these physical regions on the globe. This online experience will present students
with the opportunity to explore Canada’s landscape in a limitless, realistic, and exciting manner!
As students work cooperatively with one another, they will list characteristics of each physical
region under investigation. This activity is connected with the dynamic relationships goal, as
students will be invited to develop a better understanding of what it is like to live in each
physical region. Ultimately, students will realize that Canada does not consist of uniform
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features, but is a country of interesting geographic diversity. The final discussion will allow
students to analyze and develop an appreciation of each region.
Steps of the Activity:
1.
Post a large sheet of poster paper on the board, and ask students to provide words that
describe the land in Saskatchewan. For example, Saskatchewan’s land is often described as
“flat”, “dry”, “grassy”, “hilly”, and “vast”. If students are having trouble listing such
adjectives, appropriate nouns may be listed, such as “cropland”, “farms”, “prairie”, and
“valleys”. Full participation and openness to responses will be encouraged. If students
provide inaccurate adjectives or nouns, question students as to why they came up with these
descriptions.
2.
Inform students that they have just provided a helpful list of clues that can be used to locate
the Interior Plains Region of Canada—this is only one of Canada’s six physical regions.
Post another large sheet of poster paper on the board that highlights the other five physical
regions of Canada, and the possible clues that can be used to locate each region (see page 6).
Read these clues to the class and ask students if they can think of any other nouns or
adjectives that can be added to the lists.
3.
Lead students to the computer lab (or any other room in the school that has an abundance of
computers). Upon arrival, group students according to their months of birth, and explain
that each group will use Google Earth to locate Canada’s six main physical regions. (Be
sure to bring the completed lists of clues, and post them on the wall for all to see. These
clues will be used to identify each physical region on Google Earth.)
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4.
Ask students if they have ever used Google Earth before. Take about ten or fifteen minutes
to familiarize students with the Google Earth program. (Connect one of the computers to a
projector so that all can see.) Acquaint students with “the basics” of Google Earth. That is,
show students how to find Canada on the globe, to zoom in and out of various locations, to
move across each province by dragging with the mouse, to identify the various symbols (e.g.
highways, restaurants, hotels, national parks, etc.), and to copy an image onto Microsoft
Word by using the “Print Scrn” key on the keyboard.
5.
Describe the Google Earth activity in depth. Explain that each group will copy and paste a
Google Earth image of each physical region onto Microsoft Word (for a total of six images).
Below each image, students will provide a location of the photo (i.e. city, town, island,
peninsula, coast, river, lake, etc. along with the province), and list the clues that helped them
identify each region (at least three clues for each region). Encourage students to use the
clues that are displayed on the poster paper, as well as research additional clues using the list
of online resources that I provide for them (see page 5).
6.
Remind students that a variety of answers and images are expected from each group, as each
physical region is very vast and can be found in more than one province. Provide each
group with a copy of “Student Example of the Google Earth Activity” (see pages 7-12), so
that students have a better understanding of what is expected of them and how to format
their activity.
7.
Give students about thirty minutes to research with their group members. Since it may be
difficult for some groups to work from one computer, suggest that students switch roles as
“keyboardists” and “recorders”. That is, some students will be responsible for exploring the
clues on Google Earth and the many websites, while others will record the data on Microsoft
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Word. Students can switch roles after each region is identified. It will be important that all
students get a chance to experiment and explore with Google Earth!
8.
When thirty minutes are up (students can finish their Google Earth activity during the next
social studies class if they are not yet completed), ask each group to share their favourite
region, and the specific location that they identified within this region. During the sharing
time, students will realize that different locations were identified by groups exploring the
same region. (Care will be taken to ensure that each answer is actually correct, and that each
clue is an accurate description of the specific region being examined.)
9.
For the last five or ten minutes of class, facilitate discussion among the students and
encourage participation. Present the following three questions on the overhead:
 What do you think it is like living in the ______________ Region? (Discuss all six if
time permits.)
 By studying some of the clues provided, do you think that some regions are superior to
others? If so, in what way?
 Which region would you want to live in and why? Is there a particular location within
this region that you prefer? Why?
10. If time is an issue, ask students to come prepared to discuss their answers to these questions
for next class. Encourage students to use the online resources page to conduct further
research at home, or to visit their local library to find resources on the physical regions of
Canada. By next class, students will realize that not all answers are the same, and that there
can be many advantages to living in any one of the six regions of Canada.
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Need More Clues??? Here Are Some Online Resources!
1. http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/phillie/InternationalExchange/Canada/Physical%20Regions/Physical_
Regions/index.htm
2. http://web2.uwindsor.ca/edfac/student/griff-3.htm
3. http://www.members.shaw.ca/kcic1/geographic.html
4. http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&q=cache:eJBYVy2c3oMJ:www.wwu.edu/depts/castudies/k1
2studycanada/files/lesson_plans/Geography/Geog3regions.pdf+7+physical+regions+canada&hl=
en&gl=ca&sig=AFQjCNEU_BXNwKLokCiGWurmn0c6UjYsMw
5. http://geography.howstuffworks.com/canada/geography-of-canada1.htm
6. http://www.nald.ca/clr/harbours/p38.htm
7. http://yennadon.sd42.ca/canada/physicalfeatures.html
8. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0003212
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The Other Five Physical Regions of Canada
The teacher will post a large sheet of poster paper that lists the characteristics (or “clues”) that
can be used to identify the other five physical regions of Canada. (Clues for the Interior Plains
Region were already brainstormed by students during the onset of this activity.) These are only
some of the descriptions that can be used as clues for the Google Earth exploration activity:
Cordilleran
Region
Canadian
Shield
St. Lawrence
Lowlands
Appalachian
Region
Innuitian
Region
Mountain
ranges
Ancient rocks
Great Lakes
Rocky
Snow and ice
Erosion
Many islands
Many trees
Isolated
Valleys
Fairly flat
Surrounded by
water
Permafrost
Many small
rivers and
lakes
Wet
Snowy (peaks
of mountains)
Fir trees
Very wet
Icecaps
Poor soils
Cropland
Glaciers
Fisheries
Valleys
Isolated
Muddy
Fisheries
Rolling hills
Plateaus
Highlands
AND lowlands
Mines
Hills
Fisheries
Coastal islands
Closer to
Pacific Ocean
Extremely
rugged
“Storehouse”
of minerals
(e.g. gold,
iron, nickel,
silver, copper)
Evergreen
forests
Many
livestock
ranches
Wheat fields
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No forests
Rugged
coastline
Closer to
Atlantic Ocean
No agriculture
Frozen water
Closer to
Arctic Ocean
Student Example of the Google Earth Activity
1) Cordilleran Region
Location: Princess Louisa Marine, British Columbia
Clues: many mountain ranges
snowy mountain peaks
green space indicates patches of forest
very close proximity to the Pacific Ocean
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2) Interior Plains Region
Location: village of Marquis, Saskatchewan
Clues: flat
farmland
coloured rectangles indicate different crops
prairies
vast
grassy
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3) Canadian Shield
Location: east coast of Hudson Bay, Québec
Clues: shades of red indicate ancient rock
blue lines indicate many small lakes and other bodies of water
rugged-looking
appears isolated
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4) St. Lawrence Lowlands
Location: Slate Islands, Ontario
Clues: island located in northern region of Lake Superior
green may indicate evergreen forests
flat
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5) Appalachian Region
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Clues: surrounded by water
prevalence of fisheries and boats
close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean
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6) Innuitian Region
Location: Baffin Island, Nunavut
Clues: frozen river (white space indicates ice)
snow and ice
close proximity to the Arctic Ocean
no sign of vegetation
no agriculture
appears to have little or no population
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