This lesson is great fun and my students always find it very engaging. It’s a twist on the classic “traffic survey” fieldwork, where aircraft are counted instead of cars. Students use the data on FlightRadar24 to sample the volume of flights coming from or going into an airport of their choice to calculate estimated flights per hour, and compare this with another airport to ascertain which airport is busier. Students get the opportunity to experience a taste of what an air traffic controller goes through! Fully resourced lesson with powerpoint instructions and student worksheet table to complete. It could easily be expanded into a multiple lessons.

Includes an activity on Donald Trump’s migration policy. This can also be printed but it works well as a homework task or for remote-learning where every student can complete their own digital copy of the document with their answers.

Basic practice questions to familiarise students with giving locations using latitude and longitude using real-world examples on Google Earth. Two-sided A4 self-guided worksheet

This activity uses two excellent websites to allow students to assess live data showing earthquake and volcanic activity around the world. The worksheet can be printed or completed digitally (eg. in an ICT room or online learning). Self-guided with full instructions. Students love it and get competitive in the last activity!

A handout with self-guided questions with an accompanying PowerPoint to use in the lesson if desired. Fully-resourced with enough activities for a one hour lesson. Students follow the instructions and use a range of fun online mapping tools to explore the differences in map projections and the challenge of portraying a round earth on a flat page. Activities include selecting and dragging countries around a world map to see how their projected size changes as they move it towards and away from the poles. Students also get the opportunity to to experiment with “mashups” by overlaying countries to see how they fit over another.

Students explore a range of glacial and post-glacial landscapes around the world to identify glacial processes and features. This can be completed in Google Earth Web so there is no need to download any software.

In this activity, students practise downloading and using KML and KMZ files to study 3D imagery of major volcano case studies around the world. Google Earth allows students to pan around the topography to compare shapes and sizes of strato, cinder, shield and lava dome volcanoes. They also practise GIS skills such as measuring altitudes and distance on the maps.

Can be used with Google Earth Pro (desktop) or even just the online version Google Earth Web. Fully resourced and self-guided lesson giving students the opportunity to import KML and KMZ files into Google Earth. This is a great way of identifying patterns of plate boundaries and apply tectonic theory to a 3D map. The lesson also makes us of live earthquake data, allowing students to recognise links between earthquakes and plate boundaries.

Requires each student to have access to a computer or tablet Students use Google Earth tools to identify and compare the phenomenon of urban sprawl in a range of urban settlements around the world. The exercise also challenges students to apply their understanding of the Burgess and Hoyt land use models to map data. The worksheets provide all instructions necessary and requires minimal instruction to run. My students needed 60-90 minutes to complete all tasks.

Requires each student to have access to a computer or tablet Students use interactive weather maps and webcams to retrieve information and identify weather patterns in selected areas. Students use this information to identify areas most suitable for a range of human activities. The worksheets provide all instructions necessary and requires minimal instruction to run. My students needed 45-60 minutes to complete all tasks.

This lesson was designed for remote learning and is best used either in an ICT room or on student devices. Students explore the links provided to learn about the impacts of the Christchurch Earthquake using a range of websites including Google Streetview. This lesson really helps students visualise the effects and the sheer scale of the damage done by this tectonic event.

An introduction activity to using Google Maps or Earth. Students practise entering latitude and longitude in a standardised co-ordinates format to find interesting shapes and landforms visible in Google’s satellite and aerial imagery. 1xworksheet, self-guided.

Includes a case study on Japan’s Hashima Island (“Battleship Island”). This also can be printed but it works well as a homework task or for remote-learning where every student can complete their own digital copy of the document with their answers.

Can be used as an assessment

Introduction lesson to the amazing free online GIS software FATMAP. Students use the layers and altitude tools to explore the influence of aspect on snowline and treeline/vegetation elevation. My students were very engaged in this task and the software itself is intuitive and immersive.

In this activity, students practise downloading and using KML and KMZ files to create elevation profiles of fold mountains. This is an engaging activity which my students really enjoyed.

This worksheet guides students through several ICT activities using the excellent 360Cities website. Students with tablets or smartphones can use the website in VR mode for an enhanced experience. Students use the HD photography to explore Frankfurt’s CBD and look for clues to its financial services sector. This is a fully resourced self-guided lesson which students find very engaging. Excellent opportunity for remote urban “fieldwork” project.

Self-guided GIS lesson using Google Earth Web to import two KMZ/KML files and explore the patterns of tectonic boundaries and volcanicc activity. The data files are very extensive and students learn a lot about real world examples. Good for practising tectonic theory and introducing the idea of hotspots.

This activity uses a range of online maps to explore the US-Mexico border. This can also be printed but it works well as a homework task or for remote-learning where every student can complete their own digital copy of the document with their answers.

Google Earth Pro is a free desktop software program which has its own flight simulator feature. This PowerPoint provides instructions on how to use the controls and gives a practice mission for students to hone their skills. This can be used to reinforce navigation skills.