Google Earth - Gr. 3/4 Communities Study

Today I had one of those lessons we all like to have during the week. One where student engagement is at its zenith and you really know that learning is going on.

I had a request for a session on Google Earth from a Gr. 3/4 teacher. They were studying communities and the teacher wanted the students to experience the hierarchy of communities from Earth on down.

Earth, Continent, Country, Province, County, Community.

Well, Google Earth is well suited to do this. We used the school's SMARTboard and the students had a blast using a pointer and spinning the world to the next continent and then identifying Canada and then our province and at last our community. We even toggled to Streetview in Toronto. The kids were thrilled at seeing this view.

You should have seen the students' faces. Not a dull face in the room! Engaged, amazed and asking questions. So, if it has been a while since you've used Google Earth, try it.

You'll like it and so will your students!

Stuart McLean - Storyteller

Last night my wife and I had the pleasure of spending a couple of hours listening to Stuart McLean live at The Empire Theatre.

For me, listening to Mr. McLean live, watching his gestures as he tells a new Dave story and hearing the amazing voice of musical guest Jaime Hawkins made for a wonderful night on the town.

There's something about the way Mr. McLean works the room. It's as if we're all in a living room together playing music and telling stories. The theatre was packed. 700 loyal listeners. If you have yet to have the Stuart McLean experience you can tune in to CBC on the weekend or download the Vinyl Cafe podcast.

Better yet, look for a live show in your area and go. You'll be glad you did.

Photo Credit: Vinyl Cafe Website - Stuart McLean and Musician Jaime Hawkins.