Terrific Tuesday: At Street View

[Note: As Math Mondays will concentrate on elementary mathematics, Tuesdays will be the home of other curricular area topics. Be sure to visit weekly to see where you can add goodies in your teacher toolbox.]

I recall setting the stage for a group of 6th graders about to read To Build a Fire by Jack London. The main goal of the activity was to introduce the students to story elements such as setting, plot, climax and resolution. As none of the students had ever visited the Yukon Territory in Canada, I felt that they did not have a feel for the remoteness, or the extreme frigidness, that are characteristic of it -- and make Nature such an important character in the story. A simple Google search unearthed images at once gorgeous and frightening -- instantly setting the stage for our assignment.

If you are looking for real-world images to spark the emotions and creativity of your students, remember that Google Maps has virtual field trips waiting for you at their Collections page. The "street view" available of the Grand Canyon, for example, would be a great way to introduce the Southwest to students, whether in Social Studies class or when reading Brighty of the Grand Canyon.