Google Lit Trips
Audicence: K-12, Higher Ed
Link: http://googlelittrips.org/
The site advertises, “A Different Way to Read Great Literature! This site is an experiment in teaching great literature in a very different way. Using Google Earth, students discover where in the world the greatest road trip stories of all time took place... and so much more!”
Here’s an excerpt from a blog: “Jerome Burg wants his students to “chew on” the really, really important ideas of novels. Take, for instance, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck--which he says, “may have a lot more relevance than any of us should feel comfortable with.” By using Google Earth, he and an associate (Matthew Hart) at Granada High School have actually plotted out three-dimension versions of the journeys made in The Grapes of Wrath, Candide, Macbeth, The Aeneid, and others novels on the site GoogleLit Trips. Jerome says the idea to do this “exploded” in his mind, and he feels these Google Maps projects can draw the students into really studying literature in a way that the authors would have wanted. For example, in The Grapes of Wrath, you can see the flatness of the land, watch a video of a dust storm, see photos or art of the time period, and read chapter notes and questions from the teacher.” Using Google Earth, a PC or Mac with an internet connection, and an optional passport, you can go on LitTrips that other educators have shared on the Google Lit Trips site.
The LitTrips are divided into categories by grade levels - K-5, 6-8, 9-12, and Higher Education. At left of the site page, you can see some of the latest entries, such as Puddle-To-The-Sea and The Kite Runner. Create your own LitTrips and share them here as well. If you teach literature, I think you’re in for a unique experience as you go visit locations through Google Earth.
The site advertises, “A Different Way to Read Great Literature! This site is an experiment in teaching great literature in a very different way. Using Google Earth, students discover where in the world the greatest road trip stories of all time took place... and so much more!”
Here’s an excerpt from a blog: “Jerome Burg wants his students to “chew on” the really, really important ideas of novels. Take, for instance, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck--which he says, “may have a lot more relevance than any of us should feel comfortable with.” By using Google Earth, he and an associate (Matthew Hart) at Granada High School have actually plotted out three-dimension versions of the journeys made in The Grapes of Wrath, Candide, Macbeth, The Aeneid, and others novels on the site GoogleLit Trips. Jerome says the idea to do this “exploded” in his mind, and he feels these Google Maps projects can draw the students into really studying literature in a way that the authors would have wanted. For example, in The Grapes of Wrath, you can see the flatness of the land, watch a video of a dust storm, see photos or art of the time period, and read chapter notes and questions from the teacher.” Using Google Earth, a PC or Mac with an internet connection, and an optional passport, you can go on LitTrips that other educators have shared on the Google Lit Trips site.
The LitTrips are divided into categories by grade levels - K-5, 6-8, 9-12, and Higher Education. At left of the site page, you can see some of the latest entries, such as Puddle-To-The-Sea and The Kite Runner. Create your own LitTrips and share them here as well. If you teach literature, I think you’re in for a unique experience as you go visit locations through Google Earth.
This page last updated May 15, 2018