Google Maps Teacher Resources
Hi, What do you want to do?
Thanks to Google Maps, you can explore the world from the comfort of your own device! Our teacher team has curated and reviewed high-quality resources to help you best use the handy navigation tool in the classroom.
Start your virtual journey with an app that allows users to explore various locations all around the globe and zoom in for a closer look. Astronomy enthusiasts will enjoy creating a model solar system that uses Google Maps for scale and proportion reference.
Want to use Google Maps in math class? Check out a lesson that uses the application to measure time and distance, or a collaborative activity in which groups determine the best route to take between two points given average speed and the price of gasoline.
Don’t stop there—there are lots of ways to use Google Maps in your instruction! A helpful collection of 20 resources is sure to inspire some wanderlust in your lesson planning.
With Google Maps and Lesson Planet in your toolbox, your social studies curriculum is sure to be a hit!
Showing 71 resources
Lesson Planet Curated
Take Your Collection to the Next Level
Learn how to embed any and everything in to your collections. From Google Maps to YouTube videos, this how-to collection will get you on your way to adding creative codes to your collections.
Curated OER
Use Google Maps to Teach Math
Capture the engagement of young mathematicians with this upper-elementary math lesson on measuring time and distance. Using Google Maps, students first measure and compare the distance and time it takes to travel between different...
Radford University
Escape from the Zombie Apocalypse - Exploring Quadrilaterals through Google Maps and Google Earth
Prepare for the zombie apocalypse ... by studying quadrilaterals? Given a map of an imaginary town, scholars identify quadrilaterals created by streets. They then use Google Earth and Google Maps to find parallelograms, rectangles,...
Curated OER
The Water Nearby
Learners explore water located near where they live. In this map skills maritime lesson, students use Google Maps to find their school and the body of water closest to them. Learners research the body of water and answer questions about it.
Discovery Education
Submarines and Aircraft Carriers: The Science of Nuclear Power
As physics masters view this presentation, they learn how nuclear power is used in submarines. They use Google Maps to plot a course through the ocean and calculate the time required for surfacing and traveling. They learn about fission,...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
What’s In Your Neighborhood?
Chart your way to an understanding of nanoscale. Using a Google map, learners estimate a radius around their location of 1,000 and 1,000,000 meters. Predicting what 1,000,000,000 meters would look like takes them off the charts!...
Curated OER
Proportions and Scale Factor for Measurement
Students explore the concept of proportion. In this proportion lesson, students use google maps to find the distance the their school is from home. Students discuss what a scale factor is through teacher led discussion. Students...
Curated OER
A Full Load
Students calculate the shipping costs between two destinations. In this math lesson, students determine the distance between two places using google map. They calculate the amount of gas needed to get to a specific destination.
Curated OER
You Can Die Here – Death Valley California
Students use Google Maps to explore the rain shadow desert. In this climate lesson, students use the Internet, Google Maps, and directed inquiry worksheets to understand how rain shadow deserts form. Students apply climate concepts to...
PBS
Map a Model Solar System
Creating a solar system map is a snap thanks to a hands-on activity! Science scholars explore the solar system by building it wherever they choose during an interactive from PBS's Space series. Users pick both the location and scale for...
Global Oneness Project
A Collapsing City Skyline
Have your high schoolers learn about the modern history of Myanmar by close-reading an article about the city and people of the city Yangon. As they'll learn, the country is going through some dramatic transitions. After...
Curated OER
On the Street Where You Live: Online Mapping
Students access the Internet and use Google Maps to pinpoint their home address and get directions to and from school. they write the directions in paragraph format.
Owl Teacher
Creating a Map to My House
Here is a simple assignment that will introduce your young geographers to location, one of the five themes of geography, through an activity in which they map the directions and lines of latitude/longitude of where they live.
101 Questions
Home Depot
Household emergencies often require supplies from a home improvement store. Pupils view a map showing a home and three different stores to determine which is the closest. Follow-up activities find close food options as well.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Sorting Finch Species
Don't just tell your class about Darwin's finches ... show them! Sort some of science's most famous birds using an interactive lesson. Learners try their hand at classifying finches using song, sonogram, and beak appearance, as well as...
West Virginia Department of Education
A State of Convenience: The Creation of West Virginia
Ever wondered why there is a West Virginia but not an East Virginia? The resource answers questions like this one and more as it takes an in-depth and detailed look at the history of West Virginia and how it became a state. Several...
New York Historical Society
The Vietnam War: 1945-1975
Do pupils know that the Vietnam War spanned a period of 30 years? A war that long is bound to leave devastating effects. Help young historians develop a comprehensive understanding of the war through multiple units on the subject that...
Prairie Public Broadcasting
Egyptian Pyramids Virtual Field Trip!
A virtual field trip takes enthusiastic travelers to the pyramids of Giza. Using Google, scholars explore the grounds of the ancient pyramids found in Egypt then complete three worksheets: a photo analysis page, a reflection sheet, and a...
Teach Engineering
Let's Get it There Fast
Are planes the best shipping method? Using maps, pupils determine the fastest mode of transportation between two cities. Given a list of items to ship, groups decide the best shipping method to finish the 18th segment of a 22-part unit.
Carolina K-12
Who the People? Representative Democracy in North Carolina and Congress
Our elected officials are supposed to represent us, but what does it mean when they aren't like us? Budding citizens explore the demographic makeup of the US Congress, the role of money in political elections, and the Citizens United...
Statistics Education Web
What Percent of the Continental US is Within One Mile of a Road?
There are places in the US where a road cannot be found for miles! The lesson asks learners to use random longitude and latitude coordinates within the US to collect data. They then determine the sample proportion and confidence interval...
Curated OER
Sunderland: Discovering Cities
Scholars investigate a local city (Sunderland) by participating in a discussion. They explore the different elements of the UK city by identifying the industrial and economic aspects. They also read an interview of two people speaking...
Curated OER
Google Earth
Students explore cardinal directions and the compass rose using Google Earth. In this cardinal directions and compass rose lesson, students use Google Earth to visit Disney World. Students choose which direction to go to get there....
Curated OER
Wolves: Friend or Foe?
Young scholars study wolves and their habitat in Yellowstone. In this environment and behavior lesson students create an interactive map of wolves in Yellowstone.
