Google Lit Trips is a wonderful instructional mechanism that combines inquiry, analysis, and geography to study literature and allows students to learn from and tell stories about various subjects. An excellent expansion beyond focusing on just literature is provided by Ira Bickoff and Boelle Kuipers on their Sail the Book Web site.

Ira and Boelle constructed an extensive site incorporating Google Earth to tell stories from maritime literature while connecting to art, history, and ocean literacy. They provide text, images, hyperlinks, and Google Earth KMZ files to guide the reader through historical stories. It is an incredible example of using digital resources to engage readers and excite teachers to follow their model. Boelle and Ira include learning activities accessed through Google Earth. They also provide helpful video tutorials to help use the site’s resources.

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