I recently chatted with a teacher about how to cover the geography of ancient Mesopotamia while teaching virtually. Between navigating a new online schedule, teaching content in a new way with a new platform, and making sure the lessons are engaging but still simple enough that students are not overwhelmed with technology, talk about a huge undertaking! One thing that I do know is that taking content and turning it into a virtual field trip is a sure way to keep your students engaged while also presenting content in a structured and interactive way.
I know that time is of the essence, so to save you time I've created a low prep virtual field trip activity that is designed to ensure students can identify and locate key geographic features of ancient Mesopotamia. I've aligned this digital activity to the Tennessee 6th grade social studies standards, but this digital activity will work well if you teach World Civilizations and cover ancient Mesopotamia.
5 Ancient Mesopotamia Geographic Destinations
In this virtual field trip your students will travel to 5 geographic locations which include the:
:: Black Sea
:: Persian Gulf
:: Tigris-Euphrates River System
:: Mediterranean Sea
:: Zagros Mountains
What is a Virtual Field Trip?
A virtual field trip is an interactive way for students to learn and explore places and geographic features of the world. This structured digital activity includes informational text to build background information, video content, mapping skills, response questions, and Google Earth 360-degree views.
A Low Prep & Versatile Option
One of the great things about virtual field trips is versatility. You could conduct your virtual field trip as a teacher-led activity that spans over the course of a few days, or send students to complete independently. This activity is completely digital, so no printing is required. Students complete the response questions within Google Slides, and all of the directions, specific web links, text, and more are included. This also means that implementing is LOW PREP. Just assign through Google Classroom. These trips can be completed on a desktop using Chrome as the browser to access Google Earth, or through a tablet or smartphone using the Google Earth app.
Google Earth
Google Earth is amazing, as students are able to view geographic locations up close with 360-degree views. I have chosen specific location points within Google Earth that make the most sense and allow for the best experience. Direct links are included that set your students up for success and is hassle-free for you.
Integrated Map Skills
Throughout this virtual field trip activity, students will demonstrate their ability to identify geographic locations on a map with various drag & drop activities. Everything is integrated into the virtual field trip within Google Slides, so you don't have any additional assigning to do. I have included an answer key to quickly check student work.
Editable Response Questions & Answer Keys
All of the response questions within Google Slides are EDITABLE. I know that there are many different learning needs, and by providing the questions in an editable format, this allows you to tailor the virtual field trip to student needs as well as specific curriculum. While the questions are set up with short answer responses, questions could easily be modified to various formats. Answer keys are also included for the map skills activities included throughout.
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