[TIPS] Globetracker - looks like fun for grades 2-6

http://www.teachersfirst.com/globetracker/beginning.cfm

What is Globetracker’s Mission?

"Globetracker’s Mission is a unique, engaging way for students in grades 2-6 to learn geography, map skills, and world cultures through an episodic story. Each week, a new episode, in the format of a blog post, appears on the Globetracker’s Mission site. The “blog” is written by fictional teenagers Geo and Meri as they travel the seven continents of the world on a secret “mission” for an unnamed government agency. They seek clues and travel under the supervision of their Uncle Globetracker, writing  the “blog” as part of their requirements for missing high school work. Classes who follow the mission learn standards-based terms and concepts of world geography as they respond to Geo and Meri’s think-aloud questions using maps, images, and links that Geo and Meri provide. Concepts include landforms, map skills, cultures, major landmarks, continents, oceans, rivers, and more. "

I suppose I ought to say that I've got a friend who works for TeachersFirst and she pointed me to this. But, if you've got Google Earth on a computer, this looks like a VERY fun activity. This is one of those things that could run on one computer in the classroom when kids find some extra time. Look at the google earth file that they link to at the top of the lesson. Very nice. I don't care WHO you are that there's good stuff! :-)