Google Maps

In brainstorming a lesson with Google Maps, I came across the website Google Sightseeing. This inspired the idea to use Google Maps for a landscape painting lesson.

Artists paint landscapes from all over the world. Some get to travel, some do not. The artist Henri Rousseau painted the jungle, but he never visited the jungle. He visited the gardens of Paris and used this to inspire his jungle paintings. I would first introduce the students to artists like this. Artists who may not have been able to travel to beautiful or exotic places.

I would ask the students to make a map of the top 3 places they may want to visit or paint. It could be some place they have visited before, learned from school, want to vacation to, etc. They would make their own map of these places.

Using the Earth view on Google Maps and Streetview, I would like the students to select one composition from each location and sketch the location.

I noticed you can upload an image onto each location. I would like the students to upload their sketches in their own map on GoogleMaps.

The students should gather feedback from their peers on which is their best composition and sketch. They could share their sketches online and embed their map on a blog or other social media. Seeking feedback from each other will allow the students to explore other classmate’s maps and different compositions.

The students would select their favorite sketch and favorite location to create their final landscape painting. I would like the students to change the icon

Sometime landscape paintings can be a little dull. But, this project would give the students a chance to paint a landscape of a place they may never visit. It also allows the students to investigate places around the world that are interesting to them. The students have the Earth at their fingertips!

Below is an example of my map. I would use this as an example for my students. I would like to paint a scene from either of the three cities on my map.