Google Sheets & My Maps - Connect Student Literature with Geography

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There are many cool things that can be done with My Maps, but this is one that uses Google Sheets. 

Often when students are reading a novel, they have no location context to put cities or places that are mentioned.  There are teachers that have been using Google Lit Trips for many years, but what if you are unable to use Google Earth?  What if you want a simpler activity that students can complete quickly? What if you want something that is accessible to students in their G Suite Drive?

You can build a quick activity using Google Sheets and My Maps.  Here's how:

1. Set up your Google Sheet
Provide headers for anything you want included on the pop-ups for the markers on the map.  Here I have set up so students can add the following: Place, Description, Chapter, Location, Support Link

2. Fill in the data
This can be done by you, or you can share the sheet with your students and have them fill it in.  Any cells can be left blank, with the exception of the Place and Location cells - these are needed for the name and placement of the marker.

3. Create a My Map in Drive
Go to your Drive and create a new map. 

4. Set Map Details
Give the map a name and description.

5. Import the Data
Import in your spreadsheet data to create the markers. Select Location for the marker latitude and longitude; select Place for the marker name.

You can customize the data by adding additional map features, such as lines marking distance between 2 markers, or additional land markers in the area. 

Each marker will display as much or as little information as was filled in on the spreadsheet:

If you add an additional marker on the map, you have the option to fill in these same data fields and can uncheck those you don't want to appear. 

You can also change your Base map to different topographical settings


While not nearly as elegant as Google Earth, it can still be a valuable learning tool for students to begin building awareness of the greater community of our world. 

My Map vs Google Earth


If you want to learn about building an official Google Lit Trip, I highly recommend Eric Curts' (@ericcurts) post on Creating Lit Trips and Tours for Google Earth.

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