I have just put the finishing touches to a Google Earth Flyover of Sir Francis Drake’s Circumnavigation of the Globe.

The activity comes complete with 6 worksheets which you can pick and choose from to use with your classes:

1. Structured Questions about Drake’s Circumnavigation
Students answer a series of questions based around a viewing of the Google Earth Flyover.

2. Living Graph of Drake’s Circumnavigation
Students complete a “danger graph” charting key points in the journey.

3. Sir Francis Drake: Hero or Villain?
Students gather evidence for both sides of the case, then reach their own conclusion.

4. Working with Primary Sources: Text Account
Students use the primary source account of Francis Petty to build up a picture of Drake’s piracy, the appearance and customs of the natives and the goods he obtained at various points on the journey.

5. Working with Primary Sources: Pictorial Account
Students examine four illustrations from a 1626 book about Drake’s voyage, and try to deduce which part of the journey is described by each. Pairs of students could work on this, sitting “back to back”: one student could describe the picture in front of them, whilst their partner (using the Petty Account) could try to match this to the correct event.

6. Making a Google Earth Tour of Drake’s Circumnavigation
Students use the raw data to construct their own Google Earth Tour. This lesson comes complete with a Google Earth helpsheet. (note: this means that students should NOT see the completed Google Earth Tour I have already put together – at least not until they have made their own!)