Virtual Europe City Walking Tour

Welcome to the Virtual Europe City Walking Tour project! Below you will find the complete guide (Directions) on how to complete the Walking Tour Project. We are REALLY excited for this project and hope the Waconia Middle School Geographers can get creative and “dig in” to the famous cities of Europe and really UNLOCK these places for the world traveler. Yes, we have have specific guidelines for our geographers to follow, but there is a ton of room to make these tours reflect the interests of each individual student. Please look over the “Steps” below and watch the Google Map Tutorial to learn more about the details of this project.

Happy Virtual Trails Adventure Friends! Note: Gilbert Geo Kids = your City Assignments are list by last name below directions (Scroll down)

Europe City Walking Tour Project Directions…

Step #1 - Meals (3 Placemarks on Project Google Map)

You can’t work on a project with an empty stomach! Please find your Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner spots…these should be well researched and maybe even “Famous” to this city & basically the “MUST EAT” locations. (we have no Budget!)

Info to gather…
1) Address (FYI you might want these restaurants near your attractions)
2) Type of Food
3) Brief Description of Restaurant Experience (in a castle, in a museum, what makes it cool)
4) Picture of Restaurant Choices (inside or out)

Helpful Google Search phrases…
1) Famous Restaurants of _____________ (your city name)
2) Best Breakfast in _____________ (your city name)
3) Dinner with a view in _____________ (your city name)
4) Top Rated Restaurants of _____________ (your city name)
5) Where to eat lunch in _____________ (your city name)
6) Best Seafood* in _____________ (your city name) *steak, pasta, pizza, local food, etc…

Step #2 - Must See Attractions/Places (4 Placemarks on Project Google Map)

This step involves finding THE places a traveler MUST SEE/VISIT while in your city. These are the BIG DOGS because you are only spending ONE day exploring your European city. Famous Landmarks, Museums, Sculptures, Historical Buildings, Sports Stadiums…the list of examples is endless, but PLEASE focus on the TOP 4. Note: when planning the walking tour of the city please visit ONE “Must See” in morning, TWO “Must see” locations in afternoon, and ONE “Must See” after dinner to end your day!

Info to gather…
1) Address/Exact Location within City
2) What is it?
3) Brief description of what the traveler will do/see/experience at location.
4) Picture of Attraction/Place (find on Google)

Helpful Google Search Phrases…
1) Must See Attractions of _____________ (your city name)
2) What do to in _____________ (your city name)
3) Famous locations within _____________ (your city name)

Step #3 - Physical Feature (1 Placemarks on Project Google Map)

More than likely the location of your Europe City is there due to an important physical feature. (River, Mountain, Valley, Harbor, Beautiful Beach). During Step 3 you need to find ONE physical feature that has helped shape your city and how the people live.

Info to gather…
1) What is your Cities Dominant Physical Feature (there may be 2, but pick one)
2) General Location (ex/ river runs through middle of city)
3) Brief Description of Features and explain why it important to the people of this city.
4) Picture of Physical Feature

Helpful Google Search Phrases…
1) What is the dominant physical feature of _____________ (your city name)
2) Why was _____________ (your city name) built in it’s current location?
3) What is a dominant natural feature of _____________ (your city name)

Step #4 - Grab Bag/My Choice Locations (2 Placemarks on Project Google Map)

These 2 spots are TOTALLY up to you! I need you to find 2 “Bonus” locations that you will be visiting on your city walking tour. Hmmm…what kind of spots would I visit? Examples = a particular store, art gallery, tattoo parlor, cool view, a haunted place, location of a famous event, a war monument, famous persons house, ice cream shop, skate park, music shop…these places should reflect YOU and maybe something a Middle School/High School kid would be interested in visiting! NO JUDGING…the more bizarre/creative the better! HA …seriously we (your Geo teachers) travel and want some ideas for the next time we are in your city!

Helpful Google Search Phrases…
Ha…oh come on…you need NO help with this one!

FINAL STEP #5 - Google Map Final Product

Ok…so now you should have 10 places picked out, researched and ready to show off! We are going to use Google Maps to display your final project findings. This is a really fun/cool way to display your City Walking Tour & literally we (you and your classmates) will be able to virtually GO on your city walking tour with you. PLEASE view the tutorial video (THANK YOU MRS. MELIUS) on how to set up your Google Map Virtual Walking Tour. FYI - she is going through the basics on how to build these, but PLEASE feel free to “play around” with all of the features of Google…students in the past have done some AMAZINGLY creative virtual tours.

CLICK HERE for Google Map Tutorial (starring Mrs. Melius)
Note: the directions for “starting a new map” have changed slightly from the Tutorial above…Drop Down Menu - then choose “Saved”…then click “Maps”…then select “Create Map” on bottom of page!

Virtual Tour Basics…
1) Visit your Places in Order…Breakfast spot is #1 and Final Must See Location is #10, so walking tour makes sense!
Point #1 - Breakfast
Point #2 - Must See Location #1
Point #3 - Grab Bag/Choice Location #1
Point #4 - Lunch
Point #5 - Must See Location #2
Point #6 - Grab Bag/Choice Location #2
Point #7 - Physical Feature
Point #8 - Must See Location #3
Point #9 - Dinner
Point #10 - Must See Location #4
2) Find GOOD Pictures for your Placemarks
3) Please include ALL Information for each Placemark (Can be in list format or complete sentences)
4) Placemarks MUST be in exact locations of your stops on the City Map
5) PLEASE DON’T use “Already Created” Placemarks…you should create original placemarks for each tour stop
6) Think you are done…have a Parent or an older Brother/Sister “proof read” and see if your tour works correctly
7) DONE…”Share Google Map” with your Geo Teacher & don’t forget to review the end of the Tutorial Video on how to correctly do
this…this is am important aspect of this project because they will be shared online with your classmates (REMINDER = MAKE YOUR GOOGLE MAP VIEWABLE by ALL (Make it Public)

Basic Grading -

Part #1 - Google Placemark Link is sent to Teacher by Due Date 20pts
Part #2 - Google Placemarks are all in the Correct Locations on Map & Include at least ONE clear Picture 40pts
Part #2 - Placemark Descriptions: Answer WHAT place is and a SHORT description of what a traveler does here 40pts