Agents of S.T.E.A.L: A World-Hopping Hunting Game Using Google Earth

The sinister syndicate of S.T.E.A.L., or the Syndicate for Total Earth and Artifact Liberation, has stolen ten major artifacts from five museums around the world. Their leader, world-renowned crime boss Snee Kee, has orchestrated the most daring heist the world has ever seen. He would organize five of the greatest international thieves to steal five important artifacts from major museums all around the world:

• Sacre Blue, the famous French thief, took the statue of Winged Victory from the Louvre,
• Hal Capone, the famous American thief, stole a rare statue from the Hun Dynsasty out of the Met,
• Maury Arty, the famous English thief, stole the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London,
• Al Dente, the famous Italian thief, stole La Pieta from the Vatican,
• Peter Burg, the famous Russian thief, stole a suit of armor from the Hermatate in St. Petersburg,

Each of the five master thieves fled the country, and based on the intelligence of the head of operations (the teacher/teaching librarian), agents will use Google Earth to track the path of the suspects and recover the stolen goods! This project would ideally be done with older elementary age students, probably grades 3-5, and would help children demonstrate digital literacy and searching skills, as well as following directions. 

3.WS.7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

1.1.1 Follow an inquiry-based process in seeking knowledge in curricular subjects, and make the real-world connection for using this process in own life.