My Reading Mapped is a fantastic resource that I just discovered through the Google Earth Blog. On My Reading Mapped you will find KML files (AKA Google Maps & Earth files) for things like historical migration and trade routes, monarchies and republics, famous explorer and conqueror expeditions, and climate change patterns. The Rise, Fall, and Migration of Civilization Due to Climate Change is the map that caught my attention on the Google Earth Blog.

In The Rise, Fall, and Migration of Civilization Due to Climate Change KML file students can click the icons on the map to read about the historical influence of climate on people around the world. The map is embedded below.

View The rise, fall, and migration of civilization due to climate change. in a larger map

Applications for Education
My Reading Mapped is a great resource for social studies teachers to bookmark and share with students. The maps offer an excellent alternative to reading out of a textbook because students can not only read the information they can also quickly explore the areas that they are reading about.