If you’re introducing the idea of GIS and digital elevation models, then check out this Earth Engine tool for the global SRTM.
This Earth Engine App visualises the SRTM, a global 30 m digital elevation model (a DEM). The colour ramp is linked to the elevation range on the screen; as you zoom in and out, the colours change automatically.
Students can visualise how the land changes with elevation near their hometown, or varies across different mountain ranges and river valleys.
As you zoom and pan, there wil be a delay for the DEM to load.
By default, the map is centered on the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers in the USA.
If you wish to take things further, the app allows you to easily download the data in the viewport as a GeoTiff format, which could be integrated into an ArcGIS lesson.
This Earth Engine app was made by Kai Hu from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.