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Space Place-Telling a pine from a maple ... from space!

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Space Place-Telling a pine from a maple ... from space!

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Interactive website that offers visuals to differentiate trees from Space.

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Telling a pine from a maple ... from space!

Red Riding Hood tries to name all the trees in the forest as she walks the path to Grandmother's house. But the forest is so thick, she often has trouble telling the from the fir trees from the maple trees. They all run together into a fuzzy, green blur.

Imagine how colorful the forest would be if every kind of tree were a different color! Pass your mouse over the picture to get an idea. In this picture, these colors are for these trees:

How would the world look from space if the trees, fields, lakes, and mountains were each different colors? You could fly over looking for an orchard of your favorite apple trees, then swoop down and pick your fill!

But there are other, maybe more important reasons for being able to see such details from space. For example, people who are doing jobs like . . .

Farming

Taking care of forests

Looking for places to drill for oil

Digging for valuable minerals

Building cities

Helping control floods . . .

can do their jobs even better if they have very accurate images of the ground. Oddly enough, the best way to see lots of ground in lots of detail is from space!

By sending our excellent technological "eyes" into space, we are able to understand and take better care of our home, planet Earth.

Thanks to the Landsat satellites, we already have images from space of Earth's entire surface. In April 1999, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration launched the seventh Landsat. Each one gets better than the last, with more and more advanced technology for imaging and mapping our planet.

To make future Earth images from space even better, a special spacecraft, called Earth Observing-1 (EO-1), was launched in October 2000. EO-1 is testing some very advanced new instruments. One, called the Hyperion, is very sensitive to tiny differences in colors. It is so sensitive that when its data are processed by computers, we can see clearly where one kind of tree ends and another begins!

Besides sorting out trees, Landsat images show how the land changes over time. Cities growing, rain forests and farm lands shrinking, more or less rain falling, rivers flooding, wildfires burning, volcanos erupting-their effects show plainly in Landsat pictures of the same area taken at different times.

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Telling a pine from a maple ... from space!

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Telling a pine from a maple ... from space! Red Riding Hood tries to name all the trees in the forest as she walks the path to Grandmother's house. But the forest is so thick, she often has trouble telling the from the fir trees from the maple trees.

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Interactive website that provides students with tools to paint a winter scene.  This is great for beginner ELLs!

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Paint & Makes - 7 Animal Environments - Sheppard Software Games for kids

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Creative painting and making activity for kids that teaches about different places that animals that live - forest,
ocean, grassland, desert, jungle, backyard and farm.

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Experiment/Activity that exposes elementary students to hands-on learning experiences.

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Adapted from The Future of Farming by Bill Burton, Jessa Adler, Ana Casanova, Annie Jonas, and Lakeshia Peters
Science & Children | January 2015 | Vol 52, Issue 5

Materials

Hydroponic System - described in Background Information for Teachers

Cucumber seeds

Water gel crystals (sodium polyacrylamide)

Rockwool Grow Cubes

Safety glasses or goggles

Gloves

Science journals

Rulers and tape measures

Small paintbrushes

Pickling brine ingredients

Jars for pickling

Internet access for research

Activity Outline

Plant Science

1. Using the water gel crystals, students will plant seeds and will record observations of the growth in their seed journals over multiple days. An additional investigation to help students make observations about what plants need to grow is using Rockwool Grow Cubes to plant cucumber seeds.

Note to the teacher: The hydroponics system that is described will need to be built prior to the lesson. The system is designed using standard parts available at hardware stores including PVC pipes and fittings. The larger PVC pipes are cut lengthwise to form a gutter-style growing tray. Clay growing media is used to fill these long gutters.

2. Once the plants sprout, ask students to transplant the seedlings to the hydroponics system in the school's greenhouse. Because hydroponic growing is new to most students at this age, allow time to explore all parts of the hydroponic system and how those parts work together to support the plants growing within. As the plants grow, students should take regular trips to the greenhouse to make observations. When the plants are still relatively small, students record plant height and leaf width with rulers. Because the plant growth is so speedy, the class will quickly graduate to using tape measures for plant height. This data will be recorded and used in math lessons.

3. One of the concepts that students learn through this investigation is the need for the flowers on plants to be pollinated. Through discussion of how flowers are pollinated by bees, a question is raised as to how will plants inside the greenhouse be pollinated? Equip students with small paintbrushes and visit the greenhouse periodically to pollinate the flowers by transferring pollen from one flower to another with the paintbrush.

Math Connections

1. Students have the opportunity to extend their understanding through inclusion of math activities using the data they collect and measurements of the plants' growth. As the lessons progress, students work cooperatively to organize the data by creating a tally mark chart of all the cucumber length measurements obtained during their visits to the greenhouse. This data is used to create a vertical bar graph on the classroom floor.

2. After completing the large bar graph, the class will formulate questions and draw conclusions. Using the tally mark chart from the board, students create two bar graphs individually using the first and last data sets. Using their graphs and data, students identify the median of the data sets in cooperative groups.

3. Through discussion about the graphed data and using their observational notes, the class can be engaged in drawing conclusions about what plants need to grow. Teachers can help guide students' understanding that while plants can be grown hydroponically without soil, they are still obtaining nutrients from the added fertilizers in the water.

Social Studies Connections

1. Social studies objectives and the hydroponics project are integrated through the theme of a pioneer journey. The students explore the Oregon Trail and the hardships faced by pioneers during their journey. This opportunity will lend itself to understanding actual farming, the phases of crop production, the lifestyle, and the culture that went along with being a pioneer farmer.

2. In addition to farming, pioneers needed to preserve their food. Science connects with social studies as students discuss methods of food preservation. Pickling is one such method. Using their crops from the hydroponics system, student 'pioneers' preserve cucumbers using a simple recipe. Have students research online to find their favorite recipe. Students discover the importance of agriculture and its contributions to our country's history, geography, economics, government, and culture.

Language Connections

Safety

Make sure all sources of electrical power in the green house are GFI protected. Always wash hands with soap and water after working in the hydroponic garden.

Use caution when handling sodium polyacrylamide: safety glasses or goggles, gloves, and appropriate ventilation are required.

Use caution when handling Rockwool Grow Cubes: safety glasses or goggles, gloves, and appropriate ventilation are required.

Class Discussion Questions

1. Do plants really need soil to grow?

2. During a class discussion, ask the students the following:

* What are the parts of a flower?

* What is the purpose of flowers in helping plants grow?

* How do plants reproduce?

* How do flowers attract animals in order to transport pollen?

Pre-Assessment

Formative Assessment

Background Info for Teachers

Extension Activities

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Adapted from The Future of Farming by Bill Burton, Jessa Adler, Ana Casanova, Annie Jonas, and Lakeshia Peters Science & Children | January 2015 | Vol 52, Issue 5 Activity Outline Plant Science Using the water gel crystals, students will plant seeds and will record observations of the growth in their seed journals over multiple days.

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Article - Explains longest and shortest days of year due to Earth/Sun relationship

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This site is a curated collection of phenomena for the NGSS, along with help for how to use phenomena in 3 Dimensional teaching and learning.