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TEACHING THE LESSON

Materials     

  • An LCD projector to share the Windows on Earth with the entire class
  • Student Worksheets
  • Internet connected computers

Student Instructions

Student Worksheets

Lesson Preparation

1. Students should have a basic understanding of the International Space Station and how to use the Windows on Earth resources. You should complete the activities “How do we track the space station’s location?” and “What do astronauts photograph from space?” prior to this activity.

2. Review the instructions for Using Windows on Earth and Take a Snapshot feature.

3. Review the instructions for having your students post work to the Earth Science Kid’s Forum.  You can register them yourself (individually or by team) or have them register themselves. Students will have to have their parents sign a Media Release form to participate in the moderated forum. Register your students at http://www.challengerkids.org.

The forum is moderated by education staff from Challenger Center for Space Science Education and is an integral part of the project, as students will be sharing their work with others from around the world and with NASA. Students will upload their photos and journals from the activities in this lesson to share with othes. Educators at Challenger Center moderate all postings and registrations.

4. Review the student instructions and student worksheets; make copies.

5. Review the links below on Astronaut Photography and Global Climate Change.

  • The Gateway of Astronaut Photography - The most complete online collection of astronaut photographs of the Earth, The database tracks the locations, supporting data, and digital images for astronaut’s photographs from the Mercury missions in the early 1960s to the ISS. 777,550 views of the Earth include 331,695 from the International Space Station.
    http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/
  • Astronaut Views of the Home Planet: Earth from Space -  Searchable database by cities, Earth landscapes, Earth-Human Interactions, Distinctive features, hurricanes and weather, Earth’s Water Habitats, Geographic Regions. http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/sseop/efs/
  • NASA Earth Observatory - The Earth Observatory’s mission is to share the images, stories, and discoveries about climate and the environment that emerge from NASA’s Earth system science research, including its satellite missions, in-the-field research, and computer models. Many examples of change over time.
    http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/
  • Global Climate Change: NASA's Eyes on the Earth - Current news and data streams about global warming and climate change from NASA including multimedia interactives such as the Climate Time Machine. Many examples of change over time.
    http://climate.jpl.nasa.gov/

6. Choose some sample images illustrating change over time to share with your students, either from this lesson, or from some of the resources listed above.

7. Review the ten Richard and Owen Garriott Image comparisons at Windows on Earth, From Skylab to the International Space Station; and the ten selected Nature Conservancy images taken by Richard Garriott at http://winearth.terc.edu.

 

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