In this activity, student teams design and conduct a scientific investigation in which they explore the conditions necessary for life. They conduct observations of environmental conditions both indoor and outdoor, and determine the range of... (View More) variation they see. They compare these data with published temperature data for Earth, Mars, Pluto and Venus. The activity supports inquiry into the real world challenge of searching for life in extreme environments. The resource includes several student data sheets, data table and images, and a teacher's guide. Materials needed for this activity include weather instruments (e.g., thermometers, barometers, anemometers). This is Activity A of two activities in the first module, titled "Temperature variations and habitability," of the resource, "Earth Climate Course: What Determines a Planet's Climate?" The course aims to help students to develop an understanding of our environment as a system of human and natural processes that result in changes that occur over various space and time scales. (View Less)

This activity guides students through sampling, identification and counting of macroinvertebrates sampled in a GLOBE hydrology study site, and understand how the taxa composition found in the sample can be an indicator of water quality and ecosystem... (View More) health. The resource includes 8 field and laboratory protocols. This resource is a protocol within the Hydrology chapter of the GLOBE Teacher's Guide. GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide, hands-on, K-12 school-based science education program. (View Less)

In this lab-based activity, students learn how to use scientific instruments used to take hydrological data. Students will rotate among measurement stations for each of the hydrology protocols that will be done by the class. They will practice using... (View More) the field guide with the instrument or kit for that particular measurement, exploring sources of variation and error. The resource includes eight student activity sheets and an authentic assessment, and is part of the Hydrology chapter of the GLOBE Teacher's Guide. The activity is supported by the GLOBE hydrology protocols. GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide, hands-on, K-12 school-based science education program. (View Less)

In this fieldwork activity, students learn that when setting up a research design a system's boundaries are based on the question(s) a scientist wants to answer. Students ground truth, or validate, a pixel within a homogeneous area of a satellite... (View More) image and ask and answer questions related to their observations. Equipment needed to do this activity include a compass and camera. This is a learning activity associated with the GLOBE Land Cover/Biology investigations and is supported by the GLOBE Teacher's Guide, Land Cover/Biology. GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide, hands-on, K-12 school-based science education program. (View Less)

This field activity introduces students to the concept of a system. Students identify the components, inputs and outputs of the local system at a range of biometry study sites, as well as the boundaries of their investigations at these sites in... (View More) terms of space and time. Collected data from the different sites are analyzed and compared. The activity includes a student worksheet and data charts. Equipment needed to do this activity includes a compass and camera. This is a learning activity associated with the GLOBE Land Cover/Biology investigations and is supported by the GLOBE Teacher's Guide, Land Cover/Biology. (View Less)