In these activities, students continue to explore the idea of interaction among Earth components as they identify processes in the Earth system and indicate how they illustrate an interaction between two of the Earth system components. Uses commonly... (View More) available materials (e.g., markers, colored pencils, blank wall chart paper, overhead transparency sheets). This is the 2nd of 3 sets of learning activities that are companion activities to the Elementary GLOBE children's book, All About Earth: Our World on Stage. Includes a teacher implementation guide. GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide, hands-on, K-12 school-based science education program. (View Less)

Each student will explore three activities that promote understanding of and respect for soil. They will generate responses to the following questions: "What makes up soil?" and "What lives in the soil?" Next the students will watch a demonstration... (View More) of how much soil there is on Earth that is available for human use. Last they will create their own soil connection sentences. Uses commonly-available or inexpensive materials (e.g., chart paper, markers, apple). This is the 3rd of 3 sets of learning activities that are companion activities to the Elementary GLOBE children's book, The Scoop on Soils. Includes a teacher implementation 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 investigation, students are introduced to types of water bodies. Seven types are defined and each is then located on NASA satellite images and maps. Students also use maps to identify and compare bodies of water in their state with those of... (View More) other states, noting also how water availability in different regions impacts people, animals and plants. The consequences of changes in those bodies of water, such as pollution, oil spills and water flow, are also analyzed. The URL opens to the investigation directory, with links to teacher and student materials, lesson extensions, resources, teaching tips, and assessment strategies. This is Investigation 3 of four found in the Grades K-4 Module 2 of Mission Geography. The Mission Geography curriculum integrates data and images from NASA missions with the National Geography Standards. Each of the four investigations in Module 2, while related, can be done independently. Please see Investigation 1 of this module for a two-page module overview and list of all standards addressed. (View Less)

Satellite images of Mercury and Mars are used to illustrate craters and generate a discussion about their cause. After comparing those images with one of Earth, students explore the reason for the lack of visible craters on our planet. The abundance... (View More) or lack of water becomes the focal point of this investigation. The role that water plays in obliterating craters is investigated through an activity using sand, marbles and water. The crater discovered beneath Chesapeake Bay is used to illustrate the fact that Earth's oceans conceal impact craters. The URL opens to the investigation directory, with links to teacher and student materials, lesson extensions, resources, teaching tips, and assessment strategies. This is Investigation 2 of four found in the Grades K-4 Module 2 of Mission Geography. The Mission Geography curriculum integrates data and images from NASA missions with the National Geography Standards. Each of the four investigations in Module 2, while related, can be done independently. Please see Investigation 1 of this module for a two-page module overview and list of all standards addressed. (View Less)

The activities in this investigation train students to differentiate between physical (natural) and human-made features. Using both space shuttle photographs and satellite images, students will identify some of Earth's prominent natural and... (View More) human-made features. Students begin by matching images of individual physical features with their definitions, which they then must locate on larger scale images. Photos of three U.S. cities allow students to practice identifying both types of features. The URL opens to the investigation directory, with links to teacher and student materials, lesson extensions, resources, teaching tips, and assessment strategies. The teacher's guide will begin with a two-page module overview and list of all standards addressed. This is Investigation 1 of four found in the Grades K-4 Module 3 of Mission Geography. The Mission Geography curriculum integrates data and images from NASA missions with the National Geography Standards. Each of the four investigations in Module 3, while related, can be done independently. (View Less)

Photos and images taken from the space shuttle are used to show unusual paths, such as those created by smoke, camel tracks, lava flows, and river deltas. After observing and discussing the images, students will record their observations, and draw... (View More) conclusions about the origin and nature of the paths. Additionally, students are introduced to one-way (rivers, jet stream) and two-way (roads, bird flyways) paths. The URL opens to the investigation directory, with links to teacher and student materials, lesson extensions, resources, teaching tips, and assessment strategies. This is Investigation 3 of four found in the Grades K-4 Module 4 of Mission Geography. The Mission Geography curriculum integrates data and images from NASA missions with the National Geography Standards. Each of the four investigations in Module 4, while related, can be done independently. Please see Investigation 1 of this module for a two-page module overview and list of all standards addressed. (View Less)

This investigation requires students to locate several major U.S. cities using four different sources: an outline map, a nighttime lights image, an atlas map, and a space shuttle image. After analyzing and comparing the information from those... (View More) sources, students will offer explanations for establishing cities in particular locations. The URL opens to the investigation directory, with links to teacher and student materials, lesson extensions, resources, teaching tips, and assessment strategies. This is Investigation 4 of four found in the Grades K-4 Module 3 of Mission Geography. The Mission Geography curriculum integrates data and images from NASA missions with the National Geography Standards. Each of the four investigations in Module 3, while related, can be done independently. Please see Investigation 1 of this module for a two-page module overview and list of all standards addressed. (View Less)

This investigation teaches that physical and human features are used to characterize places on Earth. Since types of both features are visible from space, students will use NASA images to complete several activities: matching images to geographic... (View More) places, matching images to the features described in verses of "America the Beautiful" then attaching those images to the appropriate areas on a hand-drawn outline map of the U.S. and finally, writing their own poem to describe those images. The URL opens to the investigation directory, with links to teacher and student materials, lesson extensions, resources, teaching tips, and assessment strategies. This is Investigation 2 of four found in the Grades K-4 Module 3 of Mission Geography. Note: The authors recommend that students first complete Investigation 1 in this Module (What Are Physical and Human-Made Features?) to acquaint them with identifying features.The Mission Geography curriculum integrates data and images from NASA missions with the National Geography Standards. Each of the four investigations in Module 3, while related, can be done independently. Please see Investigation 1 of this module for a two-page module overview and list of all standards addressed. (View Less)

Nighttime light patterns on Earth have been recorded using NASA satellites. In this investigation, students will correlate those patterns of lights with the distribution of human populations, and then determine if related statements included in the... (View More) activity are true or false. Additionally, students will use a world atlas to investigate the physical features and climate of both the populated and unpopulated areas and then use that information to explain the population patterns. The URL opens to the investigation directory, with links to teacher and student materials, lesson extensions, resources, teaching tips, and assessment strategies. This is Investigation 3 of four found in the Grades K-4 Module 3 of Mission Geography. The Mission Geography curriculum integrates data and images from NASA missions with the National Geography Standards. Each of the four investigations in Module 3, while related, can be done independently. Please see Investigation 1 of this module for a two-page module overview and list of all standards addressed. (View Less)

Students will complete several activities in which they will describe, draw, examine and explore paths. Activities range from describing, drawing and exploring local paths (roads/sidewalks to school, hiking trails, trails in the local school... (View More) environment, etc.) to comparing and contrasting larger-scale paths (streets, bridges, runways, rivers) on maps and in satellite images of three major world cities. NASA satellite images of Boston, Paris and Houston are included in the lesson. This investigation also introduces students to the need for "ground truthing." The URL opens to the investigation directory, with links to teacher and student materials, lesson extensions, resources, teaching tips, and assessment strategies. The teacher's guide will begin with a two-page module overview and list of all standards addressed. This is Investigation 1 of four found in the Grades K-4 Module 4 of Mission Geography. The Mission Geography curriculum integrates data and images from NASA missions with the National Geography Standards. Each of the four investigations in Module 4, while related, can be done independently. (View Less)