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)

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)

The impacts of natural disasters are described in imaginary pen pal letters from peers who reside in the pathways of four authentic natural disasters: a volcanic lava flow in Hawaii, a volcanic ash cloud in Russia, a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico... (View More) and flooding in the Midwestern U.S. Students must answer questions posed in the letters (included in the lesson), locate the impacted areas on a map, examine images of the disaster, research the Earth science processes involved and write back to the pen pal. 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 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)

Multiple activities illustrate the concept of changes in bodies of water over time. Emphasis is placed on the use of remote sensing to monitor changes in water bodies that are due to climate change, erosion, drought, human intervention and natural... (View More) events. Using clay and water, students evaluate the impact of rising water levels on different coastlines and on coastal cities. Students also analyze satellite images showing three examples of changes caused by water: the melting of the Greenland ice sheet, the flooding in the Midwestern region of the United States and the drought effect on Africa's Lake Chad. 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 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)