This activity is a short engineering design challenge to be completed by individual students or small teams. A real-world problem is presented, designing buildings for hurricane-prone areas, but in a simulated way that works in a classroom, after... (View More) school club, or informal education setting. Students are given simple materials and design requirements, and must plan and build a tower as tall as possible that will hold up a tennis ball while resisting the force of wind from a fan. After the towers are built, the group comes together to test them. If there is time after testing, which can be observational or framed as a contest between teams, students can redesign their towers to improve their performance, or simply discuss what worked well and what didn’t in their designs. (View Less)

The Aral Sea, located between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, is diminishing in size. Students must analyze and interpret the background information, photos, images and data provided in order to determine the causes of the size change as well as the... (View More) effects on habitat, resources and people in the area. Student recommendations for managing and stabilizing the Aral Sea are presented in a final report. 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 9-12 Module 1 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 1, while related, can be done independently. (View Less)

Students confront the challenge of improving global agricultural production in order to feed increasingly larger populations. Students evaluate tables, maps, graphs, photos and satellite images detailing global population growth patterns and... (View More) agricultural production levels in order to formulate recommendations. The role of technology is examined throughout. This investigation includes two activities: 1. Students form six teams representing major world regions to consider the need for increasing agricultural production; 2. Students conduct a case study of Mozambique and conclude by distributing and defending monetary investments for possible agricultural production increases. 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 three found in the Grades 9-12 Module 2 of Mission Geography. The Mission Geography curriculum integrates data and images from NASA missions with the National Geography Standards. Each of the three investigations in Module 2, while related, can be done independently. (View Less)

The sustainability of the Nile as a water resource is investigated using maps, photos, data, graphs and a role-playing activity. Student groups will represent each of the 10 countries in the Nile River Basin. Data cards are provided for students to... (View More) gather information on each country, including current and projected population, water status, water management issues and water resource goals. That information is shared, discussed and evaluated at a simulated meeting of the countries. 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 9-12 Module 1 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 1, while related, can be done independently. (View Less)