This curriculum allows middle school and high school students to use authentic NASA data from five satellite missions (Aqua, Aura, ICESat, Landsat, and Terra) to engage in a systems approach to climate change. The curriculum features four modules:... (View More) 1. Introduction (Eco-Schools framework, MY NASA DATA, and Carbon cycle), 2. Factors that Influence Temperature (Surface temperature, CO2, Ice-albedo, Land changes, Deforestation and urbanization), 3. How Climate Change Affects Natural and Human Systems (Arctic sea-ice and polar bear habitat, Sea surface temperature and coral bleaching, Trends in spring arrival, DBH, Dendrolchronology and biospheric data, Heat waves, Patterns in precipitation, Sea-level rise), and 4. Renewable Energy (Solar and Wind). Lessons contain technology tips, supplements, student worksheets, answer keys and appendices. (View Less)

In this lesson, students will use real satellite data to determine the changes in near-surface air temperature over the Caribbean Sea at different times of the year. Step-by-step instructions for use of the MY NASA DATA Live Access Server (LAS)... (View More) guide students through selecting a data set, importing the data into a spreadsheet, creating graphs, and analyzing data plots. The lesson provides detailed procedures, related links and sample graphs, follow-up questions, extensions, and teacher notes. Designed for student use, MY NASA DATA LAS samples micro datasets from large scientific data archives, and provides structured investigations engaging students in exploration of real data to answer real world questions. (View Less)

In this lesson students will investigate nitrogen dioxide levels in the atmosphere over a one-year period. The students will have to look at several regions from around the world to draw conclusions regarding NO2 amounts. From the plots, students... (View More) will have to brainstorm the reasons behind the variability in NO2 concentrations. Detailed procedures, materials, vocabulary linked to an online glossary, and teachers notes are provided. This lesson is from the MY NASA DATA project, which has created microsets from large scientific data sets, and wrapped them with tools, lesson plans, and supporting documentation so that a teacher, or anyone in the interested public, can use authentic NASA Earth system science data. (View Less)

El Niño impacts sea surface height, sea surface temperature and wind vectors. In this lesson, data for each of those three characteristics from the 1997-98 El Niño event will be analyzed and compared. Students will work in teams of 3 throughout... (View More) the activity, initially doing a team analysis of a single characteristic, and then jig-sawing into other groups to share information. The lesson culminates in a series of questions, a written summary and a comparison to similar observations done by scientists. This lesson uses student- and citizen science-friendly microsets of authentic NASA Earth system science data from the MY NASA DATA project. It also includes related links, extensions, an online glossary, and a list of related AP Environmental Science topics. (View Less)