FRAME

Related subject area: science

Overall problem:  Which activities (if any) should be restricted around the coral reefs of Kailua Bay to insure their lasting protection?

Relationship of problem in this lesson to overall problem: At this point, students have developed a cursory understanding of what remote sensing is, e.g., the acquisition of information about an object, without being in physical contact with that object. However, to investigate the overall problem, students need to develop a deeper understanding of how remote sensing works and how it is used to study the earth. The problem in this lesson is to develop a more precise definition of remote sensing and determine specifically how remote sensing can help investigate coral reefs in Kailua Bay.

Estimated time required: Three class periods.

Student outcomes/objectives:

  • Students will be able to describe the basic elements and the process of remote sensing.

Prerequisite skills or knowledge:

  • Ability to work in teams
  • Basic understanding of problem solving
  • Basic reading skills
  • Basic presentation preparation skills

Teacher preparation:

  • Print Student Journal / Activity sheets for these activities.
  • Secure internet computers and projection equipment.
  • Gather enough red, pink, dark blue, and light blue pencils, markers, or crayons for students to use during the mapping activities.
  • Bookmark student website on student computers (if not available, print and copy necessary websites).

Student reflection and assessment: Student reflection activities | Assessment

Education standards supported by this lesson:

National Science Education Standards | Project 2061 Benchmarks

National Standards for School Mathematics | National Technology Standards | National Geography Standards

Cross-curricular connections to support National Education Standards for this lesson:

math | technology | geography
Teacher Activities
  
Student Activities

FRAME the lesson by having students experience remote sensing while drawing a sensory map of a prepared surface with different elevations and temperatures. 

Teacher preparation immediately prior to class:

  • Freeze water in several different size bowls.
  • Secure a few heating pads, heating pillows, or some other devices that will hold heat such as bags of potatoes or beans, heat in a microwave or some other means just prior to the activity.
  • Place the two or three of each of the hot and cold items in different locations on a table top space that is approximately 2 feet by 2 feet. 
  • Place a light cloth, with grids painted on it, over the objects.

Teacher note: You may want to set up several of these areas depending on the size of your class. This activity should proceed quickly so that the hot and cold zones do not equilibrate or dissipate before the students have a chance to sense them. 

Separate students into teams of two and provide them with work sheets with grids like the cloth.

Direct students, without any explanations, to do the following activity, using Activity sheet: Sensory map (RS-1).

  • Draw a topographic map of what they see on the tabletop, showing the differences in elevation evident on the table area.

Direct one student from each team to take turns slowly moving their hand closely over the top (not touching) of the area explaining what they feel (sense: hot and cold) while their teammate draws indications of the differences in temperature on their visible map.

  

Student activities: