Teaching Notes

Grade Level

This activity is designed to familiarize teachers and/or students with accessing and analyzing data. It can be used as a professional development activity for teachers of any level, or it can be assigned directly to students. The activity is most appropriate for students in grades 7-10.

Learning Goals

After completing this chapter, users will be able to:

Rationale

Generating animations from Earth Observatory's simple-to-use Data Chart provides students with practice using a basic data access skill, that of requesting data for a specific time interval in a specified output format. By building the animations requested within the chapter, students will become familiar with the input settings necessary to obtain a range of data products or output. The ability to submit simple data requests to generate data products for interpretation can transfer to other data portals, enabling students to access and analyze a variety of data.

Background Information

This chapter utilizes an instructional model developed by educational researchers at the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS). The model is known as the BSCS 5-E Model; its goal is to sequence learning experiences so that students can construct their understanding. The 5 E's are Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate.

First, students Engage with the concepts through a short activity or relevant discussion. Next, students Explore the concepts with others to develop a common set of experiences. In the Explain phase, the teacher guides the students as they develop an explanation for the concepts they have been exploring. In the Elaborate phase, students extend their understanding or apply what they have learned in a new setting. Finally, in the Evaluate phase, students and their teacher have an opportunity to evaluate students' understanding of the concepts.

You can find out more about BSCS and the 5-E model at www.bscs.org.

Instructional Strategies

Having pairs of students work through this chapter together will provide them with opportunities to discuss their results. Having a partner for dialog is especially valuable in Part 3 (the Elaborate phase) when students apply what they learned using a new tool.

Assessment Strategies

To assess your own or students' ability to construct specific animations from Earth Observatory's Data Chart

Science Standards

The following National Science Education Standards are supported by this chapter:

Grades 5-8
8ASI1.3 Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data.
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The use of tools and techniques, including mathematics, will be guided by the question asked and the investigations students design. The use of computers for the collection, summary, and display of evidence is part of this standard. Students should be able to access, gather, store, retrieve, and organize data, using hardware and software designed for these purposes.
8ASI1.4 Develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and models using evidence.
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Students should base their explanation on what they observed, and as they develop cognitive skills, they should be able to differentiate explanation from description – providing causes for effects and establishing relationships based on evidence and logical argument. This standards requires a subject knowledge base so the students can effectively conduct investigations, because developing explanations establishes connections between the content of science and the contexts within which students develop new knowledge.
Grades 9-12
12ASI1.3 Use technology and mathematics to improve investigations and communications.
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A variety of technologies, such as hand tools, measuring instruments, and calculators, should be an integral component of scientific investigations. The use of computers for the collection, analysis, and display of data is also a part of this standard. Mathematics plays an essential role in all aspects of an inquiry. For example, measurement is used for posing questions, formulas are used for developing explanations, and charts and graphs are used for communicating results.
12DESS2.1 The earth is a system containing essentially a fixed amount of each stable chemical atom or element. Each element can exist in several different chemical reservoirs. Each element on earth moves among reservoirs in the solid earth, oceans, atmosphere, and organisms as part of geochemical cycles. 12DESS2.2 Movement of matter between reservoirs is driven by the earth's internal and external sources of energy.
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These movements are often accompanied by a change in the physical and chemical properties of the matter. Carbon, for example, occurs in carbonate rocks such as limestone, in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide gas, in water as dissolved carbon dioxide, and in all organisms as complex molecules that control the chemistry of life.

Geography Standards

The following U.S. National Geography Standards are supported by this chapter:

The World in Spatial Terms: How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.

Environment and Society: How human actions modify the physical environment.

Time Required

Case Study: 10 minutes
Part 1: 15 minutes
Part 2: 30 minutes
Part 3: 10 minutes

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