Lesson Plan
"Toppy" TOPEX Kids Page
Remote Sensing Lesson Plan
by L. Allen, Salem State College
For use with www.tsgc.utexas.edu/topex/kids
Type of Lesson
Subject Area: Science & technology
Topic: Remote sensing; specifically TOPEX
Methods of Instruction: Student work groups; informal class discussion
Context of Lesson
Grade Level: 4
Time Allotment: One hour
Preparation
Resources and Materials:
1. Worksheet. One copy of the following "Toppy" lesson worksheet for each group of students.
2. Lesson for use with the web site www.tsgc.utexas.edu/topex/kids.
Special Arrangements:
To prevent students from accidentally logging on to an inappropriate site, the web site www.tsgc.utexas.edu/topex/kids should be on each computer before the students move to the computers to work.
Prerequisite Skills:
This lesson is not intended to be the students first experience with navigating a web site. Students should be familiar with how to move about a web site before beginning. Also, students should be familiar with the rules concerning internet use in the school and classroom before proceeding.
Students should have an understanding of the concept of "technology". My goal would be to make this lesson part of a Technology Thematic Unit in which students explore the nature and impact of technology. Students would have differentiated between natural objects and objects made by people; identified uses of technology in their daily activities; and described how technologies have both positive and negative impacts on people and their world before proceeding with this lesson. (Per the Massachusetts Science and Technology Curriculum Framework.)
An introductory activity addressing what a satellite is may be needed. My goal would be to begin with a KWL activity (what you think you KNOW, what you WANT to know, and what you have LEARNED), in which students share what they think they know about satellites, and what they want to know about satellites. The activity would be returned to later when the students would share what they have learned about satellites.
The informal class discussion that follows is not intended to be the first time students have participated in a sharing circle. Students should have previous experience with informal class discussions.
Curriculum Framework Goals:
Students will "represent an understanding that the sun supplies heat and light to the Earth." (Massachusetts Science and Technology Curriculum Framework, Forms of Energy: Light, Heat, Electricity, and Magnetism, page 45.)
Students will "give evidence that water in the Earth System exists naturally in all three states and water continuously circulates through the earth's crust, oceans and air." (Massachusetts Science and Technology Curriculum Framework, Interactions and Cycles in the Earth-System, page 76.)
Students will "present evidence that the Earth's oceans are a reservoir of nutrients, minerals, dissolved gases, and life forms which are the major source of water vapor for the atmosphere and store of heat transported by ocean currents greatly affect Earth's climate." (Massachusetts Science and Technology Curriculum Framework, Interactions and Cycles in the Earth-System, page 76.)
Students will "describe ways in which technological tools and methods allow us to better learn about the laws of nature." (Massachusetts Science and Technology Curriculum Framework, The Nature and Impact of Technology, page 90.)
Students will "document that people are always inventing new ways to get things done. Describe an instance in which someone learned to do something a new way when the old way worked." (Massachusetts Science and Technology Curriculum Framework, The Tools and Machines of Technology, page 90.)
Objectives:
Cognitive: Students will learn new information about remote sensing.
Behavioral: Students will explore and read the web site and record answers to the questions asked on the "Toppy" lesson worksheet.
Affective: Students will discuss what they learned from visiting the website.
Procedure
Introduction:
The teacher can begin by saying, "Let's do some exploring on a web site. We will visit a site to lean about the TOPEX satellite." The teacher can also ask, "Who remembers what a satellite is?" to facilitate some discussion before beginning.
The student groups are formed and are given a few minutes to explore the web site as they get settled.
Teaching Steps:
1. As the students investigate the site together, the teacher gives each student group the "Toppy" lesson worksheet to complete. The teacher may want to review (read aloud) the worksheet with each group or to the whole class.
While the students complete the worksheet, the teacher assesses their progress, monitors activity on and ensures safe use of the web site, and is available to help the students and answer questions.
2. After each group has completed the worksheet, the entire class sits together (on the floor or in chairs in a circle) to share what they have learned and any thoughts about the site, etc.
Closure:
3. The teacher facilitates reviewing the "Toppy" lesson worksheet by asking the questions on the worksheet and giving each group a chance to answer. Some questions the teacher can ask are:
"What is the Earth's main source of heat, light, and energy?"
"What is this type of energy called?"
"What does it mean that 'most of the Earth's energy is transferred by water'"? and "How does this effect climate?"
"How did people study oceans before the invention of satellites?" and "Do you think that the old way worked?" and "Why do you think the new way is better?" and "Do you think people still study the ocean using ships and boats today?"
4. Questions 3 and 4 ("What do you think radar is?" and "Why do you think the ocean can be measured in height?") on the "Toppy" lesson worksheet are hypothesis questions and should now be addressed by the teacher.
After the students have shared their ideas, the teacher shares what radar is and how it works (radio detecting and ranging: locating an object by measuring the time it takes for the echo of a radio wave to return), and why the oceans can be measured in height (mountains and valleys beneath the surface).
5. Question 10 ("What happens when the sun warms a body of water?") can be an opportunity to review the water cycle. This question would be reinforced with the student's new learning of how this type of energy movement effects climate.
The teacher can facilitate the discussion of this question by having the students share their answers, ask them questions to recall information about the water cycle, and then review how that effects climate. (Evaporation and condensation: sun energy warms the water changing its state to vapor, causing it to rise. As the air eventually cools, water condenses and falls as rain).
* The last two pages the students visit on the web site contain vocabulary and concepts that may need review. If that is the case, these words and concepts should be addressed by the teacher at this time. These should be learned, reviewed, or reinforced depending on need, interest, and/or past experience in other lessons.
These words and concepts are: reflected, absorbed, transferred, distributed, redistributed, evaporate, condense, moderate coastal climate, and tropics.
A variety of tools can be used including dictionaries, globes, maps, and charts. Techniques for teaching these concepts could be review of other lessons (the water cycle), word walls, and/or reenactment of solar energy passing though the atmosphere and interacting with the Earth and the ocean.
6. The worksheet is collected for teacher assessment.
Assessment:
Informal assessment occurs throughout the lesson. The worksheet serves as a formal assessment. If used in conjunction with a Technology Thematic Unit, further assessment would occur during unit assessment. If the KWL activity is used, assessment would also occur when the students answer the "what we LEARNED about satellites" section of the activity.
Reflections:
This lesson has not been taught. However, I have worked with students on web page lessons and activities in the past and have found them to be good learning experiences. The students were very excited and motivated to work on the computers.