Far and Near, Near and Far
** In Development **

Grade Level K - 4

Essential Question How does your distance from an object affect what you see?

Objective Students will learn about perspective and how distance affects their field of view—and ultimately the type and amount of information they obtain.

Approach [To be written when programming is completed.]

Reflection Discuss the uses of remote sensing and the benefits of looking at things from a different perspective. One common use of remote sensing is for the prediction of weather. The line of questioning may go as follows: When weather forecasters predict the weather, where do they get their information? Do they just look outside to see what the weather is like in their neighborhood? What tools do they use? Students should describe the RADAR images that weather forecasters use. Often these images are superimposed over maps to show the movement of clouds, hurricanes, etc. across the country. Weather forecasters also look at the entire nation to examine weather patterns that may be approaching their area in the near future.

After the discussion, students may construct shoebox ecosystems and satellite models. They can define missions for their satellites and suspended the satellites above their ecosystems to "collect data." Satellite missions may include monitoring threatened species, vegetative ground cover, or weather conditions. Ask students to explain the difference between the type and amount of data they can collect from their satellite and the type and amount of data they can collect on the ground in the ecosystem.