This unit focuses on local plant species; students learn to identify common species and will examine their life cycle characteristics as evidence of climate change. Through the use of the national citizen science project titled Project BudBurst,... (View More) students explore the impacts of climate variation on plant species distribution. The unit is one of four under the Chicago Botanic Garden curriculum entitled, "Climate Change in My Backyard." (View Less)

In this investigation students explore how resolution affects information content on remotely sensed images, relate remote sensor resolution (pixel size) to information content, and gain an understanding of the information content of different kinds... (View More) of remote sensing imagery. Students examine aerial or satellite images of the area around their school,interpret remotely sense images, and verify them using ground trotting techniques. Magnifying glasses (2x, 5x and 10x power), aerial photographs, plant identification manual, and a tape measure are needed supplies. This exercise is part of the Ground Truth Studies Teacher Handbook (GTSTH), and is a follow-up investigation to the Digital Faces activity of the same resource. GTSTH provides more than 20 activities to build student understanding of global change and remote sensing, and includes background chapters for teachers, glossary, and appendices. (View Less)

Students will use remotely sensed images and topographic maps to classify land cover types in their watershed. A field trip to specific sites will allow the students to ground truth cover types found on the remotely sensed images and extrapolate... (View More) that information to other sites not visited. Analysis of this data will allow students to explain the relationship between cover types, water flow, and water quality. Supplies for this lesson include a topographic map and satellite images of the area to be studied, acetate or tracing paper, and grease pencils. This activity is part of the Ground Truth Studies Teacher Handbook, which provides more than 20 activities to build student understanding of global change and remote sensing, and includes background chapters for teachers, glossary, and appendices. (View Less)