Informal Education - General Audiences (K-12, Adult)
The following resources can be useful for developing lesson plans, curriculum supplements, student research projects and sources of NASA Earth science research information and imagery.
Atlas of the Ocean: The Deep Frontier, 2001 - Featuring more than 150 photographs, maps and NASA satellite images, this atlas charts and celebrates every aspect of the ocean world, from tiny plankton to massive storm systems that rage across thousands of miles. Experts have contributed essays and sidebars on subjects as diverse as deep-sea archeology, plate tectonics, coral reefs, mapping techniques and El Niño. Readers also go behind the scenes to observe modern science at work, as researchers pursue promising leads in dozens of different but intertwined fields. Order online at the Web site provided - or from National Geographic Society, 1145 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036-4688. Recommended for: formal and informal education audiences, grade 8 - adult.
CloudSat: Revealing the Inner Secrets of Clouds - The NASA CloudSat Mission CD ROM provides a detailed overview of
the satellite, its mission, personnel, other satellites in the
"A-Train", science and technology behind the mission, launch
information, and its partners. In addition, the CD ROM contains
educational activities, artwork and references, along with a glossary,
video clips of CloudSat scientists and other mission personnel
describing their careers and answering questions about climate,
weather, radar and the mission, plus links to further information.
CloudSat is a NASA Earth System Science Pathfinder mission that uses a
special cloud profiling radar to study clouds and precipitation in
order to gain valuable data to improve our understanding of global
climate variation. Recommended for: Students Grades 6-14 and Informal audiences ages 4-18 (better for children 10 years and older).
Destination Earth - Destination Earth is the official Web site for NASA's ESE. It includes current ESE news and events, sections on education for teachers and students and information on current research opportunities. Many links to other information resources are also included.
Earth Observatory -NASA's Earth Observatory is an interactive Web-based magazine where the science-attentive public can obtain new satellite imagery and scientific information about our home planet. Visit the Earth Observatory to read feature articles on wide-ranging Earth system science topics, download datasets and images for analysis, read breaking news, learn about current and planned Earth missions, search an online library for reference materials, track natural hazards around the world in near-real time, and access interactive experiments and classroom activities. Recommended for: general public, media, informal educators and middle school-post secondary instruction.
Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) -The EPOD Web site is a collaboration between NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and the Universities Space Research Association. A new photograph or image highlighting an interesting or unusual aspect of the Earth's system appears every day. Each picture is accompanied by a detailed description and related links. Search the archive by keyword or browse by field or topic. Recommended for: middle school+, informal education.
Earth Update - Earth Update is a graphical interface, distributed via CD-ROM, which allows access to Earth science information, animations, and games. It is organized by spheres -- atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and cryosphere. Each sphere contains libraries of hot topics, general topics, and updatable images that can be updated over the internet, as well as who, what, and why sections. Each module can stand alone or run as a linked system. Developed by and on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science as an interactive museum kiosk, it is written in Macromedia Director so that museums or other users can updated the images without the dangers inherent in web browsing (viruses, ad ware, scam-ware, etc). Earth Update also serves as an online digital library for personal or school use. It includes three interactive educational games. The first is Tic-Tac-Toe, which is an Earth knowledge game, with an editor included so teachers can add or delete questions or export selections as a quiz. The user chooses the question sets as beginner, expert, or in Spanish; one sphere or all spheres mixed can be selected. The second is Data Miner, which is a mapping tool for country-based resources, with data from the World Resources Institute and the CIA. Thirdly, Hot Spots is a game to find the ‘extreme’ places on Earth (highest, lowest, most populated, etc.) and provides a powerful Earth viewer for topography and political information. Earth Update also includes activities sorted by grade level and national science standards. Recommended for: K-12 and informal education.
Earth Update 2006 - Earth Update 2006 is a graphical interface on CD-ROM, which allows
access to Earth science information, animations, games and activities
for K-12. It is organized by spheres: atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere,
hydrosphere and cryosphere; the modules can be run alone, or as a
linked system. Each sphere contains a library of hot topics, general
topics and images that can be updated over the Internet, as well as
who, what, how and why sections. The Houston Museum of Natural Science
developed Earth Update as an interactive museum display, but it is
appropriate for learners of all ages. Recommended for: Students, Teachers Grades K-14, Informal Audiences, Museums Ages 7-15.
Eyes on Earth - Eyes on Earth is a 2,500 sq. ft. interactive, traveling science
exhibition developed by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
(OMSI) that focuses on NASA's Earth Observing System and explores three
major areas: Satellites, Orbits and Satellite Technology. Designed
primarily for families and school groups (upper elementary+), the
exhibit brings these concepts down to Earth through a combination of
fun, accessible displays and short videos. An educators guide with
activities can also be downloaded from the Eyes on Earth Website. The
exhibit is available for leasing from OMSI through 2010. Recommended for: Informal Audiences Ages 4-18.
NASA: Supporting Earth System Science 2005
- The stories included in this annual publication primarily focus on
research and recent success stories of how NASA's Earth Observing
System data are being used to benefit society. Each article features
data that are processed, managed, archived and distributed through
NASA's Distributed Active Archive Centers and cooperating data centers.
It is written for the scientifically interested public. Recommended
for: Informal Audiences, Public and Informal Learning Centers, Adults
Science Bulletins - Science Bulletins from the American Museum of Natural History brings
free, current science to the general public, informal learning centers
and classrooms. The bulletins include three types of stories: features,
data visualizations and weekly news snapshots. A video and editorial
crew follows scientists into the field to capture original video
material and interview scientists about their work-in-progress for the
feature stories, which are presented as high-definition videos for
informal learning centers and as rich-media collections on the Web.
Data visualizations in the Earth and Bio sections are based on
satellite data sets from NASA and NOAA and presented in high-resolution
for informal learning centers and in interactive formats on the Web. A
free educator's guide and learning activities are also provided on the
Web site.
Understanding GLOBE Student Data - The GLOBE Database, as of April 2005, houses over 12 million
student observations from over 6,900 schools in 89 countries. The
purpose of these activities is: first, to help guide the teacher
through these millions of data, and second, to inspire teachers and
students to both collect GLOBE data as well as to use these data in
their own research. The activities have been designed to help students
and teachers discover that data exploration can be exciting and
interesting. Each activity contains step-by-step procedures as well as
notes on what students should see in and understand about the data.
Recommended for: Students, Teachers Grades 6-12 and Informal Audiences: Educational Outreach Facilities
Where on Earth...? MISR Mystery Image Quizzes - Embark on a geographical adventure with NASA's Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) Mystery Image Quizzes. These puzzles cover topics from archaeology to zoology and are designed to inspire understanding of the physical, biological and human processes that influence our home planet. Several resources for discovering and revealing the meaning of image features may help new geographical detectives to solve the challenging quiz questions.
A new mystery image and quiz appear approximately once every two months at the Web site listed above and at the MISR home page. Answers are published at the same locations. The names and hometowns of respondents who answer all questions correctly by the deadline will also be published in the order responses were received. The first three people on this list who are not affiliated with NASA, JPL or MISR, and who have not previously won a prize, will be sent a print of the image.
CONTACT: Clare Averill, MISR Team, Geographic Interpretation and Science Outreach Email: caverill@sdsio-mail.jpl.nasa.gov