Investigating Deforestation Through An Earth Systems View Using Landsat

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Investigating Deforestation Through An Earth Systems View Using Landsat
https://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/lesson-plans/investigating-deforestation-through-earth-systems-view-using-landsat

My NASA Data, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

This activity has students use an Earth Systems perspective to identify the various causes associated with changes to Earth's forests as they review Landsat imagery of site locations from around the world.

This activity takes one 50 minute class period

Learn more about Teaching Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness»

See how this Activity supports the Next Generation Science Standards»

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Middle School

Performance Expectations: 2

MS-ESS3-4: Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.

Middle School:

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 9

Earth and Space Sciences:

MS-ESS2.A2: The planet’s systems interact over scales that range from microscopic to global in size, and they operate over fractions of a second to billions of years. These interactions have shaped Earth’s history and will determine its future.

MS-ESS2.A: Earth’s Materials and Systems

MS-ESS2: Earth's Systems

MS-ESS3.C1: Human activities have significantly altered the biosphere, sometimes damaging or destroying natural habitats and causing the extinction of other species. But changes to Earth’s environments can have different impacts (negative and positive) for different living things.

MS-ESS3.C2: Typically as human populations and per-capita consumption of natural resources increase, so do the negative impacts on Earth unless the activities and technologies involved are engineered otherwise.

MS-ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems

MS-ESS3: Earth and Human Activity

Middle School:

Cross Cutting Concepts: 9

Stability and Change, Patterns, Cause and effect, Scale, Proportion and Quantity

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Stability and Change, Patterns, Cause and effect, Scale, Proportion and Quantity

MS-C1.3: Patterns can be used to identify cause and effect relationships.

MS-C1.4: Graphs, charts, and images can be used to identify patterns in data.

MS-C1: Patterns

MS-C2.3: Phenomena may have more than one cause, and some cause and effect relationships in systems can only be described using probability.

MS-C3: Scale, Proportion and Quantity

MS-C7.1: Explanations of stability and change in natural or designed systems can be constructed by examining the changes over time and forces at different scales, including the atomic scale.

MS-C7.3: Stability might be disturbed either by sudden events or gradual changes that accumulate over time.

MS-C7: Stability and Change

Middle School:

Science and Engineering Practices: 11

Analyzing and Interpreting Data, Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions, Engaging in Argument from Evidence

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Analyzing and Interpreting Data, Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions, Engaging in Argument from Evidence

MS-P4.1: Construct, analyze, and/or interpret graphical displays of data and/or large data sets to identify linear and nonlinear relationships.

MS-P4.2: Use graphical displays (e.g., maps, charts, graphs, and/or tables) of large data sets to identify temporal and spatial relationships.

MS-P4.4: Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for phenomena.

MS-P4: Analyzing and Interpreting Data

MS-P6.1: Construct an explanation that includes qualitative or quantitative relationships between variables that predict(s) and/or describe(s) phenomena.

MS-P6.2: Construct an explanation using models or representations.

MS-P6.3: Construct a scientific explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from sources (including the students’ own experiments) and the assumption that theories and laws that describe the natural world operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

MS-P6.4: Apply scientific ideas, principles, and/or evidence to construct, revise and/or use an explanation for real- world phenomena, examples, or events.

MS-P6: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

MS-P7.3: Construct, use, and/or present an oral and written argument supported by empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support or refute an explanation or a model for a phenomenon or a solution to a problem.

MS-P7: Engaging in Argument from Evidence

Climate Literacy

This Activity builds on the following concepts of Climate Literacy.

Click a topic below for supporting information, teaching ideas, and sample activities.

Energy Literacy

This Activity builds on the following concepts of Energy Literacy.

Click a topic below for supporting information, teaching ideas, and sample activities.

Biological processes depend on energy flow

Notes From Our Reviewers The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials
Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy | Technical Details

Teaching Tips

This activity could fit in an ecology unit as a way to model interactions among the spheres in the Earth System.
Other resources provided at the bottom of the page are useful, especially for lower grade levels.
Consider ending the lesson on something more uplifting, hopeful, and empowered, so students are not overwhelmed with negativity related to deforestation (e.g. mention reforestation projects, show local mitigation examples, or activities where you plant a tree).

About the Content

The science content of this deforestation activity incorporates up-to-date content and imagery; however, to a novice interpreter of Landsat images, content is needed to support the interpretation of imagery in the activity.
My NASA Data has short videos on their website that explain how Landsat images and the data they provide are interpreted.
Comments from expert scientist:
Scientific strengths: All of the resources to implement this lesson are included. It accommodates classrooms with access to technology as well as those that do not have access.
Suggestions: None.

About the Pedagogy

This activity requires that the teacher understand the data in the Landsat images.
The activity will work best if the teacher helps students make deep connections between the components of the Earth system and deforestation. Students will need support in how to interpret false-color Landsat images.
Grade level 3 seems like a stretch, but it could be used as a basic resource for an artisan master teacher to show the stark difference over time. They probably also need different metrics.

This resource engages students in using scientific data.
See other data-rich activities

Technical Details/Ease of Use

There are supports provided for teachers with different technology capabilities within their classroom such as Google Classroom integration, and access to PDFs.
Can be done offline (print beforehand) or online; technology requirements are confusing in this respect.
If the page does not load, try using a different internet browser.

Entered the Collection: January 2022 Last Reviewed: July 2021

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Middle School (see details)

Middle School

Performance Expectations: 2

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 9

Cross Cutting Concepts: 9

Science and Engineering Practices: 11

Grade Level

Online Readiness

Topics

Climate Literacy

Energy Literacy

Teaching Tips

About the Content

About the Pedagogy

Technical Details/Ease of Use

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