Wildfires from Space More Lessons from the Sky Satellite Educators Association http://SatEd.org This is an adaptation of an original lesson plan developed and published on-line by Natasha Stavros at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The original problem set and all of its related links is available from this address: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/activity/fired-up-over-math-studying-wildfires-from-space/ Please see the Acknowledgements section for historical contributions to the development of this lesson plan. This spotlight on the “Wildfires from Space” lesson plan was published in November 2016 in More Lessons from the Sky, a regular feature of the SEA Newsletter, and archived in the SEA Lesson Plan Library. Both the Newsletter and the Library are freely available on-line from the Satellite Educators Association (SEA) at this address: http://SatEd.org. Content, Internet links, and materials on the lesson plan's online Resources page revised and updated in October 2019. SEA Lesson Plan Library Improvement Program Did you use this lesson plan with students? If so, please share your experience to help us improve the lesson plan for future use. Just click the Feedback link at http://SatEd.org/library/about.htm and complete the short form on-line. Thank you. Teaching Notes Wildfires from Space Invitation Wildfire is a global reality, and with the onset of climate change, the number of yearly wildfires is increasing. The impacts range from the immediate and tangible to the delayed and less obvious. In this activity, students assess wildfires using remote sensing imagery. More Lessons from the Sky is pleased to spotlight this lesson develop by Natasha Stavros at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The original problem set and all of its linked resources can be found at this URL: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/activity/fired-up-over-math-studying-wildfires-from-space/ The lesson addresses Next Generation Science Standards for grades 4 and 9-12 and Common Core State Standards for Mathematics in grades 3-12. Grade Level: 3-12 Time Requirement: 1-2 class period Prerequisites: None Relevant Disciplines: Science, Mathematics, Geography Student Learning Outcomes By the end of this lesson, students should be able to do the following: Upon completion of the following activities, learners should be able to do each of these: 1. Compare and contrast false color with true color satellite imagery. 2. Measure distance using map scale. 3. Analyze fire progression maps and compare with false color imagery. 4. Determine area of a burn scar in satellite imagery. 5. Solve simple mathematical problems related to wildfire analysis. Lesson Description Learners will examine true-color and false-color satellite-based imagery of several major wildfires in California. They will also have access to fire progression maps and ground level photographs of each wildfire area. Learners will use rulers, math tiles, Google Earth, and/or ArcGIS Online to determine the length and area of the burn scar for the 2014 King Fire in California, and compare map locations to ground level photos of the burn areas. Older learners will classify each fire on a scale of severity and discuss how they made those decisions. They will be asked to hypothesize about why aerial or satellite data might give ambiguous information. This lesson is highly adaptable to grade level, student learning modality, and available equipment. It is scaled in complexity and depth for each grade level. For example, younger students will be able to do the first five problems (Part 1) on the worksheet found in the Student Activity pages whereas middle school students should be able to add the next two problems (Parts 1-2) and high school students should be able to More Lessons from the Sky, © Satellite Educators Association, Inc. Wildfires from Space 1 Teaching Notes complete all thirteen steps (Parts 1-3) on the worksheet. The original author makes these suggestions for working with younger students: • Focus on helping them understand the difference between a true-color image and a false-color image, in which we use "not-true" colors to make features stand out better to our eyes. Show examples. • For clarity, show the ground-truth images from the high school problems (Steps 9 through 11) that show what the ground area looks like for the aerial view they are seeing. • Ask which image coloring helps us see the bigger picture of how much the fire has affected an area. • Ask which map helps us see the effects better. • Use physical or electronic math tiles or tangrams to find the area of the fire. If using physical tiles, enlarge the image to match the size of your classroom tile set. It is suggested that middle school students be encouraged to either use a grid or piecing polygons to estimate area. The Google Earth or ArcGIS Online procedures are reserved for high school students. Conduct a class discussion after the last questions are completed on the worksheet. The original author suggests that, for younger students, the discussion consider a "bird's- eye" view versus the view on the ground. Use Google Earth or ArcGIS Online projected for the entire class to show the playground at their school and the front of the school from above. Help learners navigate, from an aerial perspective, various trips they take during the day, from arrival, to the classroom, to recess, to lunch, etc. For older students, discuss the relationship between false-color imagery and the electromagnetic spectrum. Most scientific false-color images are created by imaging a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum other than the visible. The false-color images of burn scars are often created using infrared sensing cameras. Remember, false colors are added to images to make otherwise invisible or difficult to see features more visually discernible. Lesson closure is found in the application and extension activities of the Your Turn section of the Student Activity pages. The first is for younger students, add the second for middle school and the last two for high school. Be sure enough time is allowed for learners to venture forth on their own when ready to demonstrate the process and understanding they developed in this lesson. The original author assumes prior knowledge of Google Earth for finding distance, area, and location. However, if needed, More Lessons from the Sky has included an optional, short tutorial for measuring distance and area in Google Earth. For those familiar with ArcGIS Online and who would like to use it instead of Google Earth, an optional, short tutorial for finding distance, area, and location in ArcGIS Online Map Viewer is also included. These tutorials can be found at the end of the Student Activity pages. You can also access and download your own MODIS imagery of these and other fires from MODIS Today at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A short tutorial for that can be found at the end of these Teaching Notes. (See Preparation section below.) 2 Wildfires from Space More Lessons from the Sky, © Satellite Educators Association, Inc. Teaching Notes Important Terms Burn scar Infrared light Remote sensing False color image Landsat Terra and Aqua Fire severity MODIS Wildfire Assessment Suggestions Lessons such as this involve constant supervision and on-going assessment. Formative assessment of teamwork and timely progress through the worksheets is continuous as the teacher circulates to encourage engagement with the subject matter, observe progress, and answer questions. Summative assessment is possible from the completed worksheets and the Your Turn activity. Standards The Next Generation Science Standards sets below are relevant to this lesson. Each set includes a disciplinary core idea (DCI), science and engineering practice (SEP), and crosscutting concept (CC), tied together by a performance expectation (PE). Grade 4: Earth’s Systems PE- 4-ESS2-2 – Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features. DCI- 4-ESS2.B – The locations of mountain ranges, deep ocean trenches, ocean floor structures, earthquakes, and volcanoes occur in patterns. Most earthquakes and volcanoes occur in bands that are often along the boundaries between continents and oceans. Major mountain chains form inside continents or near their edges. Maps can help locate the different land and water areas of Earth. SEP- Analyze and interpret data to make sense of phenomena using logical reasoning. CC- Patterns can be used as evidence to support an explanation. Grades 9-12: Earth’s Systems PE- HS-ESS2-2 – Analyze geosciences data to make the claim that one change to Earth’s surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems. DCI- HS-ESS2.A – Earth’s systems, being dynamic and interacting, cause feedback effects that can increase or decrease the original changes. SEP- Analyze data using tools, technologies, and/or models (e.g. computational, mathematical) in order to make valid and reliable scientific claims or determine an optimal design solution. CC- Feedback (negative or positive) can stabilize or destabilize a system. Grades 9-12: Earth and Human Activity PE- HS-ESS3-6 – Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationships among Earth systems and how those relationships are being modified due to human activity. DCI- HS-ESS3.D – Through computer simulations and other studies, important discoveries are still being made about how the ocean, atmosphere, and biosphere interact and are modified in response to human activities. SEP- Use a computational representation of phenomena or design solutions to More Lessons from the Sky, © Satellite Educators Association, Inc. Wildfires from Space 3 Teaching Notes describe and/or support claims and/or explanations. CC- When investigating or describing a system, the boundaries and initial conditions of the system need to be defined and their inputs and outputs analyzed and described using models.