The Quick Start Guide lists examples of NASA datasets and imagery that could be used for student investigations related to content and practices in the Framework for K-12 Science Education.    This Guide is part of an educator toolkit that features resources for grades K-12 that can support and frame student investigations with NASA data and content. Check out the toolkit and samplers for elementary, middle, and high school at https://www.strategies.org/education/educators-toolkit/.

Students watch a video introducing the concept of albedo and answer questions.

Students will identify and describe the relationship between land cover classification and surface temperature as they relate to the urban heat island effect. Students will also describe patterns between population density and the locations of urban heat islands. 

Students will analyze how surface (skin) temperatures vary across a community and determine what factors contribute to this variation. Students will describe how human activity can affect the local environment. 

This Lesson Plan provides maps, graphs, and data tables for use with the Data Literacy Cubes. Because it is a differentiated resource, it is appropriate for multiple grade bands. 

In this lesson, students will explore the effect of aerosols on sky color and visibility by using an interactive virtual model. 

Interpret the map, or model, to find patterns in the occurrence of tropical cyclones from 1842 through 2018.

NASA visualizers take data – numbers, codes – and turn them into animations people can see and quickly understand.

Students interpret a double bar/column chart comparing the number of tropical cyclones in different locations.

The Earth System Satellite Images, along with the Data Literacy Cubes, helps the learner identify patterns in a specific image.