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Teachers should plan to spend at least 20 minutes familiarizing themselves with the lesson and the app, printing student worksheets, and identifying trees to measure in part 1. For the quality of the activity the prep time is reasonable.
Teachers should download and practice using the GLOBE Observer app to measure tree height, as they are required to model this for students.
Teachers might want to create a slideshow to go with this lesson to increase the variety of ways to represent the material.
In this activity students will learn about the importance of trees by collecting various types of data and will learn about their relationship to climate change, which could be a good supplement in a unit on photosynthesis, climate change, or the carbon cycle.
There is additional material for teachers and suggestions on how to extend the activity to include other climate change topics.
This activity requires multiple trees to measure for part 1. If a school is located in an urban area or does not have easy access to multiple trees, a teacher could consider printing images of trees or toy trees and using scaled measurements.
This activity follows the scientific method as students collect their own data and analyze provided data.
Students are given background information about various trees and their carbon storage properties.
The activity includes multiple resources throughout that are linked to reputable sources and provide background information on climate change, feedback loops, and climate solutions.
Passed initial science review - expert science review pending.
This activity involves class discussions, hands-on work, data collection, data analysis, and research.
Students collect various types of data about trees near their schools or homes using a nature app, in order to understand the role of trees in the carbon cycle.
Learning objectives and NGSS standards are clearly stated.
This activity includes a clearly outlined guide for teachers with sufficient background information and clear, step-by-step guidance for the activity; student worksheets are linked and can be printed.
This activity engages students in a variety of learning modalities, helping keep them engaged.
Students must have access to the GLOBE observer app on either tablets or smartphone. Some schools may not have tablets or phones for all students, however, the activity can be done as a classroom/group activity if a device with access to the app is available.
Creating an account is free and only one GLOBE observer account is required; if the classroom has a set of tablets, they could all be logged into the same account.
Students need access to the internet in order to complete part 3 of the activity.
Lesson suggests, but does not require, access to tree identification species.
This activity requires students to measure the height and circumference of multiple trees; this could be difficult for schools in urban areas.
Non-tech savvy students may need additional guidance from teachers on how to use the app on a tablet or smartphone.
