Freshwater Macroinvertebrates

The purpose of this resource is to sample, identify, and count macroinvertebrates at a Hydrology Site. Students collect, sort, identify, and count macroinvertebrates from habitats at their site. Educational levels: Middle school, High school, Intermediate elementary, Primary elementary

Phenological Gardens Protocol

The purpose of this resource is to observe the flowering and leaf stages of selected garden plants throughout the year. After a phenological garden is planted, students observe the growth of leaves and blooming of flowers on the plants. These plants were selected because each plant blooms at a different time in the year. Educational levels: Primary elementary, Intermediate elementary, Middle school, High school

Modeling the Reasons for Seasonal Change

The purpose of this resource is to understand what causes the Earth's seasons with a focus on the Earth's tilt and spherical shape. Students learn how sunlight spreads over the Earth at different times of the year, emphasizing the solstices and the equinoxes. Students investigate the effect of the Earth.s tilt on the spread of sunlight by modeling different tilts using a three-dimensional polyhedron which they construct from paper. Students calculate the relative sunlight intensity received by the Northern and Southern Hemispheres to understand seasonal differences between the hemispheres. Educational levels: Middle school, High school

Diagramming the Study Site for Others

The purpose of this resource is to develop the best possible representation of the study site as a system. Students visit a study site, where they observe and recall their existing knowledge of air, water, soil, and living things to make a list of interconnections among the four Earth system components. They make predictions about the effects of a change in a system, inferring ways these changes affect the characteristics of other related components. Educational levels: Middle school, High school

Soil Particle Size Distribution Protocol

The purpose of this resource is to sure the distribution of different sizes of soil particles in each horizon of a soil profile. Using dry, sieved soil from a horizon, students mix the soil with water and a dispersing solution to completely separate the particles from each other. Students shake the mixture to fully suspend the soil in the water. The soil particles are then allowed to settle out of suspension, and the specific gravity and temperature of the suspension are measured using a hydrometer and thermometer. These measurements are taken after 2 minutes and 24 hours. Educational levels: Middle school, High school

Using GLOBE Data to Analyze Land Cover

The purpose of the resource is to develop hypotheses about which environmental factors are most important to plants. Educational levels: Middle school, High school

The Data Game

The purpose of this resource is to learn how to estimate data results in order to minimize errors in reading or recording data. Students participate in a game in which they collect data using various instruments and calculations and then try to fool other data collection teams by exaggerating some of the data numbers. They do this activity first with data describing objects in the classroom, then with soil moisture measurements, and then with other GLOBE data. Educational levels: Primary elementary, Intermediate elementary, Middle school, High school

Water Transparency Protocol

The purpose of this resource is to determine the transparency of water. Students measure water transparency at their undisturbed study site using a transparency tube or Secchi disk. Educational levels: Primary elementary, Intermediate elementary, Middle school, High school

Getting to Know Your Satellite Imagery and Study Site

The purpose of the resource is to introduce students to Landsat images and how to identify the land cover types within those images. Educational levels: Intermediate elementary, Middle school, High school

What Are Some Factors That Affect Seasonal Patterns?

The purpose of this resource is to have students use GLOBE data and graphing tools to compare the influence of latitude, elevation, and geography on seasonal patterns. Students analyze the graph of the past year's maximum and minimum temperatures at their site. They compare this graph to similar graphs for two other sites and list which factors that might cause the patterns to be different and investigate one in depth. Educational levels: Middle school, High school