Description:
The Adventure of Echo the Bat introduces students to remote sensing and biodiversity from a constructivist approach through an interactive adventure. Three thematic units are: Understanding Light, Remote Sensing, and Biodiversity. Within each unit are lesson plans, classroom activities (including reproducible worksheets), and links to useful resources. The site is beautifully designed, simple and appealing enough that an elementary student can jump right in, and teachers will find what they need.

The site has some rough edges. Aspects of some activities were appropriate for different educational levels. (For example, the story of Echo seemed most appropriate for younger elementary students, but the site is targeted for grades 5-8.) As with most educational materials, evaluation needs more attention. For example, students would benefit from guidance questions for their writing activities; teachers would benefit from rubrics to help assess student learning.

Organization:
Collaborative project: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
US Geological Survey (USGS) Biological Resources Division

URL:
http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov

Contact:
The site is maintained by:
The Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics
Earth Sciences Directorate (Code 900)
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD 20771

Ginger Butcher, S.G.T., Inc.
Email: ginger@ltpmail.gsfc.nasa.gov

Cost:
Free over the Internet

Education Level:
Grades 5-8

Subject:
Biology
Environmental Science
Geography
Mapping
Natural Resources
Remote Sensing

Resource Type:
Internet Site
Curriculum/Instructional Materials
 
 

Date Added to teachearth.com:
5/1/00