Ground Truth Studies Teacher Handbook - Aspen Global Change ...

Investigating the Invisible (continued)
Procedure
1. Ask your students to think and talk about what
“invisible” means. For example, how do they know
that something exists if they cannot see it. Have your
students form small groups to choose one “invisible”
phenomenon. These groups should then research and
figure out how they can verify its existence.
2. Students examine the measurement tools and
consider what they are called. This provides a good
lesson in language and root words. Roots such as
meter and scope are paired with thermo, tele, micro,
etc. When students learn some of the basic meanings,
they can figure out for themselves what related, but
unfamiliar, words mean.
3. The groups should use their tools to measure their
invisible phenomenon every day for a designated
period of time, preferably long-term. Have them
chart and/or graph their data and post it in a special
place in the classroom designated for the “Daily
Invisible Data Set.”
4. In some cases, the students may be collecting the
only daily information on a particular subject and it
may be of interest to the wider community. For
example, if students measure ultraviolet-B, they
could issue UV-B alerts the way weather reporters
issue smog alerts. They could warn fellow students
or even the entire community (via school newspapers,
public access cable, local newspapers, etc.) of
an increased need for hats, sunscreens and sunglasses
on high UV-B days. They could visit tanning salons
and measure the UV-B output of the machinery to
determine if it falls within federal guidelines.
5. Students studying radon could test radon levels in the
school basement, in their classroom and in their
homes. They could read recently published information
about radon and the controversy surrounding its
relative danger.
Discussion
Bring the different groups together to discuss their
experiences and share their data. Let them present their
measuring devices to the other groups and explain how
their device functions and how it verifies the existence of
the phenomenon they are measuring. Bring up the topic
of the nature of “invisible” phenomenon and discuss how
their perception has changed.
Extension
1. Students collect their “Daily Invisible Data Set” and
enter it into a computer which is networked (through
EcoNet or other computer network) with other
schools around the country or the world. The students
compare their data with that coming from other areas,
gaining a larger perspective on invisible phenomena.
A forum for making, testing and sharing data from an
inexpensive ozonometer is available on EcoNet.
Plans for making a low cost UVB meter are available
in the “Amateur Scientist” section of the August
1990 issue of Scientific American.
© ASPEN GLOBAL CHANGE INSTITUTE 1995 GROUND TRUTH STUDIES
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