Analyzing Land Changes Over Time

• This 90-minute lesson guides students through analyzing land cover changes in Phoenix, Arizona, using NASA satellite imagery from their Landsat program in 1984 and 2018.
• Students will classify land cover, record this data in a table, calculate the change over time, and discuss the ecological impacts of land cover changes.

Positives

• Students use real-world data from NASA satellite technology to explore environmental concepts.
• The lesson plan is detailed and provides excellent facilitation tips to lead discussions.

• The lesson is interdisciplinary, connecting geography, technology, math, and science.

Additional Prerequisites

• The resource includes a PDF of the lesson plan, a PDF of background information for teachers, and Google Docs and Jamboard versions of the student sheet.
• If students are unfamiliar with analyzing satellite imagery, there is a link to a different lesson titled "Exploring Satellite Imagery and False Color Images" which could be completed first.

Differentiation:

• Students will need to complete a percent change calculation when analyzing land cover change.  The formula is provided in the student worksheet, but some students may need assistance to plug in the correct values.
• Some students may need assistance in articulating their findings in the "Interpreting the Data" section.  Consider having students work in pairs to discuss their data and formulate their responses.  Then have a class discussion of their findings where students may revise their recorded responses and explanations.

• Teachers can expand on the concepts of pervious and impervious surfaces by doing a lab exploration of different materials and land surfaces.