< Remote Sensing

How to Teach These Units

Take a little time to prepare and get ready to teach. The pages linked below give you an easy-to-follow checklist and resources that get you prepared for facilitating PLANETS activities.

1: Technology Stories: Sharing Experiences

Learners share experiences with, and stories about, technology.

Guiding Question

Why is technology important?

Activity Downloads

Activity Timing

10 MIN. Get Ready & Team Up

25 MIN. Storytelling

10 MIN. Reflect

45 MIN. TOTAL

Setup: Prep Time 30 min

  • Set up a materials table.

*See Materials & Preparation in the Educator Guide linked above for full info.

21st Century Skills

  • Communication

Science Practices

  • Communicate effectively.

Learners Will Do

  • Share a story or experience about technology.

Learners Will Know

  • Humans design technologies to solve problems they have identified.

Connecting Across Activities

  • Ready, S.E.T., Go!: Last time, learners designed spacecraft to gather data about Mars. As scientists, they chose a mission. As engineers, they figured out which instruments to send on the mission.
  • Activity 1: Sharing Experiences: learners share experiences with, and stories about, technology.
  • Activity 2: Introducing Landforms: Next time, learners generate questions about Mars before they explore how wind and water can make landforms on a planet’s surface using models.

Level Up!

  • Check out some great examples of the more than 2,000 NASA spin-off technologies that enrich our lives thanks to space exploration. (5 min.)

  • Get families or a community member involved to share relevant stories of engineering. Download customizable flyers and get ideas on the Remote Sensing Family & Community Connections. (45 min.)

  • Tell learners, if anyone asks them what they did today, they can tell them “We shared stories about why technology is important.” (5 min)