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Phase II - Getting Oriented

In the second phase, your students search for more details on the context and content of the image. Where in the world is this? Which way is north? What is the scale? What are the key physical features shown in the image? What are your initial conjectures as to the "story" of the image? Answers to these questions help you and your students get oriented to the image.

There are two key resources in this phase:

Reference information associated with the image - Each photo has a unique identifier number, which helps you find out where and when the picture was taken, what type of image it is.  It might also include the scale, which way is North, and the date and time of the picture.

In KidSat and EarthRISE, reference information is available on-line when you access the image. For NASA prints, it usually in on the back of the picture.

Atlas(es) - You will learn a lot by cross-referencing the image with maps and other reference information in atlases.  Goode's World Atlas is common in schools and has very good physical maps and an especially broad-ranging set of thematic maps.  The Times Atlas of The World (or other comparable high quality atlas) shows considerably more detail, and can be of real value in direct cross-reference with KidSat and other shuttle images. 

It may take a little work to find or figure out this information, but it is an essential part of the process.

Teachers' Guide             Page 9.8