Infrared Zoo Lesson 3 The Invisible Zoo

DAY 1 LEARN ABOUT INFRARED LIGHT AND INFRARED IMAGE TECHNOLOGY

A. Engage Your Learners

Activity Time: 10-15 minutes

Here we describe just one of many quick ways to get your learner's attention and create curiosity about the topic at hand. The ultimate goal of conducting an "engage" activity is to get your learners curious about the topic and begin to ask questions which they will discover answers for during their explorations.

1. Start a discussion about the zoo. Ask you learners to write down their 3 favorite zoo animals.

2. Take a poll and form groups of 3-4 learners based upon their animal choices. Each group will discuss a common favorite animal.

3. Ask your learners this question: What makes your animal able to survive in its natural habitat? (Eg. A walrus has layers of blubber and fat that help keep it insulated in the icy waters). Give them just a few minutes to brainstorm.

4. Hold a brief discussion on the topic, but try to keep things vague so they become intrigued for the activity. An example of how to segway into the exploration: "We can make assumptions about how blubber, thick fur, or bare skin help to keep an animal warm or help it cool off when needed. But, How can we scientifically determine and/or support our assumptions?" You will most likely get a few scattered answers and some smart gem may actually know about infrared imaging for zoo/veterinary studies. Either way, you can lead them into the first exploration of infrared imaging!

B. Exploring Infrared Image Technology

Activity Time: 25-45 minutes

This lesson is a mini-exploration and serves as an introduction to infrared imaging. At the conclusion of this exploration, your learners should understand the following:

• Infrared cameras can detect how much infrared radiation/light an object is emitting
  
• Infrared images (like the ones here) show how much infrared light was detected by the camera. The infrared light is used to measure the heat emitted by these objects. This measurement is transferred to color codes and is equivalent to degrees Fahrenheit.
  
• The infrared image has been scaled to show the temperature of the various areas of the object using a false-color map.
  
• False-color maps, like the infrared images here, come with a legend that tells the observer which temperatures are associated with which colors. This is how someone can accurately interpret the image.
  
• By looking at or observing the images, one can determine warmer or cooler areas. One is unable to do this with visible light images.

This activity is common to many of our lesson guides. Please go to Exploring Infrared Image Technology to access the lesson guide.