Infrared Zoo Lesson 1 A Trip to the Infrared Zoo

Day 2: EXPLORING THE INFRARED ZOO

A. Engage Your Learners

Activity Time: 5-10 minutes

Thus far, your learners have become curious about infrared portraits of people and have learned about the special cameras and technology that make the infrared images possible. To help reengage them in the lesson you can start the class with a casual discussion about "What would my pet __________ look like in an infrared image?" The common pets will be mammals and your learners will start to make connections to the Infrared Portraits of people. Hopefully, someone in the class will have a fish or snake to talk about. If not, you will need to talk about a snake "you once knew" and are curious to see what it would look like. Bringing in cold-blooded pets to the discussion will help you seg-way into the actual activity and provoke them to ask questions through the exploration.

B. Sorting Activity

Activity Time: 40-50 minutes

Image sets used:

Image Appendix, Image Set 1, Exploring the Infrared Zoo, Infrared (Section VI, A): MS Word version | pdf version
Image Appendix, Image Set 2, Exploring the Infrared Zoo, Visible (Section VI, B): MS Word version | pdf version

You can introduce the activity to your learners by showing them a few of the Infrared Zoo pictures from Image Appendix, Image Set 1, Exploring the Infrared Zoo, Infrared (Section VI, A) (MS Word version | pdf version). No doubt they will be anxious to see all of the animals in the "odd" colors! After handing out Image Set 1 to each group you will ask them to make observations about each infrared image, create two categories for sorting, describe the criteria for each category, and present their categories to the class.

1. Form small groups of 3-4 learners each and spread the groups out in your learning space so that there is enough room to spread out the images and discuss without disturbing other groups.

2. Explain the task to your learners. It may help to have the task written on a chalkboard or on an overhead projector. Here are the main points to cover:

• Each group will be given a set of infrared images that have various animals/insects/creatures on them.
  
• Each group's task is to sort the images/animals/creatures into TWO main categories based upon what they see in the infrared image.
  
• Each group needs to summarize the criteria for each category.
  
• They will have only 20 minutes to do this!
  
• Each group should be ready to present how they sorted the images to the whole class.

3. Explain the method of exploration briefly to your learners. It may help to have the task written on a chalkboard or on an overhead projector. Here are the main points to cover:

• Quickly review each image.
  
• Brainstorm how some are similar and some are different.
  
• Determine specifics on how some are similar and some are different --- these will be the criteria used for categorizing.
  
• Optional Hint: Look at whether the creature is warmer or cooler, when it is compared to its surroundings in the picture.

4. Give each group Image Appendix, Image Set 1, Exploring the Infrared Zoo, Infrared (Section VI, A) (MS Word version | pdf version). Walk around the class and offer assistance only where needed. It is good to let them struggle a bit. Offer hints when a group becomes too off-track or if they "hit a wall".

...AFTER 20 MINUTES...

5. Have a brief question and answer break about the infrared images and their observations. This will give them an opportunity to voice their questions and receive guidance on seeking answers in the rest of the activity. Some areas to discuss:

• What information are the infrared images giving us about the animals?
  
• What areas are cooler - why? Warmer - why?
  
• Have you found anything strange or confusing?
  
• Are any of the images not what you were expecting?

6. Give each group Image Appendix, Image Set 2, Exploring the Infrared Zoo, Visible (Section VI, B) (MS Word version | pdf version). They can match up the image number on the visible light image to the image number on the infrared image. Give them 20 more minutes to review their categories and determine if they need to modify their sorting. The visible light images may help them see "feathered/furred" vs. "reptile/amphibian/insect". Remind your learners that the infrared images and visible light images together give them more information. Comparing the images will help them modify their categories and their sorted animals.

Brief discussion question suggestions:

• How are the visible light images different than the infrared images?
  
• What is unique about each type of image?
  
• Are there patterns between the infrared and visible light images? Similarities vs. differences.

7. Optional: Some learners may be able to sort into 4 categories after seeing the visible light images: Birds, Mammals, Reptile/Amphibian, and Insect.

C. Help Your Learners Explain:

Activity Time: 30-45 minutes

Here you will help your learners bring together everything they have discovered and at the same time get them all "on the same page" in regards to the content presented. This is where you can introduce specific content on warm-blooded and cold-blooded animals either through discussion or lecture. It is preferred that this "explain" session is done promptly after the "explore" activity, though it can be saved for the next class meeting.

1. Have another brief question and answer period about the infrared and visible light images of the animals. Learners may have questions about the different colors, the differences between the bare skin and furred areas, or why the furry/feathered animals are colorful while the reptiles are uniform in color. During this explain section you will help them find the answers to their questions.

2. Have groups present their sorting categories and the animals within those categories. How you accomplish this will depend on your classroom teaching style. Some ideas are:

• Use large poster paper and have groups write down their categories and 3 main criteria. Tape up on wall or chalkboard.
• Use chalkboard space and chalk to write down categories.
  
• Have oral presentations and you record "good points" on the chalkboard or overhead transparency.
  
• Have the class decide/debate on two solid categories and then have an open discussion/debate about how the animals are sorted into each. You can act as the facilitator and record on the chalkboard or overhead transparency the categories and sorted animals.

3. Using your own style of class discussion, help the class come to a consensus on good criteria for sorting. Help the learners describe the similarities and differences in the infrared images and between categories.

Some obvious points to cover:

• The cold-blooded animals are the same temperature (or very close) to the background temperature of the image.
  
• The warm-blooded animals are fairly uniform in temperature when one disregards the eye/ear/nose areas.
  
• Furred/feathered areas are cooler than bare skin and the lighter furred/feathered areas like eyes, ears, and noses.

In this explain session you can add in any lecture or reading about warm-blooded vs. cold-blooded animals that you need to cover for your own science standards. Take note though, not to give "too much away" so that the "extend" portion of this lesson is still valuable and still an exploration to get them thinking at a deeper level.

D. Instructor Solutions and Comments

Below are comments on the images and how they can be categorized. The two main groups are warm-blooded (birds and mammals) and cold-blooded (reptiles/amphibians/insects).

• BIRDS: Chicken, Cockatiel, Macaw, Owl
        - Warmer areas are near eyes and head (barer skin)
        - The beak area is cooler
        - Feathered areas are somewhat uniform in temperature and are generally cooler than bare skin areas.
        - Similar patterns to the furred mammals
  
• MAMMALS: Baboon, Cat, Dog, Giraffe, Boy, Puppy, Seal, Sheep
        - Similar patterns to bird images
        - Warmer areas are the bare skin areas and head areas
        - Cooler areas are covered in fur or hair
        - The Seal is a hard one and may get sorted into cold-blooded since his body heat is well insulated by thick blubber.
  
• REPTILES/AMPHIBIANS: Alligator, Chameleon, Collared Lizard, Gecko
        - Uniform temperatures (in general) for the whole animal
        - Animal is close to the same temperature as the background of the image
        - Similar patterns to insects
  
• INSECTS: Caterpillar, Millipede, Scorpion
        - Uniform temperatures (in general) for the whole animal
        - Animal is close to the same temperature as the background of the image or to what it is in contact with. For example when a person holds a cold-blooded animal, the warmth from the person's hand can cause the body temperature of the animal to increase near or where it is being held.
        - Similar patterns to reptiles/amphibians