Infrared Zoo Lesson 1 A Trip to the Infrared Zoo

GETTING READY

Pre-requisite Skills for Learners:

Your learners should have the following skills in order to participate efficiently and smoothly in this lesson:

• Ability to work in small collaborative groups of 3-4 students each
  
• Ability to work independent of direct instructor facilitation as the instructor will be wandering the classroom and helping all groups
  
• Ability to communicate findings, reasoning, and work to others
  
• Cognitive ability to recognize patterns that have not been introduced/explained before hand
  
• Prior experience with inquiry-based and explorative learning

Pre-requisite Content Knowledge for Learners:

Prior to this lesson, learners should be familiar with the following concepts:

• Temperature is a measure of the level of heat.
  
• Heat can move from place to place.

Preparation Work for the Instructor:

1. Print out and make laminated copies of the infrared images from Image Appendix, Image Set 1, Exploring the Infrared Zoo, Infrared (Section VI, A): (MS Word version | pdf version). Make enough of each image so that each group will have their own copy. We suggest using the numbers we have assigned to identify the images during the activity instead of using animal names. Some learners may sort using the animal names and may disregard the infrared image all together, thus missing the point of the activity.

Even though there is a large collection of animals in the Infrared Zoo, these particular images were hand-picked for this activity. Some of the images in the Infrared Zoo have the animals in sunlight or have just come from a cooler place so it emphasizes a different concept than we need.

2. Print out and make laminated copies of the visible light images from Image Appendix, Image Set 2, Exploring the Infrared Zoo, Visible (Section VI, B): (MS Word version | pdf version). Make enough of each image so that each group will have their own copy.

3. In section V. Extend and Apply Understandings, there are a variety of optional activities. All the images used in this section are listed below. You may print out and make laminated copies of all the images or just the ones you choose. We recommend at least one copy of all of the images. Note: These image sets are only available as separate MS Word or pdf files.

Image Appendix, Image Set 3, Characterizing Warm Blooded Animals (Section VI, C) MS Word version | pdf version
Image Appendix, Image Set 4, Where Have You Been? (Section VI, D) MS Word version | pdf version
Image Appendix, Image Set 5, Sunlight and the Color of Fur (Section VI, E) MS Word version | pdf version
Image Appendix, Image Set 6, External Thermostats (Section VI, F) MS Word version | pdf version

4. Visit the Infrared Portrait Gallery at Cool Cosmos: http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/image_galleries/ir_portraits.html and choose various portrait images to show to your learners in the Engage Your Learners! section. You can consider projecting them via a PowerPoint-like presentation or from the Internet, having them visit the website in a computer lab, or using color transparencies of the printed images.

5. Prepare the Exploring Infrared Image Technology lesson which can be found from the Lessons Top Page.

6. Review the lesson and brainstorm modifications for your particular set of learners. Have ready some discussion questions and points that you want to cover for the lesson to fit into your existing curriculum and state science standards.

7. Design an evaluation rubric for this lesson based upon your learners, how you have tailored this lesson, and where this lesson falls into your curriculum. We do not provide an "evaluation" activity/rubric in this lesson, but we do provide sample learning goals generic to this lesson "as is" in the General Information section for this lesson.

8. Arrange the classroom for group work. Each group of learners will need to have a desk, table, or floor space to spread pictures out and discuss their group's work without disturbing other groups.

Background Knowledge and Resources for the Instructor:

Provided below are some internet resources to help you get a better grasp on infrared light and image technology. Please note that we have compiled a Cool Cosmos Teachers Guide to the Infrared that can be found at: http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/image_galleries/ir_zoo/lessons/background.html.

Infrared Tutorial
http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroom/ir_tutorial

Video- Infrared: More Than Your Eyes Can See
http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/videos/more_than_your/

Heat and Temperature
http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroom/light_lessons/thermal/

Learn About Warm and Cold-Blooded Animals Using Infrared Images
http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/image_galleries/ir_zoo/coldwarm.html
- This resource is the premise for this lesson. We suggest that you go through this part of our website before the activity in preparation for your learner's questions. It also makes a good wrap-up activity for learners to complete after the activity is finished.

Infrared Application: Animal Studies
http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroom/light_lessons/our_world_different_light/animals.html

The Camera That Caught a Leopard
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/leopards/camera.html

Infrared Zoo
http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/image_galleries/ir_zoo/
- Go through the entire zoo to get background information on each animal's infrared signature.