1. Vocabulary development.

Throughout this Land Use Unit, students will be introduced to a variety of specialized vocabulary terms. A Glossary is provided as an aid to vocabulary development.

Two terms are key to Lesson 1—air photo and land use. Both are phrases that students can begin to decipher by considering the meaning of each word in the phrase. However, particularly with the term air photo, students could easily develop an alternative meaning not relevant to the lesson (a picture of the sky). Thus, it may be helpful to explain to students that phrases are often a “shorthand” version of a longer phrase. For example, the term video game is shorthand for “game in which players manipulate images on a video screen.” Similarly, air photo is shorthand for “photograph taken from the air.”

What might be shorthand for a photograph taken from ground level? [Ground photograph.] Land use is shorthand for “how people use the land in an area.”

Encourage students to create illustrated dictionaries of words learned in the unit. They can draw illustrations or find examples in newspapers or magazines or on the Internet.

2. Develop an understanding of air photos.

Organize the students into pairs and distribute the Kite View Air Photo student resource to each pair of students. Lead a discussion focused on the following questions. Have students answer (as a class) the questions on Understanding Air Photographs transparency master.

What was used to take this photograph? [Camera.]

Where was the camera? [Suspended from a kite.]

What does the photograph show? [Roads, houses, trees.]

What living things see this view of the Earth? [Squirrels, birds, butterflies.]

Why is it important to have air photographs? [Air photos record where things are located so accurate maps can be drawn. They also permit scientists to record change when two air photos of the same place have been taken at two different times.]

To further develop this concept, obtain a copy of the Rand McNally Big Book entitled A Bird’seye View. Read and discuss the concepts and air photo views presented in Big Book format.

3. Investigate Shelby Township, MI, 1980 air photo.

Distribute the 1980 air photo of Shelby Township, MI, and the 1980 A-1 Discussion in Pairs student activity sheet. Follow the work by pairs of students with a general guided classroom discussion of the questions. The students may use a hand lens to observe greater detail on the air photo. Note, however, the objective is not to look for detail, but to look for patterns and large classifications of land use/land cover.

What was used to take this photograph? [Camera.]

Where was the photographer? [In the sky/in the air/in an airplane.]

What does the photograph show? [Roads, houses, trees.]

What living things see this view of the earth? [Squirrels, birds, butterflies, etc.]

Why is it important to have air photographs? [They record where things are located so maps can be drawn. They permit scientists to record change when two air photos of the same place have been taken at two different times.]

4. Investigate Shelby Township, MI air photo 1995 and most recent.

Distribute the 1995 Air Photo and the 1995 A-2 Air Photo Discussion in Pairs and the Most Recent Air Photo Discussion In Pairs student activity (see CD) and have the student pairs answer the questions. Open Shelby Township Map in Google Maps. Follow the work in pairs with a general guided classroom discussion of the questions.

Besides the title, how do you know that both photos are of Shelby Township? [Both show the same features on the Earth’s surface such as highways, property lines, and bodies of water.]

How are they the same? [Streets/roads are the same, same amount of land, same name, same location.]

How are they different? [There are more houses, buildings, bodies of water, more land used, fewer trees, and looks more like a city in 1995.]

Why did land use changes occur from 1980 to 1995 to 2010? [More people came in later years therefore, more houses, factories, and stores were needed.]

What caused these changes? [More people, area became more popular.]

Do you think that these changes are positive or negative? Why? [Positive changes: people needed more houses and more room, they grew more plants. Negative changes: crops were destroyed, trees were chopped down, more pollution.]

When did the greatest land use change occur: 1980–95 or 1995–most recent? Why? [1980-95; Available land]

5. Review the concept of air photos.

How would you take an air photo? [Answers will vary. It is important that students understand that this is a photograph taken from a position in the air above something. It is not a photograph of the air. In the lesson extensions, there is a page from the Green Gold coloring book (Note: entire book can be found on the MEECS Land Use CD) that shows an airplane flying over the land with the caption indicating that it is taking photographs. This may be used to develop the concept that air photos are taken from above the ground looking down.]

Why are air photos important for studying land use? [They record changes over time. They show the relationship between features of the land and where people live. They give many people a unique perspective of an area that is very difficult to get unless you are high in the sky in an airplane or hot air balloon.]