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This teaching guide offers educators glimpses into the value of remote sensing, the process of observing and analyzing the earth from a distance. Remote sensing provides information in forms to see spatial patterns over large areas in a more realistic way than thematic maps and allows a macro-scale look at global problems. The six instructional units in part 1 and the background essay in part 2 lead students through an understanding of the basics of remote sensing and engage them in using images to interpret aspects of the physical and cultural geography of selected U.S. areas. Students are engaged in the changing environmental impact of Death Valley (California), the Ridge and Valley Region of Pennsylvania, the coal mines of Wyoming, and the urban landscape of Boston (Massachusetts). Part I contains classroom activities for student decision-making and analysis. Titled "Learning about the American Landscape Through Remote Sensing," part 1 includes: (1) "Basin and Range Province: Interpreting a Satellite Image of Death Valley" (Paul R. Baumann); (2) "The Appalachian Ridge and Valley: A Landsat Image of Central Pennsylvania" (Percy H. Dougherty); (3) "Human-Environmental Interaction at the Black Butte Coal Mine, Wyoming: An Interpretation from Satellite Imagery" (Julie Elbert); (4) "Snake River Plain, Idaho: The Physical and Cultural Landscape Through Landsat Imagery" (Nancy B. Hultquist); (5) "The Urban Landscape of Boston from a High-Altitude Color-Infrared Aerial Photograph" (Aulis Lind); and (6) "Studying the Regional Geography of the American Plains Using Landsat Thematic Mapper Imagery" (M. Duane Nellis; Steven L. Stover). Part 2, "How Does Remote Sensing Work?" contains the essay "Remote Sensing: An Introduction" (Paul R. Baumann). Maps, charts, and tables accompany the text. (EH)