In an effort to provide more hands on activities and curriculum materials, we have created an ATRM National Space Related Curriculum page.  If you have any suggestions, any activity ideas, or know of any good space related activities available on the web, email us!

The page is divided into two sections:

Activities Available For Download Or Print

Web-Based Activities (require classroom internet access)

Also, check out our Activities Designed For/By The Alaska Space Grant Program

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Activities Available For Download Or Print

The following are activites the we found and thought might be of interest to Alaskan science teachers.  If you use one of the following activity modules, please email us and let us know what you think of it.  If there is enought interest, we will provided online teacher reviews of these modules in the future.

Thursday's Classroom  
Thursday's Classroom provides new lesson plans & activities based on a current headline story & connects NASA's latest research & to the classroom. Past topics include four facts about Christmas in space, the Red Planet in 3D, much ado about Pluto, & more. (NASA)
Different activities for different grades.

NASA Mars Curricula Modules
These curriculum modules provide an in-depth way introduce students to Mars, geology, space exploration, and Earth and planetary science. The modules contain five to nine hands-on activities, and it takes from two to three weeks to complete all the activities in a module.  The activities in the modules were written by educators, reviewed by scientists, and field tested by students, making them scientifically accurate, classroom ready, and easy to use.  The modules can also help schools implement the National Science Education Standards in a creative, innovative, and multi-faceted program.  Inlcuded are:

1 - Exploring Mars
              Grades 4-10, Two Weeks
2 - The Great Martian Floods and The Pathfinder Landing Site
              Grades 4-10, Two Weeks
3 - The Grand Canyon of Mars And How It Formed
              Grades 6-12, Three Weeks
4 - Is There Water On Mars?
              Grades 9-12, Three Weeks

NASA Mars Activities
Each of the following activities has been extracted from one of the above curriculum modules.  They were created for teachers who do not have the time necessary to complete a full module, but still want to utilize an exciting stand alone activity about Mars in their classrooms.  Included are:

1 - Make Scale Models Of The Planets
          (Grades 4-12, One to Two Days)
2 - Make A Scale Model Of The Solar System
          (Grades 4-12, One to Two Days)
3 - What Can Craters Tell Us About a Planet?
          (Grades 6-12, Three to Four Days)
4 - What Can Sand Indicate About How And Where Water Flowed?
          (Grades 6-12, One to Two Days)
5 - How Does Flowing Water Shape a Planet's Surface?
          (Grades 6-12, One to Two Days)
6 - What Is So Special About Pathfinder's Landing Site?
          (Grades 6-12, One to Two Days)

Web-Based Activities

require classroom internet access

These following are web-based activites we thought would be of use to Alaska science teachers.  They do, however, require the use of the internet by students in the classroom.  Some activities may be convertable to a more traditional form, but most take advantage of the technology available on the web (i.e. animated images, video, etc.).  Please email us if you use any of these activites and tell us what you think!

Space and Astronomy Instructional Material From Athena
This site includes lots of online activites and information for a number of different age groups.  Topics include (not a exhaustive list): the solar system, planetary movement, and the sun (including the aurora borealis).

Curriculum Materials From Segway
"The Science Education Gateway (formerly SII) is a collaborative NASA project which brings together the expertise of NASA scientists, science museums, and K-12 educators to produce NASA science-based Earth and space science curricula for classroom and public use via the World Wide Web." - from Segwey site.  This site includes lots of activites and infomration in various subjects for various grade levels. 

Web-Based Activities

Elementary and Middle School

Search for Ice and Snow by Alan Gould. Students devise ways to find frozen reservoirs of water using NASA shuttle images.  Grade Level: 4-12.

Sunspots by N. Wanner, J. Spadaccini, A. Miller-Bagwell & I. Ruderman.  What are sunspots and what do we know about them? Explore history and modern research into these mysterious spots and do some solar science yourself.

How Satellites See by Chris Wilder. For grades 3-8. Meet three NASA satellites and compare images from each to learn how they "see" the Universe at different wavelengths.

Search for Ice and Snow by Alan Gould. Students devise ways to find frozen reservoirs of water using NASA shuttle images.  Grade Level: 4-12.

Auroras: Paintings in the Sky By Mish Denlinger. An introduction to Auroras and the Processes that creater these mysterious lights

The Comet's Tale by CSE@SSL  A self-guided tour of the history, structure, and orbits of comets, and their impact on life here on earth.

Classifying Galaxies by George and Jane Hastings. Learn to identify and classify galaxies the way astronomers do.  Then go to the Hubble Space Telescope Institute for more advanced study.

Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) Satellite Data Flow Demonstration by Marlene Wilson and Dennis Biroscak. Hands-on "lab" with documentation shows how data get from satellite to scientist.

Eyes in the Sky by Bryan Yager. Students use technology to track and study orbiting NASA spacecraft.

Guest Investigator Puzzle by Timothy Keys and Isabel Hawkins. Learn a basic technique of astrophysics research by matching EUV spectra of "mystery" stars with those of known stars.  Grade Levels: 6th-9th.  Time Requirements: Approximately 2 hours Preparation Time and 3-5 hours Class Time

Light Tour By Robyn Battle. A self-guided introduction to properties of light and applications to astronomy.  Grade Levels: 5th-10th.  Time Requirements: 1 hour prep time; 1-3 class periods

Measuring Stellar Temperatures: How Hot Is That Star? by Jim Meunier and Jim Lehman.  This multi-part module uses the Sun as a first example to illustrate how astronomers measure temperature using a star's spectrum.

Spectra From Space by Neil Fetter. Meet four different astronomy satellites and do hands-on activities illustrating different spectral wavelengths.

Surfing for Earthquakes and Volcanoes by Patty Coe and Michael Merrick.  Use the Internet to research earthquakes and volcanoes and plot locations to determine continental plate boundaries.  Grade Levels: 6 through 8.  Time Requirements: Approx. 2-3 hours Prep Time and 5 40-minute periods Class Time (depending on computer experience and knowledge of Earth Sciences)

 

Web-Based Activities

Middle and High School

Find That Planet! by Alan Gould. Make a horizon planetarium to find the locations of planets in the sky. High School students can use position data to make a skymap.

Ice on Venus? by Alan Gould. Use satellite images and on-line articles to investigate the composition of the Venutian surface.

Electromagnetic Radiation - On Trial by Nellie Levine. Gather evidence of beneficial or nefarious properties of various types of EM radiation.

Graphing Stratospheric Ozone by Neil Fetter.  Interpret satellite images and plot ozone density to discover trends and cycles in environmental chemistry.

The Great Satellite Search! by Regan Lum.  Learn skills of doing Internet research and then organize and present information on one of several science satellite missions.