Space Science sites offer lesson plans, interactive activities, the latest news on space exploration and research, updates on current missions, and spectacular photos and videos for teaching and learning about space. Included: Twenty-one sites guaranteed to send your students into space.
Creating an out-of-this-world science unit that will transport your students into outer space is a snap with the resources you'll find at the space science Web sites below. From comets to black holes to the Mars Rover, students will explore a universe of information and a constellation of multimedia resources to gain insight into the mysteries of space. Many of the sites provided offer information, hands-on science activities for inquiry learning, and spectacular photos, videos, and animations.
Amazing Space
The highlights of this highly colorful and engaging site are its Web-based activities, explorations, and adventures. In the sections Online Explorations and Capture the Cosmos, visitors explore planets, comets, galaxies, and black holes, and perform experiments and observations to further their understanding of space. Each activity is accompanied by a teacher's page containing lesson plans tied to national science standards, background information, and links to additional resources. In addition, the site offers the latest space news, along with recent photos taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, a Homework Help area, and videos and animations sure to spark -- and hold -- student interest. Additional resources for educators include a Teaching Tools section that provides easy access to all the teaching materials available at Amazing Space by topic or by type; a section on Astronomy Basics; links to additional resources, and more.
Mars Exploration Rover Mission
This well designed and easily navigable site allows visitors to learn about the Mars Exploration Rover Mission from conception to launch to landing. Resources include background information about the mission and its scientific purposes, information about the role of technology in the mission and about the project team, and up-to-the-minute news, photographs, and video about the mission's progress. Also provided are videos, Webcasts, computer animations, models and diagrams, and a Flight Director's Update that brings the mission to life.
Planet Quest
Planet Quest: The Search for Another Earth highlights NASA's search for new worlds. Visitors can learn about NASA's missions, and find out how scientists discover new planets and determine if they are habitable. The site includes multimedia presentations as well as a number of hands on scientific activities and experiments. Educator resources include activity guides for students in grades 6-8 and links to additional NASA resources.
SpaceKids
SpaceKids is a comprehensive space site for teachers and students in elementary through middle school. The site provides movies, photographs, interactive games, space facts, and space mission news. Teachers will find two complete teaching modules containing lessons, teaching tips, hands-on student activities, and cross-curricular suggestions.
Space Science Curriculum Standards Quilt
This interactive "quilt" from NASA offers a patchwork of K-12 lesson plans and activities for teaching about space science. All the ready-to-use lessons and activities are standards-based and age appropriate. Users choose a grade range to view highlighted patches of lessons and activities available at those grade levels and then click a patch to access a summary of the activity and a link to it. Activities range from an exploration of Mars for K-4 students to an exploration of the electromagnetic spectrum for high school students.
For even more great space science sites, visit Education World's Site Reviews Archives.
Article by Hazel Jobe
Education World®
Copyright © 2004 Education World
05/12/2004
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