Astromaterials Education/Solar System Science Professional Development
These workshops and trainings for elementary and secondary educators are developed thematically around the topics of solar system science and astromaterials. The participants are prepared to share the science appropriately with K-12 audiences by extending their knowledge and giving them hands-on experience with classroom activities. These are usually offered within a conference or larger professional development…

Astromaterials Education/Solar System Science Student Opportunities
These are events for K-12 students developed thematically around the topics of solar system science and astromaterials. These are hands-on, experiential learning opportunities designed to extend solar system science knowledge and to inspire students to learn more. These are usually offered within an existing event. 

Astromaterials: Lunar and Meteorite Sample Education Disk Program Security Training Video Development
The development of the Lunar and Meteorite Sample Education Disk Program Security Training Video will provide a key training tool for the certification workshops conducted by Authorized Certifiers.  This activity will update the video by using high definition filming and revising the content to reflect protocol and procedure changes. The new video will be used by the Authorized…

Lunar and Meteorite Sample Education Disk Program Website Development
This activity will develop and maintain a webpage to support the Lunar and Meteorite Sample Education Disk Program. Certified borrowers of the disks can use this page to initiate borrowing the disks and reference teaching materials. Non-certified educators will be instructed how and where to receive the necessary training to borrow the disks. Once the page is designed and published, it will be maintained as part of…

Lunar and Meteorite Sample/Solar System Science Student Opportunities
These are events for K-12 students developed thematically around the topics of solar system science focusing on lunar and meteorite science. These are hands-on, experiential learning opportunities designed to extend solar system science knowledge and to inspire students to learn more. These are usually offered within an existing event. 

Lunar/Meteorite Sample Education Disk Certification Training
These workshops and trainings for elementary and secondary educators are developed thematically around the topics of solar system science. Participants are certified to borrow the sample education disks and prepared to share the science appropriately with K-12 audiences. These are usually offered within a conference or larger professional development event. Standard content of solar system science is shared thematically…

Professional Development for educators on Cassini Language Arts module "Reading, Writing & Rings"  http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/education/overview/

Material development for FY 2012 will include Solar System Origins module and accompanying interactives including the stand alone activity "Active Accretion" and "Active Phase Changes." For FY 2012, this will include formatting, posting, internal and product review and subsequent revisions of the Solar Systems Origins module and the initial development of the Data Analysis module. Content module on Dawn instruments: Framing Cameras, Visible and Infrared Spectrometer, Gamma Ray and…

In FY 2012, Dawn science, engineering and education team members presented new science findings and activities as well as background information to a variety of student audiences in formal education settings. Here, students participated in a pilot of new materials connected to Dawn's Instrumentation.

For FY 2011: Includes 1) Day-long teacher workshop in Denver CO.  2) Day long workshop for Florida Science Supervisors.  3) Five simultaneous workshops in February 2011 based on results of EPOXI and in anticipation of Stardust NExT and Dawn.  For FY 2012, the Dawn mission will provide educator workshops about some of the findings at Vesta and a review of Stardust NExT and EPOXI educational materials. Venues to include the Colorado Science Conference and the School Science and…

"Art and the Cosmic Connection" is a curriculum that uses beautiful and compelling NASA images of planets, moons, and small bodies to help students understand and analyze what they see using the elements of art – shape, line, color, value, texture. After viewing images, students choose one image to draw with pastels, honing observation skills as they learn to look and look to learn. The activity is demonstrated in educator workshops and done with students during classroom visits.

Space Thrills! is a wall sheet intended for educators of students in grades K-4.  It is designed to be visually interesting to arouse curiosity about exploring our solar system and to teach about our solar system using language arts.  It is distributed to classrooms through the ERCs, at conferences, and upon request through the web site. Funds cover time spent to respond to requests through the web site. 

"Unlocking Mysteries of the Solar System" is a video overview of the Discovery Program and missions with an accompanying educator guide.  The video describes the science objectives and results of the missions, and the educator guide leads students through a series of activities to learn about the mission and then design their own space mission.  Portions of the video are shown at workshops and the activity is demonstrated to teachers who work in groups to design a…

"Vision of Discovery" Professional Development is a 5 hour workshop for teachers held in four locations simultaneously.  Using a thematic design, this workshop connects the Discovery and New Frontiers missions’ science and technology with the curriculum needs of classroom teachers. The workshop offers prominent mission scientists giving presentations and hands-on experience with classroom activities. The speaker presentations can be viewed via the Internet in real-time and in the…

Classroom visits by NASA scientists and educators bring a sense of excitement and interest in STEM. In FY 2012, Stardust-NExT, Dawn and EPOXI participated in three-day event in Rainsville, Alabama, coordinated by NASA's Discovery Program with 8 NASA scientists and educators visiting 1,200 students in grades 4-12 at Plainview School, which had been severely damaged from a massive tornado the previous spring. The presentations, hands-on activities and discussions help students see a place…

Conduct visits to schools with presentations, discussions, and hands-on activities.

Space School Musical is a play that introduces the solar system to students while integrating science with performing arts, physical education, music, social themes and leadership opportunities. Aimed at upper elementary and middle school students, the play teaches solar system science in a fun and engaging way.  Designed for easy and successful replication, the package includes a DVD of the play performed by high school students, a CD with the songs, and a CD-ROM with teacher tips, an…

DNF thematic educator workshops are a series of workshops in a variety of venues for teachers in grades 4-12.  The workshops bring standards-aligned, engaging, hands-on activities based on mission science goals and results to educators. DNF program and project scientists and education specialists train teachers at local, regional, and national conferences and events.

Unlocking the Mysteries Professional Development is a 3 hour workshop for in-service and pre-service teachers.  Using a thematic design, this workshop connects the Discovery and New Frontiers missions’ science and technology with the curriculum needs of the classroom teachers. The workshop offers mission content and hands-on experience with classroom activities.

1) In Nov. 2011 (FY 2012), McREL supported a NASA educator workshop in Rainsville, AL. 2) McREL coordinated and facilitated Vision of Discovery (FY 2012), a Discovery Program/New Frontiers Year of the Solar System (YSS)  event. The 4-6 hour workshop was held in four locations across the country: JPL, APL, JSC, and Oregon. It involved collaboration with the E/PO staff of many D/NF Program missions (Dawn, MESSENGER, New Horizons), the Discovery and New Frontiers Programs, the NASA Digital…

Led by Multiverse at UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory, Five Stars Pathway: Engaging Girls in Science through Multigenerational Mentors project is developing heliophysics curriculum targeting middle school girls to be implemented in Girls Inc. afterschool programs nationwide. 

Led by Multiverse at UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory, Five Stars Pathway: Engaging Girls in Science through Multigenerational Mentors project is developing heliophysics curriculum targeting middle school girls to be implemented in Girls Inc. afterschool programs nationwide. 

Led by Multiverse at UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory, Five Stars Pathway: Engaging Girls in Science through Multigenerational Mentors project is developing heliophysics curriculum targeting middle school girls to be implemented in Girls Inc. afterschool programs nationwide. 

GRAIL MoonKAM is a student experience project for 5th-8th grade students nationwide. Middle school students use the MoonKAM website to target and request images of the moon taken by the GRAIL MoonKAM cameras. The objective of GRAIL MoonKAM is to engage students in STEM subjects.

While LADEE supports a number of workshops hosted (and reported in the data call) by other missions/programs (see notes), these represent workshops not reported elsewhere. Educators attending these workshops are introduced to how our understanding of the Moon is changing dramatically based on results from a new generation of robotic explorers, how LADEE will further advance our understanding of the Moon, and how they and there students can directly participate in NASA lunar science and…

The Lunar Student Imaging Project (LSIP) is an inquiry-based program that enables K-12 students to learn about lunar science and develop proposals to acquire and analyze data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) instrument.  

This project aims to incorporate up-to-date SMD education resources and science and mission data relating to NASA’s explorations of Mars into the Mars Rover Celebration (MRC), an existing low-cost curriculum enhancement program for grades 3-8. The MRC prototype focuses on the adventure of learning and discovery, asking participating teams to propose their own scientific mission to Mars, design a rover to carry it out, and present a mock-up at an open house. The overarching goal of this…

MAVEN mission formal E/PO is a comprehensive program targeting K-12 teachers and students. The program involves product development and professional development workshops, including MAVEN Educator Ambassador Project, Space Science Teachers Summit, and Red Planet, and management and evaluation for the aforementioned activities. The objective of the MAVEN mission EPO program is to engage multiple audiences in the quest to understand Mars’ long-term atmospheric losses, giving insight into…

Red Planet: Read, Write, Explore! – a professional development project for elementary teachers across the United States and focused on Latino, Spanish-speaking communities. The professional development will incorporate science in elementary school literacy projects using the topic of Mars exploration.

The MESSENGER K-12 education and public outreach (E/PO) efforts encompass teacher professional development and web-available content-based curriculum for K-12 students and educators. The Educator Fellowship program trains educators who commit to conducting teacher professional development using high-quality educational materials featuring mission-related themes. The objective of the MESSENGER E/PO program is to prepare classroom teachers across the nation to incorporate high-quality,…

The Cyber Café is an online collaborative space where a new way of social and experiential learning can take place. Working with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and their existing network of professionals, the resources in the MMS and Space Weather Action Center (SWAC) programs are used to engage educators from around the world in monthly topics that are relevant to the classroom, school and/or professional arenas. Café participants tackle key curricular and…

The E/PO section of the MMS website is specifically designed for number of MMS E/PO audiences and hosts a growing collection of lesson plans, activities, games, Interactives, podcasts, video clips and social media links, while highlighting the contributions, accomplishments and career paths of mission personnel. The MMS social media team works closely with the GSFC Office of Communications and NASA’s existing social media networks to reach the target audiences.

Students can use these models to make and even stronger connection between engineering and mathematics while highlighting the importance of the MMS mission. On the models page, students can see a video of the LEGO model, make their own, make a paper model, or work on MMS card models. The MMS bookmark can be folded into a 3D model. It also has web resources and QR codes.

NASA EDGE is an unscripted, non-traditional video podcast or vodcast designed to highlight all things NASA in a unique and fun way. Built in the framework of sports talk radio (i.e. Mike and Mike in the Morning – ESPN Radio), NASA EDGE has generated a positive buzz for NASA in a way in which young teens and adults can relate. Produced vodcast segments will focus on a particular components of the MMS mission. For example, one segment might focus on the science instruments and another on…

This program encourages students to design, assemble and use an 'easy to make' learning center called a Space Weather Action Centers (SWAC) .These centers provide a focused environment where students can monitor and report the progress of a solar storm or focus on data input from individual missions like MMS . As part of the SWAC setup, each center includes one computer with internet access to current and archived NASA data. Student flip charts offer 'Step by Step' instructions needed…

The Student Transmedia Book (T-Book) is a digital age storybook designed to help students learn about the NASA’s MMS mission through a variety of inquiry and engineering based experiences. A T-book, is a standard print book that serves as a nexus for all of the physical objects and digital resources necessary for its telling. A T-book exists in both a physical and digital space, which facilitates the seamless transition between the two states. It includes experiment instructions, data…

This is a challenge-based activity set designed to have students explore and research the Magnetospheric MultiScale Mission (MMS). Students will explore the purpose and relevance of the mission as well as the scientific methodologies. Activities include application of the scientific method, problem solving strategies, research, collaboration, critical thinking and communication. Links to resources and appropriate web 2.0 tools are provided through a shared livebinder at http://

The “Educators’ iBook Companion” is a mobile resource for the iPad embedded with self-paced professional development tools, information, and resources for educators. The iBook authors created rich learning content embedded with text, audio, and video that is well suited for complex concepts or demonstrations. This digital age teacher’s guide embeds: dynamic, interactive MMS content from NASA’s Space Weather Action network website (pending permission from NASA); lesson and experiment…

This project provides professional development in astrobiology for teachers in Hawai'i and from the mainland US.  Its purpose is to increase awareness of astrobiology science and use of astrobiology classroom materials.  Teachers participate in a week-long workshop including lecture, lab, and field studies.

This project provides professional development in astrobiology for teachers from across the US at Penn State University.  Two workshops were supported in Summer, 2011: Earth's History: Uncovering Clues of the Past‚ and Astrobiology: The Interdisciplinary Search for Life in the Cosmos.  The purpose is to expose teachers to the latest in astrobiology research, NASA missions, and classroom materials.

The Crow Education Project provides science enrichment activities for 10 4th grade classrooms and professional development for their teachers in three schools located on and adjacent to the Crow Reservation in Southwestern Montana.  It's purpose is to engage 4th graders on Native American reservations to astrobiology science and expose them to science as a career.  A district wide program, this hybrid education model incorporates monthly hands-on science activities, field experiences,…

This is an online short course for elementary teachers with modules addressing astrobiology subject material including the challenges of defining life, sorting life, and discovering life.  It allows participants to contemplate and investigate the potential for finding life beyond Earth. The course is self-paced with interactive components as well as links to NASA resources. 

This project hosts three science days during the school year at three elementary schools in the St. Labre school system (nearly 100% Native American from the nearby Crow and Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservations) in eastern Montana.  Its purpose is to expose elementary students underrepresented in STEM to astrobiology science and careers. Teachers and students conducted three pre-lessons, the science day, and a post-lesson to evaluate  the value of the interaction.  

This project develops web-based, multimedia, interactive experiences for various kinds of learners.  Called Virtual Field Trips (VFTs), their purpose is to create an online environment which simulates a remote field research locale.  Several NAI teams are collaborating to create a suite of VFTs dealing with different areas of astrobiology research.  They will be field tested in various learning environments and the evaluation will be coordinated.

3 separate workshops, for teachers of grades 1-5, 6-8, and high school. Teachers received and practiced age-appropriate astronomy activities with a focus on lunar science. They built inexpensive "galileoscope" telescopes. Cooperation with the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, which was meeting in Boulder, CO in 2010, increased teacher attendance. Nearly all teachers who applied were accepted. Scholarships were supported by NASA and ASP. Teacher assessment forms quite positive.

Working with Erin Wood (LASP) we hosted a teacher workshop for Elem & Middle School teachers.  This workshop was in association with the ASP.  The theme was the Scientific Method and we focused on the Moon to convey many aspects of the scientific method.  20 teachers registered.  Main activities:-  Pre-evaluation with clickers, moon phases (predicting, then "kinesthetic astronomy to explain), remote sensing (shoebox activity), talk by LUNAR PI Jack Burns, post…

Developed a Spanish version of "Max Goes to the Moon" A  children's planetarium program which will explain basic science about the moon. "Max Goes to the Moon" planetarium show for 1st-5th grade students completed.  Video of NASA Astronaut Alvin Drew reading "Max" from the International Space Station starts the program.  Extensive formative evaluation with scientists and elementary children led to about 30% of the program being revised and improved.  Test audiences now really like it,…

Create children's planetarium program which will explain basic science about the moon. "Max Goes to the Moon" planetarium show for 1st-5th grade students completed.  Video of NASA Astronaut Alvin Drew reading "Max" from the International Space Station starts the program.  Extensive formative evaluation with scientists and elementary children led to about 30% of the program being revised and improved.  Test audiences now really like it, and it contains more science than most commercial…

Materials for use in classroom for pre-visit: The OSIRIS-REx education and public outreach (E/PO) program includes field trip experiences for K-8 students. Low-income students can access the Great Balls of Fire! exhibit at a local science center through support provided by the OSIRIS-REx mission. The objective of the OSIRIS-REx K-12 E/PO effort is to motivate students to pursue the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics through attendance at science center with…

Our Solar System – Through the Eyes of Scientists (TES) is a solar system thematic science and language arts based curriculum for students and teachers in grades 1-6.  Students read biographies of current NASA scientists and view scientists’ notebook pages, while learning about planetary features such as canyons, volcanoes, and ice.  Curriculum is distributed on CD-ROM and made available on the Solar System Exploration website.  Teacher professional development is included.  Major costs…

The Rosetta project worked with The Space Place to develop a free ITunes game that represents the science of the Rosetta Mission.

One Friday each month the Rosetta Project Manager presents a hands-on activity in Space Science, Planetary Science or NASA Technology to the LaCanada Elementary school student body. This SMD project provides elementary and secondary education students with the opportunity to work directly with NASA science and technology data. Family involvement is encouraged. The purpose of the project is to stimulate interest in STEM disciplines and careers through engagement with SMD science and…

This program trains graduate students, with help of a Physics Education Research specialist, to present NASA-developed classroom activities to K-12 teachers, and to coach the teachers how to use those activities in their classrooms.  Program facilitators adopt and/or adapt activities from the existing, extensive catalogue of NASA-developed & -approved activities.  At the request of the teachers, program facilitators deliver the training/coaching sessions at their schools, with no cost…

The Space Public Outreach Team (SPOT) provides FREE presentations about current NASA missions to Montana schools, youth programs, and community groups. The office at Montana State University in Bozeman sends presenters to schools and communities across the state.

The interactive SPOT presentations utilize slides, videos, animations and an inquisitive approach to relay the excitement of new discoveries in space science. NASA research and careers here in Montana are highlighted in each…

Join us at the sunday experiment and learn about all the cool science and engineering going on right now at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Take part in hands on activities, meet scientists, engineers, and super cool people like us! You can even load up on free stuff, and more.

Think Scientifically is a three-book series for elementary school teachers that integrates math, science and reading instruction. Each storybook focuses on a key science theme and includes a hands-on science lesson, math and language arts activities, and other educational resources that can be easily utilized in the classroom. The books are based on national standards and were written by teachers. The books include a hands-on lab activity, a data collection/graphing activity, a language…

Solar System Educators (SSEP) are master teacher volunteers who train educators in their states in the use of NASA's STEM educational materials.  Results of these educator workshops are reported to the NASA OEPM system annually.  Currently, there are 94 SSEPs in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.  Training for SSEPs on NASA/JPL educational products is accomplished in two ways:  1) In-person institutes and 2) telecons with downloadable web-based materials.  Institutes are held when…

The Space Place program includes web site for elementary school children as well as a museum display program and partnerships with amateur astronomy clubs and newspapers.  The Space Place web site makes SMD content accessible to a variety of audiences including elementary school age kids, Spanish speakers, amateur astronomers, and teachers.  The Space Place web site is available in both English and Spanish, in upper elementary language; the Space place museum display is in over 350…

The Space Place program includes a web site for elementary school children as well as a museum display program and partnerships with amateur astronomy clubs and newspapers.  The Space Place web site makes SMD content accessible to a variety of audiences including elementary school age kids, Spanish speakers, amateur astronomers, and teachers.  The Space Place web site is available in both English and Spanish, in upper elementary language; the Space place museum display is in over 350…

Developed by NASA's Space Place for the Stardust-NExT, EPOXI, and Rosetta Missions. Introduces elementary level facts about comets and NASA missions exploring them. Funds were used for development and print costs.