A Unit Study on Space

Space, the final frontier … actually it can be one of the most entertaining unit studies you’ve ever done.

WEB RESOURCES:

Air Force Link Jr: http://www.af.mil/aflinkjr/
The Astronomy Café: http://www.theastronomycafe.net/
Astronomy.com: http://www.astronomy.com/home.asp
Young Astronomer: http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html
NASA teaching resources: http://teachspacescience.stsci.edu/
Sky and Telescope: http://www.skypub.com/
Space and Astronomy for Kids: http://kidsastronomy.about.com/kids/kidsastronomy/
Space Kids: http://www.spacekids.com/
Astronomy Picture of the Day: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
Space Image Archive: http://www.seds.org/ftpweb/
Solar System Simulator: http://space.jpl.nasa.gov/
Lift Off to Space Exploration: http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/
Kennedy Space Center: http://www.thespaceshop.com/
Star Port: http://www.starport.com/
NASA homepage: http://www.nasa.gov/
Welcome to the Planets: http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/
Exploring the Planets: http://www.nasm.edu/ceps/etp/
Gander Academy’s Space Shuttle Theme Page: http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/spaceshuttle.htm

PREPARED LESSON PLANS:

http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/5014/
http://library.thinkquest.org/29033/
http://library.thinkquest.org/J002581/
http://www.kapili.com/risec/
http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/spacegrant/class_acts/
http://library.thinkquest.org/25763/lindex.htm
http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/subjects/astronomy.html
http://www.luc.edu/schools/education/science/zastrole.htm
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1996/6/
http://153.90.193.71/ceres/html/EdActivities.html
http://spacelink.nasa.gov/products/International.Space.Station.Solar.Arrays/
http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/198StepSpace.htm
http://yn.la.ca.us/cec/cecsci/cecsci.04.txt
http://www.teleport.com/~billf/Internet_Lesson_Plans/Astro.html/Astronomy.html
http://www.nsta.org/programs/sst/aws/aws.htm
http://www.itrc.ucf.edu/webcamp/final_projects/joyner/index.htm
http://www.eecs.umich.edu/mathscience/funexperiments/agesubject/lessons/newton/meteors.html
http://www.memphis-schools.k12.tn.us/admin/tlapages/solar_sy.htm

ACTIVITIES:

1. Go to this site and chose to do some of the really neat crafts listed there. http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/make.htm You can make a galactic mobile, el nino pudding, a model Saturn decoration, and other fantastic stuff.
2. Here’s a few more sites for fun and inventive crafts having to do with outer space http://familycrafts.about.com/parenting/familycrafts/cs/outerspace/ http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/space/space.html http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/alien1.html http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/Puzzles/Projects/Models/ http://www.manhattan.lib.ks.us/summer_manual/sp_craft
3. Here’s a site where you can create your own alien  http://www.alienexplorer.com/createalien/home.html
4. Science:  Build a seltzer powered rocket -- http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/seltzerrockets.html
5. Build Your Own Mars Pathfinder -- http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/mpf/education/cutouts.html
6. Build a balloon powered nanorover -- http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/muses1.htm
7. Research:  What is an aurora? http://netra.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/auroras/
8. Writing:  Read the article “Lost in Space”   http://www.findarticles.com/m1590/5_56/57534967/p1/article.jhtml Write an opinion paper of your own.
9. History:  Find out the significance of astronomy and constellations to Native Americans http://www.kstrom.net/isk/stars/
10. Investigate the chronology of our solar system and when each discovery was made http://www.anu.edu.au/Physics/nineplanets/history.html
11. Learn about the Hubble telescope.  Who was it named after?  What can the telescope see?  Look at some actual images from the Hubble telescope. http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/Latest.html
12. What is a solar eclipse? http://www.eclipse-chasers.com/
13. Play one of these on-line games about space: http://www.kidsdomain.com/games/space.html
14. Here are some printable worksheets to go along with a unit study on space: http://www.kidsdomain.com/brain/space/print.html
15. Reading:  Read some biographies of cosmonauts -- http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/cosmo.html
16. Read about space camp for kids: http://www.spacecamp.com/home.asp
17. Virtual Field trip:  Explore our solar system with National Geographic’s virtual solar system -- http://www.nationalgeographic.com/solarsystem/splash.html
18. Humor and Education:  Read about Thinky the Reluctant Space Probe -- http://www.thinky.com/
19. Just for Fun:  Here is a screen saver for the Mysteries of Deep Space show from PBS -- http://www.pbs.org/deepspace/screensaver/index.html
20. Take an interactive trip through our solar system with Arty the Part time Astronaut: http://www.artyastro.com/artyastro.htm
21. Here’s a space shuttle connect the dots: http://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/kids/shuttle_dot_to_dot.stm
22. Thinking Skills:  Design a space settlement.  You can use some of the rules and suggestions at this website -- http://lifesci3.arc.nasa.gov/SpaceSettlement/Contest/contests.html
23. You can find a variety of dehydrated food items at a local camping supply outlet or MREs from a military supply outlet.  This includes dehydrated ice cream!  Try some of these types of foods and eat just like the astronauts.
24. Reading:  Read this article on Mars -- http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids/satellite/story2/marsframe.htm
25. Take the Space Quiz: http://www.prongo.com/space/index.html
26. Design a space transport of the future.  Here is a site that could give you some ideas -- http://stp.msfc.nasa.gov/
27. Participate in some of the ThinkQuests that are listed in the Prepared Lesson Plans section.
28. Explore the proposed idea of space tourism: http://www.asi.org/
29. Anatomy and Biology:  Explore how extended space travel may affect the muscles and bones of astronauts -- http://www.nih.gov/niams/reports/sr.html
30. Writing:  Plan a summer vacation on Mars -- http://www.fi.edu/qa97/spotlight6/
31. Explore Discovery.com’s website on the space station: http://www.discovery.com/stories/science/iss/iss.html
32. Practice locating constellations: http://yn.la.ca.us/cec/cecsci/cecsci.05.txt
33. Crossword puzzle: http://members.aol.com/kidcross/space.htm
34. Word Search: http://members.aol.com/kidcross/p_solar.htm http://www.thepotters.com/puzzles/kids/space.html
35. Take the constellation quiz: http://www.mtwilson.edu/Education/ConQuiz/

VIDEOS:

Here’s a place for a review of the movie “Apollo 13” that has kids in mind: http://www.kids-in-mind.com/A/apollo_13_1995__225.htm
Star Wars
Titan A.E. (full length cartoon, parents should view first for appropriateness)

There are several good documentary type films available through inter-library loan.  Check your local library’s card file to see which are of interest for your age/grade level unit.

FICTION/NON-FICTION:

Cosmic Science - Over 40 Gravity-Defying, Earth-Orbiting, Space-Cruising Activities for Kids
Crafts for Kids Who Are Wild About Outer Space
The Best Book of Spaceships by Ian Graham
Comets, Meteors, and Asteroids by Seymour Simon
Eyewitness Readers- Spacebusters (Level 3, Grades 2-3) (see right for cover)
Floating in Space (Let'S-Read-And-Find-Out Science Series)
The Magic School Bus - Lost in the Solar System
Magic School Bus Sees Stars - A Book About Stars
The Moon Book by Gail Gibbons
The Moon Seems to Change (Let'S-Read-And-Find-Out Science Book)
My Place in Space by Robin Hirst
The Planets in Our Solar System (Let'S-Read-And-Find-Out Science)
So That's How the Moon Changes Shape (Rookie Read-About Science Series)
The Space Shuttle (Eye on the Universe)
1000 Facts About Space by Pam Beasant
Astronomy Smart Junior - The Science of the Solar System and Beyond (Princeton Review Series)
DK Discoveries- Moon Landing (see right for cover)
The Fantastic Cutaway Book of Spacecraft
Find the Constellations by Hans Augusto Rey
The Kingfisher Young People's Book of Space
Look Inside Cross-Sections- Space by Moira Butterfield
Postcards from Pluto - A Tour of the Solar System by Loreen Leedy
Our Solar System by Seymour Simon
Space Exploration (Eyewitness Books)
To Space and Back by Sally Ride
The Stars - A New Way to See Them by Hans Augusto Rey
DK Pockets- Space Facts
Exploring the Night Sky - The Equinox Astronomy Guide for Beginners


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