Teaching space
Chris Hadfield has said “Decide in your heart of hearts what really excites and challenges you, and start moving your life in that direction.”
Decide what your direction is, put your heart fully into it and don't be afraid to evolve along with it! BE THE SPARK in the heart of a young mind waiting to be ignited! - AG
canadian space agency/ L'Agence spatiale canadienne
Canadian Space Agency
- CSA Junior Astronauts
- Canadian Space Agency for Educators
- Watch CSA live on YouTube!
- Apply to have a Canadian Space Agency astronaut come to your school or Skype with your class!
- Jeremy Hansen lab on Aquarius
- Canadian Geographic Giant Floor Map - Canada From Space
Let's Talk Science - working with CSA
- Teaching the Scientific Method - Tomatosphere
- Living Space
- Radi-N2 & You
- Other space lessons and resources
online Resources
Canadian Organizations to know
- Space Matters
- Mindfuel
- SEDS (University Outreach)
- UofA - Alberta Sat
- Ross Lockwood - UofA alumni and guest speaker Hi_Seas+
- MDA Robotics - makers of Candarm I, II, & III for the lunar gateway!
- Space School.ca
NASA
- NASA for Educators
- NASA Space Place (Div I&II)
- NASA TV - watch launches and space walks live!
- The dream - Student Spaceflight Experiment Program
Teacher PD (all sciences) and Guest Speakers
- ATA Science Council Conference often has some space-themed sessions
- Alberta Science Network, Inside Education, ERLC
- Skype In The Classroom
- Max Goes to Mars
- Space Science Virtual Field Trip to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Robotics and technology
Environmental and Bio-monitoring
- Let's Talk Science - Living Space
- Temperature, CO2, Humidity
- BBC Microbit lessons
- flashing heart, pedometer, reaction game, stop watch
- BLACK GOLD MICROBIT SITE
Canada Learning Code
- Learn Scratch coding with Chris Hadfield and the Canadarm
- Other lessons
General coding with
Robotics
Apps
- Google Sky Map - point at celestial bodies to ID them
- ISS Detector - find where the ISS is in the sky
- Mars Generation Minecraft Simulation and Lesson
- The Sky Is A Neighborhood - Foo Fighters
Activities and ideas for any level
- Story-time from Space - literacy and reading buddies!
- Little Inventors - design and make your own inventions!
- GO STEM! - Engineering Design Process with a space theme!
- My Rocket Lander Challenge (Girls in STEM Day)
- Straw rocket challenge (straws, elastics, elastics, etc)
- Soyuz capsule parachute challenge (cup, string, bags)
- Humans In Space Lunar art competition
- World Space Week - October
- Chris Hadfield debunks space myths
- NASA Space Place - K-4 Educators
Science 6
A few great weblinks and ideas:
- Mr Polsky's science page. JACKPOT!
- Grade 6 Science.
- Black Gold ES
- Pinterest Board
- Pluto debate (It is not a planet. Yes, there may be a fight!):
- Constellations (see below)
Science 9 (grade 6 too?)
General Science 9 Space Exploration Resources
- My Science 9 google drive of resources in French or English (Needs to be reorganized)
- My YouTube Space playlist
- Pinterest - My Space board and Martian Garden board
- Mrs Arsenault has amazing resources online for science 9 and also amazing PBL activities
- BGRS Science 9 resources
- Edquest grade 9 resources for Science Focus and Science In Action text books
Identify different perspectives on the nature of Earth and space, based on culture and science
- FNMI Astronomy - have students find stories, create artwork, and share traditional views of the understanding and tracking of celestial bodies. Sit around a "fire" and share lessons and stories using oral traditions.
- Sky Stories
- Mista Muskwa: the Grizzly Bear constellation
- Ancient Astronomy
- Other traditional cultures
- The world's oldest observatory (Australia Aboriginal Traditions)
- Ancient Mayan Astronomy
- Chichen Itza - El Caracol and El Castillo
- Solar events and man-made structures
- Stone Henge and the movement of the sun
- Pyramids of Giza and Orion
Investigate and illustrate the contributions of technological advances-including optical telescopes, spectral analysis and space travel-to a scientific understanding of space
- Build your own virtual space telescope
- Build your own spectroscope. Make sure to look at different light sources to show the variation between stars etc.
- Make your iPhone into a spectroscope
Identify evidence for-and describe characteristics of-bodies that make up the solar system, and compare their characteristics with those of Earth
Describe and apply techniques for determining the position and motion of objects in space - construct and interpret drawings and physical models that illustrate the motion to objects in space
- Orbits of comets around the Sun using a looped string model - NASA
- Day and Night Earth Models with marshmallows
- Model solar events (solstice, equinox, eclipse, seasons) using a lamp, beach ball, and tennis ball.
Describe techniques used to estimate distances of objects in space and to determine their motions
- Build a solar system necklace/bracelet. Use beads and calculate AU needed to make it proportional.
- Toilet paper solar system to scale
- Interactive scale of matter - from sub-atomic particles to the universe!
- Solar system to scale video
Describe the position of objects in space, using angular coordinates
- Build your own astrolabe and with a compass have a class scavenger hunt!
- Astrolabe and compass lesson
- ISS - Spot The Station
Investigate predictions about the motions, alignments, and collision of bodies in space; and critically examine the evidence on which they are based
- Build your own eclipse viewer - CSA
- Comet, meteor or meteorite? - CSA
Describe technologies for space transport, and interpret scientific principles involved
- Building a Mars lander challenge (TPT$)
- All things SpaceX
- Paper airplane shuttle model - SNC Dreamchaser
- See our Martian Garden project below
Explain, in general terms, the operation of optical telescopes, including telescopes that are positioned in space environments
Explain the role of radio and optical telescopes in determining characteristics of stars and star systems
- Seeing the World Through Radio Eyes
- Doppler Effect demonstration (requires some equipment)
Describe Canadian contributions to space research and development and to the astronaut program
joined_video_7dad5e17fb6a42db97575c206e60e5de.mp4
THe Martian garden
The Martian Garden Project
- All units can have a Martian theme with the main focus on Space Exploration. Grade 7 and 9
- My Martian Garden summary
- Mrs Aresenault's Mission to Mars Project
- Our soil from The Martian Garden - great teacher discounts!
Simulated Mars Missions
- My inspiration, Wieger Wamelink (Article about his project, video, follow him on Twitter)
- CANMARS - Mars Sample Return Simulation (CANADIAN BABY!!)
- HI-SEAS - Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation
- FMARS - Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station
Other Resources
- Packing For Mars Activity
- The Mars Generation - Astronaut Abby wants to be the first human to set foot on Mars and supports STEM and sending kids to space camp.
- Survive Like "The Martian"
- Mars Activities for Kids - NASA
- Mars Bound board game - printable
