Below you will find Videos, Lessons, and Projects that align with state standards when teaching about Waves. If you would like to view the resource, just click on the image and it'll take you directly to it.

Videos

1. This video segment adapted from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center shows how integral satellites are to everyday life and describes the different types, including orbital and geostationary.

2. This blew my mind! Ever since I was a kid I’ve gazed into the night skies, and to this day I still get the same feeling I used to as a child - fascination. But as I’ve gotten older, my love and appreciation for the stars has only grown. Even if we truly are so insignificant in the grand scheme of the cosmos, I couldn’t picture a better backdrop to be an observer in.

3. I heart space but sometimes it can be hard to comprehend. I try to fix that in this video with junk you can find lying around your house. Also, if you’ve wondered how there could be a ninth planet that we’ve never noticed till now I try to clear that up too by demonstrating just how impossibly far away it is.

Lessons

1. Students learn how engineers navigate satellites in orbit around the Earth and on their way to other planets in the solar system. In accompanying activities, they explore how ground-based tracking and onboard measurements are performed. Also provided is an overview of orbits and spacecraft trajectories from Earth to other planets, and how spacecraft are tracked from the ground using the Deep Space Network (DSN). DSN measurements are the primary means for navigating unmanned vehicles in space. Onboard spacecraft instruments might include optical sensors and an inertial measurement unit

2. Students are given the following engineering challenge: "The invasion has taken place and we need to find a new home. To ensure your survival beyond Earth's occupation you must design a shelter that can be built on another planet." Then students research the characteristics of a planet of their choosing. They design shelter that enables them to survive on a new planet, and explain it in words to the rest of the class. This is a great activity to add to a unit on the solar system.

3. In this lesson, students are introduced to the historical motivation for space exploration. They learn about the International Space Station as an example of recent space travel innovation and are introduced to new and futuristic ideas that space engineers are currently working on to propel space research far into the future!

STEM Projects

1. This unit begins by introducing students to the historical motivation for space exploration. They learn about the International Space Station, including current and futuristic ideas that engineers are designing to propel space research. Then they learn about the physical properties of the Moon, and think about what types of products engineers would need to design in order for humans to live on the Moon. Lastly, students learn some descriptive facts about asteroids, such as their sizes and how that relates to the potential danger of an asteroid colliding with the Earth.

2. This site provides fun activities for children to do and make, while they learn about space and Earth science, and the technology that enables science. The Teachers Corner on the WWW site contains curriculum supplements originally published in the ITEA (International Technology Education Association) Technology Transfer Teacher magazine.

3. This lesson introduces students to the space environment. It covers the major differences between the environment on Earth and that of outer space and the engineering challenges that arise because of these discrepancies. In order to prepare students for the upcoming lessons on the human body, this lesson challenges them to think about how their bodies would change and adapt in the unique environment of space.

This site was created to be an Open Educational Resource (OER).

"8th grade STEM" by Jacob Brasuell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.