Space Exploration  Grades 3-5


Author

This page was created by Wendi Anthony on May 5, 2001 in fulfillment of the requirements of the Educational Technology course at Carson-Newman College.  This site provides links to space exploration topics for grades 3-5 for students, teachers, and parents.

Resources

Windows to the Universe
Content resource.  Graphics intensive web site containing information on the solar system, planets, stars, the Sun, and the Earth and Moon.  Its purpose is to develop a fun and different web site about the earth and space sciences.  This site is a hands-on instruction tool for students.  Contains myths, facts, and resource links for students and teachers.
URL:  http://www.windows.ucar.edu/

StarChild
Content Resource.  A learning center for young astronomers.  Provides fun facts for level 1 users and more advanced facts for level 2 users.  Design for use by students with some teacher assistance.
URL:  http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html

Fact Monster
Homework help page.  Fact Monster is a free reference site just for kids.  Get homework help & find facts on thousands of subjects, including science and astronomy.  Click the Science link and then click the Stars and Planets link under the Almanac section.  Designed for use by students and teachers.
URL:  http://www.factmonster.com/

StudyWeb Junior Homework Help K-8
Homework help page.  Students can click on the Science link to find links to homework help, or they can find helpful homework tips.  Contains sites for parents with help with involvement in the school, school forms, and much more.  Teachers can utilize this site to gain helpful facts and many links to space exploration resources.  This is a great site for everyone involved!
URL:  http://studyweb.com/Homework Help/studywebjr.htm

Yahoo Science:Space search engine
Reference tools.  Specialized search tool for searching the Web for information on space.  Results pages only return those sites within this subject area.  Great search tool for students and teachers.
URL:  http://dir.yahoo.com/Science/Space/

Magic School Bus Lands on Mars
Educational software review for teachers of the Magic School Bus Lands on Mars, an exploration and discovery programProvides abstracts of educational value, kids appeal, system requirements, and ease of use.  Review states that this software program is a great introduction to the planet Mars for all children.
URL:  http://www.superkids.com/aweb/pages/reviews/science/8/msbmars/merge.shtml

Astronomy Resources Webliography
Webliography.  MGCCC Learning Resources Library.  Contains strictly resource links to astronomy search engines, space learning sites, and many other astronomy resource sites.  Great for those teachers who are looking for on-line observatory tours.
URL:  http://www2.mgccc.cc.ms.us/~lrc/AstronomyResourcesWebliography.htm

Astronomy With a Stick
Lesson plans and units.  Daytime astronomy for elementary and middle school students.  Teachers can help thier upper elementary students experience these relationships through indirect observations of the Sun on the school playground and with models built in the classroom.
URL:  http://www.nsta.org/programs/sst/aws/aws.htm

Preparing for Outer Space
Lesson plans and units.  One week unit plan for grade level 4.  These lessons are designed to show students how astronauts prepare to study Outer Space.
URL:  http://www.uakron.edu/education/outreach/barberton/PDSUNITS/Space/SPACEOverview.html

Searchopolis
Specialized search tool that be utilized to search one of three databases for astronomy sites:  Education Web, Encarta, and the Internet.  These Education Web database can be searched by elementary, middle, or high school.  Provides helpful resource links for students and teachers both.
URL:  http://www.searchopolis.com/
 


National Science Standards and Benchmarks

Earth and Space Sciences

Level 2 (Grades 3-5)

1.  Knows that night and day are caused by the Earth's rotation on its axis
2.  Knows that the Earth is one of several planets that orbit the Sun and that the Moon orbits the Earth
3.  Knows that the patterns of stars in the sky stay the same, although they appear to slowly move from east to west across the sky nightly and different stars can be seen in different seasons
4.  Knows that planets look like stars, but over time they appear to wander among the constellations
5.  Knows that astronomical objects in space are massive in size and are separated from one another by   vast distances (e.g., many stars are more massive than our Sun but so distant they look like points of light)
6.  Knows that telescopes magnify distant objects in the sky (e.g., the Moon, planets) and dramatically increase the number of stars we can see



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