Earth and space science in the middle school classroom are composed of intricately intertwined sets of conceptual systems (AAAS 1993; NRC 1996). Some systems of study, such as the water and rock cycles, are quite explicit and often found as stand-alone middle school science units. Other phenomena are not so apparent, yet they play an extremely…

Two of the nation's top providers of teacher professional development, NSTA and NASA, are a great source of materials that help educators brush up on their science content and process skills. So when they asked the authors to participate in the development of four live online short courses for teachers, the authors' immediate answer was yes! This…

Despite the temporary setback in our country's crewed space exploration program, there will continue to be missions requiring crews to orbit Earth and beyond. Under the NASA Authorization Act of 2010, NASA should have its own heavy launch rocket and crew vehicle developed by 2016. Private companies will continue to explore space, as well. At the…

Solar system exploration in November includes flybys of Saturn's moons, a comet, and the next-to-last launch of a space shuttle before the shuttle program ends. In addition, on November 1 and 29 before sunrise, the waning crescent Moon will be close to asteroid 3 Juno. In fact, by observing the Moon and using some of the stars in the background…

Earth and space science figure prominently in the National Science Education Standards for levels 5-8 (NRC 1996). The Earth in the Solar System standard focuses on students' ability to understand (1) the composition of the solar system (Earth, Moon, Sun, planets with their moons, and smaller objects like asteroids and comets) and (2) that…

Students' difficulties with accurately conceptualizing the relationships among the Earth, Moon, and Sun are well documented. Any teacher who has seen the film "A Private Universe" (Schneps and Sadler 1988) will remember the challenge the interviewees experienced when trying to explain their understanding of this phenomenon. This paper describes a…

The inertial balance is one device that can help students to quantify the quality of inertia--a body's resistance to a change in movement--in more generally understood terms of mass. In this hands-on activity, students use the inertial balance to develop a more quantitative idea of what mass means in an inertial sense. The activity also helps…

Dozens of inflatable aliens recently "descended" upon the authors' middle school to kick-off their first school-wide Astronomy night. With an estimated attendance of over 500, their eighth-grade students hosted over a dozen activity-rich sessions designed to entertain and educate students and their families about the wonders of the solar system…

A few new wrinkles have been added to the popular activity of building a scale model of the solar system. Students can learn about maps and scaling using easily accessible online resources that include satellite images. This is accomplished by taking advantage of some of the special features of Google Earth. This activity gives students a much…

Describes how to differentiate a planet from a star and presents an activity in which students investigate whether Pluto is a planet. (YDS)

Throughout each month, the Moon appears in conjunction with planets and stars along the ecliptic. A conjunction occurs when, in this case, the Moon lies in the same direction as a star or planet. From our perspective, the object looks close. February is no exception, and there will be several opportunities on both sides of the Sun to locate…

Describes a celestial grid system that gives the coordinates for any object that delineates the sun's ecliptic path--the sun's apparent path through the year. Includes Internet resources. (KHR)

Focuses on the Science Training to Enhance Leadership and Learning through Accomplishments in Research (STELLAR) program, a six-week, hands-on science training program. Discusses various aspects of the program as well as its benefits. (DDR)

Describes one teacher's experience taking Space Discovery courses that were sponsored by the United States Space Foundation (USSF). These courses examine the history of space science, theory of orbits and rocketry, the effects of living in outer space on humans, and space weather. (DDR)

Introduces the analemma, a figure eight pattern of the sun's location over the course of a year. Presents a year-long science activity and explains procedures for indoor and outdoor models. (YDS)