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April 4, 2001The Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium's electronic newsletter for teachers provides curriculum ideas, Internet links and other resources to help you better meet the Washington EALRs and the National Science Education Standards. TABLE OF CONTENTS
-- ASTOUNDING ASTRONOMY WORKSHOP (3-8) -------- ASTOUNDING ASTRONOMY WORKSHOP(3-8) Will people really be able to go to Mars? What about the stars? If the Earth is a balloon, then how big is the moon? The Astounding Astronomy crew has the answers to these and other common classroom questions. Join them for a week of hands-on activities and classroom exploration. Astounding Astronomy, a teacher workshop sponsored by Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium, will take place July 30-Aug. 3 at the UW Olympic Natural Resources Center in Forks. The workshop is geared to grades 3-8 and targets EALR Levels 1 and 2 for astronomy and related subjects. The approach is inquiry-oriented and topics include stars and constellations; the day, year, time and the seasons; the scale and contents of the solar system; phases of the moon; and life in the universe. For more information, go to http://www.waspacegrant.org/astrowork.html METEORITE LECTURE SERIES ANNOUNCED "Pieces of Asteroids, the Moon and Mars: The Latest on Meteorites," a spring lecture series at the University of Washington, will feature the latest research on the Tagish Lake meteorite, as well as up-to-the-minute information on new meteorites found recently in northwest Africa. There will also be a special viewing session where participants can use a petrographic microscope to examine actual meteorites from Mars and the Asteroid Belt. The series, sponsored by Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium, the Penford Corporation and the UW Department of Earth & Space Sciences, takes place April 12-14 on the Seattle campus. For more information on speakers, times and locations, go to http://www.waspacegrant.org/meteorite.html POLAR RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY (K-12) The Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic (TEA) Program is seeking active K-12 science and social science teachers who have a strong interest in bringing exciting current research to their students and colleagues! Through the TEA Program, teachers journey to the polar regions to participate in field research. Teachers work closely with scientists, are involved in cutting-edge science, and are immersed in the process of science. Enveloping this field experience are professional development opportunities through which TEA teachers increase content knowledge, enhance teaching skills, transfer the experience to the classroom, assume leadership roles, and collaborate with a network of researchers and education colleagues. Applications for the TEA 2002/2003 field season must be postmarked by May 1, 2001. For more information, visit LIVING WITH A STAR GUIDE (K-12) The new NASA educator guide, "Living with a Star", is available on NASA Spacelink. The guide contains answers to common questions such as what are auroras and how does radiation affect astronauts. There are activities, links to Web sites and a glossary of star-related terms. "Living with a Star" is available at http://spacelink.nasa.gov/products/Living.with.a.Star/ JOIN PROJECT ASTRO NOW Puget Sound-area teachers, grades 3 - 12, are invited to apply for participation in Project ASTRO. Each year, 25 Project Astro teachers are paired with amateur or professional astronomers. The astronomer (or other earth or space scientist or engineer) works with the teacher, visiting the classroom five to six times per school year, and conducting hands-on astronomy and science activities with the students. Teacher participation in a weekend activities-based workshop is mandatory. This year the workshop takes place July 13-14 on the University of Washington campus in Seattle. The deadline for new applications is May 1. For more information, please see the Project Astro Web site: http://www.astro.washington.edu/projastro/ To receive an application by mail, phone Coordinator Linda Schieber at (206) 543-9541, or e-mail SPACE SCIENCE FOR THE CLASSROOM (1-12) The NASA Regional Educator Resource Center will host two more free Saurday workshops this spring. On April 21, Orchard Heights Elementary teacher Ann Paoletti will share a variety of simple science activities, some of which she picked up by attending really fun and interesting NASA teacher workshops. The workshop is geared to teachers in grades 1-6. Paoletti says she especially looks forward to working with teachers who feel like "newbies" to elementary science teaching. Ed Sobey -- author of Fantastic Flying Fun with Science: 69 Projects You Can Fly, Spin, Launch and Ride -- returns May 19 with new rocket launching devices K-12 teachers can make and use with inexpensive materials. Participants will build and launch rockets using air pressurized by a bike pump. Additional activities include making pneumatic blast rockets and launchers. Very cool! All workshops are free and take place from 1-4 p.m. at the Washington NASA Space Grant office, Rm. 401, Johnson Hall. Free parking is available on campus. Pre-registration is required and clock hours are available. To register, call (206) 543-1943, or e-mail -------- FEEDBACK Ideas, comments and Web sites of interest to other teachers should be sent to Irene Svete, newsletter editor, at --------
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