GSFC Astrophysics

NASA Family Science Night

&

Afterschool Universe

Heliophysics Connections

NASA HEAT

For additional information contact: Christina.h.milotte@nasa.gov

Curricula Overview

• Each curriculum is designed so that educators have the option to run the sessions in order, which build on one another and scaffold knowledge and skill acquisition, or run the sessions independently to target specific topics or skills.
• This presentation is designed to give educators more flexibility to design educational programming that best meet the needs of their audiences using the activities in these two curricula.
• Most sessions in both curricula have connections to heliophysics. Individual activities within the curricula sessions have been identified as activities with strong heliophysics connections. These activities work within the curricula, but can be run independently of the curricula.
• National education standards have not yet been linked to these curricula resources.

Helio Content and Skills

• Understanding the Sun is the foundation for educators and families to start to build upon in order to develop relationships with the more complex physics of the heliosphere, especially when teaching learners at the middle school level.
• Core ideas about the Sun, as well as other heliophysics concepts, are interwoven throughout the NASA Family Science Night and Afterschool Universe curricula.
• Scientific skills and processes (NGSS) are embedded throughout every session:
• Asking questions
• Making predictions
• Sorting and classification
• Collecting and analyzing data
• Communicating
• Working collaboratively

Curricula Overview

NASA Family Science Night - approximately 2 hour sessions designed for middle school students and their families; 3-4 activities per 2 hour session; *educator guide and supplemental documents included.

Afterschool Universe - approximately 1 hour sessions designed for middle school students; 1-2 activities per 1 hour session; *educator guide and supplemental documents included.

*educator guide includes science background information, material shopping lists, educator tips and more; supplemental documents include printable posters, handouts, datasheets, etc.

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NASA Family Science Night Session Topics

Session 1: How Big, How Far, How Old?

Helio Content = How big is the Sun? How far away is the Sun? How old is the Sun?

Activity 1: Doing Science: Classification, 20 minutes

Activity 2: Doing Science: Sorting to Make Sense, 30 minutes

Activity 3: Cosmic Survey (Sorting Astronomical Objects), 40 minutes

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Recommended Heliophysics-Focused Activity

NASA Family Science Night Session Topics

Session 2: Seeing the Invisible

Helio Content = The EM spectrum; different kinds of light emitted by the objects in the universe, including the Sun

Activity 1: Decoding secret messages with light, 20 minutes

Activity 2: Invisible Light Exploration, 40 minutes

Activity 3: Creating secret messages using light, 30 minutes

Recommended Heliophysics-Focused Activity

NASA Family Science Night Session Topics

Session 3: You are Here!

Helio Content = scale of objects in the Universe, including the Sun

Activity 1: Alien Navigation 101, assessing prior knowledge of models of the universe, 20minutes

Activity 2: Modeling the Solar System, 20 minutes

Activity 3: NASA Mission Models Exploration, 30 minutes

Activity 4: Map to the Whirlpool Galaxy, 20 minutes

Recommended Heliophysics-Focused Activity

NASA Family Science Night Session Topics

Session 4: ‘Tis the Seasons

Helio Content = Sun/Earth system, seasons on Earth

Activity 1: Reasons for the Seasons, pre-assessment, 20 minutes

Activity 2A: Sun-Earth-Moon Model Exploration, 20 minutes

Activity 2B: Distance Around the Sun Exploration, 30 minutes

Activity 3: Reasons for the Seasons, post assessment, 20 minutes

Recommended Heliophysics-Focused Activity

NASA Family Science Night Session Topics

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Session 5: Be a Star!

Helio Content = life cycle of stars, including the Sun

Activity 1: Stars vs. Planets, 20 minutes

Activity 2: Life Cycle of Stars, 40 minutes

Activity 3: Supernova Exploration (Making elements), 20 minutes

Activity 4: Universe in a Bottle (We are made of Star Stuff) 20 minutes

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Recommended Heliophysics-Focused Activity

NASA Family Science Night Session Topics

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Session 6: Exploring the Moon

Helio Content = radiation from the Sun affects the lunar environment

Activity 1: Exploring Resources, 20 minutes

Activity 2: Stranded on an Island Survival Exploration, 20 minutes

Activity 3A: Lunar Environment Exploration, 30 minutes

Activity 3B: Lunar Outpost Exploration, 30 minutes

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Recommended Heliophysics-Focused Activity

NASA Family Science Night Session Topics

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Session 7: Batteries Not Included

Helio Content = solar power

Activity 1: Parts of a Car, 20 minutes

Activity 2: Solar Car Engineering, 40 minutes

Activity 3: Doing Science: The Design Modification Process, 30 minutes

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Recommended Heliophysics-Focused Activity

NASA Family Science Night Session Topics

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Session 8: Now You See It, Now You Don’t!

Helio Content = Sun/Earth system, solar and lunar eclipses

*under revision; looking for eclipse model to work for multiple audiences

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Recommended Heliophysics-Focused Activity

NASA Family Science Night Session Topics

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Session 9: The Search for Other Worlds

Helio Content = habitable zone around stars, including the Sun (exoplanets)

Activity 1: Interplanetary Rest Stop (Habitable Zones around Stars), 20 minutes

Activity 2: Exoplanet Detection Models and Analysis (Transits), 60 minutes

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Recommended Heliophysics-Focused Activity

NASA Family Science Night Session Topics

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Session 10: Milky Way: City of Stars

Helio Content = location of the Solar System in the Milky Way galaxy

Activity 1: Cosmic Address (star systems vs. galaxies), 20 minutes

Activity 2: Milky Way Model (location of the Sun in the Milky Way), 30 minutes

Activity 3: Different Types of Galaxies, 45 minutes

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Recommended Heliophysics-Focused Activity

Afterschool Universe Session Topics

Session 1: Modeling the Universe I Helio Content = scale of objects in the Universe, including the Sun (pre-assessment)

Session 2: Cosmic Survey Helio Content = how big is the Sun? How far away is the Sun? How old is the Sun?

Session 3: Astronomer’s Toolbox: Telescopes Helio Content = collecting light to learn about the universe, speed of light and distance of objects in the Solar System

Session 4: Invisible Light Helio Content = the EM spectrum; different kinds of light emitted by the objects in the universe, including the Sun

Recommended Heliophysics-Focused Activity

Afterschool Universe Session Topics

Session 5: Astronomer’s Toolbox: Spectroscopes Helio Content = the EM spectrum; different kinds of light emitted by the objects in the universe, including the Sun

Session 6: Stars and their Lives I Helio Content = the Sun is a star; life cycle of stars

Session 7: Stars and their Lives II Helio Content = nuclear fusion; onion shell model of stars

Session 8: Our Cosmic Connection to Elements Helio Content = we are made of star stuff

Recommended Heliophysics-Focused Activity

Afterschool Universe Session Topics

Session 9: Galaxies Helio Content = location of the Solar System in the Milky Way galaxy

Session 10: Black Holes Helio Content = the Sun will not become a black hole!!! The Sun will not explode.

Session 11: Careers in Astronomy/Cosmic Quilt Helio Content = capstone activity if sessions are run in order; opportunity to highlight heliophysicists

Session 12: Modeling the Universe II Helio Content = scale of objects in the Universe, including the Sun (post-assessment)

Recommended Heliophysics-Focused Activity