As one of only two NASA Explorer Schools in Washington State, our students are uniquely engaged and excited about the study of our solar system and beyond. I teach Science and an elective Aerospace course at a rural middle school in western Washington that serves students in grades 6-8.
Our school district has faced major budget cuts this past year. Although our district is committed to math and science excellence and to the NASA Explorer School program, science funding is a major issue. Students excel when they are engaged in hands-on activities as opposed to paper and pencil work. Investigating size and scale of the solar system is a difficult concept for students (and adults). Students need to work with hands-on activities in order to fully appreciate the size and scale of our solar system. In addition, once they fully understand the size and scale of the solar system, they can design and engineer solutions for space travel.
As a NASA Explorer School, we have the perfect avenue in which to engage students in math, engineering, and science. Students are naturally inquisitive about space science and tapping into this curiosity will capitalize on a middle school student's energy! My students will engage in a series of NASA space exploration investigations.
The students will investigate, calculate differences, and compare attributes of the different bodies in our solar system. They will design a scale model in terms of distance and a scale model in terms of mass and volume.
This project will culminate with a challenge. Students will also calculate the mass needed to keep a crew of three astronauts alive for the duration of a mission to another planet in our solar system.
You can help to fund a project that will tap into natural curiosity and empower students to reach above and beyond! Our NASA Explorer School mission of "Earth, Moon, Mars, and Beyond" aligns with high-level critical thinking and application skills that are embedded in this project. Students will achieve a new level of understanding and application as they become the next generation of explorers.
More than a third of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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