Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium Newsletter for Teachers

[Irene Svete]

The 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

-- IN SEARCH OF A SECOND EARTH
-- BECOME A NASA EXPLORER SCHOOL (5-8)
-- ASSESSMENT; WHO KNOWS WHAT? (K-12)
-- EARTH SCIENCE FLASHCARDS ONLINE (6-12)
-- SUMMER CHAUTAUQUA FOR TEACHERS (9-14)
-- REVEL TEACHERS HEAD TO SEA (7-12)

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IN SEARCH OF A SECOND EARTH

Noted Polish radio-astronomer and astrophysicist, Aleksander Wolszczan will
be speaking Friday, March 7, at the University of Washington. Wolszczan is
widely recognized for his discovery of the first planets outside the solar
system. 

His talk, "In Search of a Second Earth," will take place at 7 p.m. in the
Physics-Astronomy Building, Room A102.  There will be a wine and cheese
reception following the lecture.

In his lecture, Wolszczan will discuss the development and importance of the
new, exciting field of astronomy of the extrasolar planets, from its
surprising beginnings marked with the discovery of pulsar planets to the
most recent, spectacular detections of giant planets around Sun-like stars.
For more information, go to

http://depts.washington.edu/slavweb/events/PolLecture.htm.
 
BECOME A NASA EXPLORER SCHOOL (5-8)

Schools now have a unique opportunity to form a three-year partnership for
professional development and student experiences.  The NASA Explorer Schools
(NES) program will provide NASA's resources in science, mathematics, and
technology to bring rich learning environments to educator/administrator
teams, students and their families.

The program will offer stipends, grants and a one-week summer workshop at a
NASA Center. This is the pilot year and will focus on grades 5-8.
Applications are now being accepted for the first 50 NASA Explorer School
Teams. To learn more about the program, go to

http://explorerschools.nasa.gov

ASSESSMENT: WHO KNOWS WHAT? (K-12)

Western Washington University will host the WSTA Spring Conference, April 26
and 27. Conference topics include assessing student understanding of phases
of the moon and seasons, preparing for the science WASL, and assessment for
FOSS and/or STC science kits. For more information, visit

http://www.smate.wwu.edu/smate/wsta

EARTH SCIENCE FLASHCARDS ONLINE (6-12)

Over 90 flashcard sets for testing knowledge in geology, astronomy,
oceanography and meteorology are available at the Flashcard Exchange. Cards
on the site won't tap higher order thinking skills and some of the flashcard
answers lack depth. However, the site is a quick way to gauge subject matter
mastery. Flashcards are also available for the humanities, languages, and
the humanities. To browse the cards, go to

http://flashcardexchange.com

SUMMER CHAUTAUQUA FOR TEACHERS (9-14)

The Chautauqua summer courses for teachers, held at the University of
Washington, cover areas of in the biological, physical and social sciences,
along with effective teaching methodologies.  Their aim is to assist current
and future faculty members in colleges and secondary schools to enhance
their current courses and to introduce new modules and subjects in current
and new courses. Topics include global climate change, classroom assessment
techniques and ecology lessons from Mount St. Helens.

 Each course is 3 or 4 days long, providing 24 to 30 hours of instruction.
Details on course content, with abstracts and application information, is
available at

http://depts.washington.edu/chautauq/

REVEL TEACHERS HEAD TO SEA (7-12)

The Research and Education: Volcanoes, Exploration and Life (REVEL) Project
offers 7-12 grade science teachers a chance to bring cutting-edge earth and
ocean research into their classrooms. REVEL immerses teachers in the
scientific process as they explore the seafloor of the Juan de Fuca Plate in
the Northeast Pacific Ocean.

Teachers participate in sea-going field research alongside scientists and in
complementary professional development opportunities that help teachers
increase their content knowledge, and enhance their teaching skills. The
deadline to apply is March 28.  Applicants must be employed in a K-12
public, private or parochial school in the United States. Applications for
the 2003 season are available at

http://www.ocean.washington.edu/outreach/revel/

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FEEDBACK

Ideas, comments and Web sites of interest to other teachers should be sent
to Irene Svete, newsletter editor, at

isvete at ess.washington.edu

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