Space-Themed Counting Activities for Young Learners

1…2…3…Count planets with me! NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program has teamed up with Therapy Materials Vault to create engaging space-themed therapy activities for young learners. Most appropriate for grades preK–2, and available in Spanish and English versions, the activities present space-related facts and information alongside simple student tasks that reinforce math learning and fine motor skills. For example, the Cosmic Connect the Dots activity reinforces counting and number recognition as students connect the dots to create images of planet Earth, a Space Launch System Rocket, an astronaut, and more. In the Stamp the Stars activity, students make connections to space vocabulary words such as asteroid, black hole, galaxy, and impact crater as they color images of these items with dot markers. 

Launching Units With Primary Sources: Tracking the Epicenter

Have you ever considered using primary sources as launching phenomena in your science classroom? Primary sources often present a puzzle to be solved; the content related to your discipline can help put the pieces together. An activity for middle and high school levels described in the Library of Congress blog Teaching With the Library presents an example of using primary sources as the launching phenomena in an Earth science study on earthquakes. 

In the activity, students analyze seismograms collected at various locations during an earthquake event that occurred in September 1899 near the Yakutat Bay in Alaska. Students also review newspaper articles written at the time communicating the event. These experiences with primary sources teach students how earthquakes are measured and build understandings about how data is used to tell a story. The experiences also allow students to apply new knowledge of seismograms to determine if the descriptions of the earthquakes in the newspaper articles are scientifically accurate and to reflect on measures—past and present—scientists use to track and predict earthquake events in the Alaskan region and elsewhere.  

Solar System Formation Lesson Module

This interactive online learning module from Infiniscope, a NASA-funded project dedicated to improving Earth and space science education through the creation of high-quality digital content, teaches students about solar system formation. Most appropriate for the high school level, the self-paced module provides explanatory text, word banks, and other tools to guide students in understanding the topic. In the module, students work through questions, interactive diagrams, and text to explore the relationship between distance from the Sun and condensation temperature in the early Solar System; use their new understandings to determine the composition of planets at a variety of distances from the Sun; identify the location of the frost line and its relationship to planetary composition; and explain why giant planets could be found inside the frost line of a sample exoplanetary system.

School Specialty’s School Makeover Sweepstakes

With ESSER funding ending and schools planning improvements for next year, School Specialty has launched its first-ever $50,000 School Makeover Sweepstakes. Whether it’s a makerspace, media center, STEM lab, or any other learning environment, School Specialty will help the winning school recognize their vision with a modern, engaging space that will meet their specific needs. One grand-prize winner will receive a makeover for their school worth up to $50,000, as well as a $500 School Specialty gift card for the person who nominated the school. The School Specialty Design Team will collaborate directly with the winners to bring their makeover to life. Ten first-prize winners will receive professional development packages led by School Specialty’s subject-matter experts worth up to $6,500, as well as a $250 gift card for the nominator.

Entries are open through May 31. A school employee, volunteer, or a family member or caretaker of a student can simply fill out a form including basic contact information and the name of their school at SchoolSpecialty.com. Individuals may enter the sweeps every day to increase their school’s chance to win.

American Chemical Society’s Committee on Chemical Safety High School Chemical Safety Grant

Middle or high school science teachers in U.S. or U.S. territory schools can request up to $3,000 to fund actions or opportunities that will improve chemical safety in their teaching environment. (Deadline August 1) The grant’s purpose is to promote chemical safety excellence in secondary education in one of the following areas:

• Integrating chemical safety into curriculum (e.g., Incorporating risk management, RAMP, into lab activities, teaching risk assessment to students and creating a culture of safety in the classroom).
• Advocating for safe chemical practices (e.g., developing and implementing peer professional development for teachers and administration, obtaining Chemical Hygiene Officer training).
• Improving chemical safety infrastructure (e.g., improvements in chemical storage, inventory management, ordering, or waste disposal).

Grants may be used for

• Attending an approved (ACS, NSTA, AACT) safety workshop
• Personal Protective Equipment or informational materials for the laboratory
• Safety oriented professional development
• Chemical Hygiene Officer (CHO) Training
• Inventory and ordering management program
• Compensation for safety consultants
• Substitute teacher pay

NSHSS STEAM Educator Grant
 
The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) is providing five $1,000 grants to enhance science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM)–related activities, innovation, and classroom excellence for teachers in a STEAM field. Funds may be used for supplies, materials, field trips or other resources to enhance the delivery of their courses. Any registered NSHSS Educator (registration is free of charge) who provides STEAM education to high school students in the United States and internationally may apply. (Deadline August 15)