Fifty years ago this week, the third mission to land on the moon was in full force. The mission, ultimately deemed a "successful failure" became an unforgettable journey of survival for the crew. This anniversary celebrates not only an amazing engineering feat, but incredible collaboration, problem solving and innovation. As a kid, I was enthralled with the movie. In fact, it was the spark to my interest in space exploration, thanks to my dad, an awesome engineer! Lessons from this mission are still relevant today. At times its seems like we're continuing to fit a square peg in a round hole! We can learn from Apollo 13 with its similarities to what we are experiencing in the world today. It is an unprecedented and unexpected reality for many. Collaboration is occurring across many nations and among different companies and fields. Everyone is a part of making life on Earth a successful mission. Problem solving is our only option and daily we are seeing innovations. Shout out to all of the teachers have transformed their physical classrooms to a virtual learning environments with limited resources and time!! WatchApollo 13: Home Safe - Documentary from NASA (30 mins) "Apollo 13: Innovation in a Time of Crisis" is part of Space Center Houston's Thought Leader series. This is an awesome opportunity to hear from Bill Moon, CSM Electrical Power System, SSR; Bill Reeves, Lunar Module Electrical Power System, SSR; and Bill Stoval Flight Dynamics Officer about their experiences working in Apollo Mission Control Center during this unforgettable mission!! Episode 8: We Interrupt This Program From the Earth to the Moon (1998 HBO Miniseries - 60 mins) - Available to stream on Hulu, HBO Now, Amazon Prime, Youtube TV, Google Play store Apollo 13 (1995 Feature Film - 2hr 20 mins) - If you don't have the VHS or DVD, it's available to stream for free on Starz, rent or purchase from Amazon Prime, itunes and more. Mission Control : The Unsung Heroes of Apollo (2017 documentary - 1hr 40 mins) - Available to stream on Netflix ListenThis 18-minute segment titled, Shoot For the Moon: A Conversation with Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell aired on NPR April 13th The full title of the second season of the BBC podcast is 13 Minutes to the Moon: The Apollo 13 Story. This season has six episodes thus far. Episodes range from 30 - 45 minutes. The previous season (Season 1) chronicles the Apollo 11 mission. ExploreThis multimedia project consists entirely of original historical mission material so you can relive the mission as it occurred in 1970. Space Center Houston has an awesome exhibit that you can explore from the comfort of your home. This New York Times interactive includes transcripts and pictures that recap the mission each day. EngageBoth activities simulate the communication between astronauts and Mission Control.
Download from my TPT store, CAPCOM Conrad's Creations. ReadFor students
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Here's an Apollo 13 Wakelet with all of the links in one place too! Peace, love and space exploration,
- CAPCOM Conrad
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Space Center Houston's Space Exploration Educators Conference celebrated it's 25th Anniversary! What a blast it was!! I am now in my third year of being a SEEC Crew Member and promoting space exploration education. Like space exploration itself, my journey has come with challenges and a lot of learning and growth. One thing that remains is my belief in collaboration. My colleagues and fellow crew members have played a key role throughout this process and I am very grateful to them. Willingness to connect, try new things and branch out have not only impacted me and fellow educators, but also the students we work with. Every year I come to SEEC it is an amazing experience. Each year is unique and awesome in its own way. This year I was able to present on an Engineering Design Challenge based on the Voyager missions. It was nice to hear from session attendees that they wanted to use this in their classrooms when they returned home after the conference. After an awesome keynote from Alan Stern, chief of New Horizons, I’m brainstorming how I could turn this into an activity for the classroom. So, stay tuned. Since his presentation, we learned that the Ultima Thule, the celestial body that New Horizons was able to capture an image of is actually more of a 3D object than the flat "snowman" they initially thought it resembled. New Horizons SongBrian May, lead singer of Queen and astrophysicist created a song titled New Horizons to celebrate the mission. Students are always shocked when I tell them that our astronauts get to the ISS by taking a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Khazikastan desert. They sometimes wonder - and I’m sure they’re not alone in that thought - of when are we going to launch from the US. Like many things it’s a work in progress. The goal is to get to Mars in the 2030s, but before we send humans there, there are many steps to complete first. The same was true with the moon landing. Before humans could set foot on the moon, astronauts had to be able to orbit, EVA, rendezvous, docking and long duration spaceflight. The Commercial Crew program is an exciting project in the works . Due to the government shutdown earlier this year, curriculum development and “launch” has been delayed. However, by the fall, there are awesome resources headed your way. Lessons (K-4 and 5 - 12) a Commercial Crew App, Virtual Reality Field Trips and much more! In the meantime, the Peanuts characters are here to help. Charlie Brown and Snoopy first came on the scene 50 years ago as call signs during the Apollo 10 mission. Now they’re back to help teach kids about returning to the moon, the Orion capsule and heading to Mars. Under PressureA great Expert/ Educator session from my fellow Quest SEEC Crew members was Under Pressure. We learned from Paul Boehm - has worked with EVAs and is now involved with the Orion Project. I'm not even going to attempt his official job description. Using this information, Jessica & Katrina created stations to simulate what an EVA (Extravehicular Activity) would be like. I’ve done activities before, but these were a step above! They really thought of the small details and it made it very fun. All of the materials were things that could be easily found in a classroom or purchased inexpensively. Rock YardTours are definitely an awesome opportunity at SEEC. This year I was able to tour the Mars yard. It is similar to how it sounds. It’s a large area with fine gravel and large black lava rocks from Hawaii. Having a simulated Martian terrain allows NASA to test vehicles and spacesuits. The vehicle has six pairs of wheels and each pair can be lowered or raised depending on need. Besides the difference in appearance of the vehicle, it’s ability are also very different than vehicles you would see on the highway. It is able to drive sideways, which is definitely an asset on this terrain. Heading to the HabAt the last minute, I was able to sign up for a HERA tour. HERA stands for Human Exploration Research Analog. Four person crews volunteer to be in the habitat for a forty-five day mission. Since there was not an active mission at the time of SEEC, we were able to see their Mission Control and go inside the hab. During this mission, they are unable to leave the habitat. Requirements of volunteers are age 30 -55, masters degree or equivalent military experience, in good health and able to be away from work and their families for about 60 days. One of the first tasks for the crew members is to work together to create a patch that represents the mission. So far there have been 17 HERA missions. While on a mission, crew members have a variety of tasks to complete all while being observed and monitored for scientific purposes. The purpose of each mission varies and the crew members are being observed to determine psychological and physiological effects of being in a confined space, away from home and family for an extended period of time. This is especially crucial in preparation for long duration spaceflight and sending humans to Mars. They are always looking for volunteers :) Go, Flight!A huge highlight for me as an Apollo enthusiast was hearing an amazing closing keynote from former Mission Control Flight Director, Gene Kranz. I wouldn't do him justice trying to describe it, so watch it yourself. Since returning from SEEC I have been able to hear Adam Steltzner, JPL Engineer, EDL for Curiosity and chief of Engineering for the Mars 2020 Rover speak. I also was able to return to my alma mater - dubbed the astronaut factory - to hear Scott Kelly speak as part of Purdue’s 150 Giant Leaps campaign. Really enjoyed the humor and knowledge of both guys So, the mission continues... Peace, love and space exploration,
CAPCOM Conrad Probably not, but with the crazy weather Indiana has been having, you can sled on Earth in April! Last summer I attended the Science Learning through Engineering Design (SLED) Summer Institute. SLED is a Purdue University program funded by an NSF Math Science Partnership and is a true collaboration among several schools and departments. It was a great hands-on experience and I took a lot from it; including how to set-up and use a notebook, vocabulary and the overall SLED structure. SLED is targeted for 3rd-6th grade students, but I definitely think it can be used in other grade levels. SLED has curriculum available for many different science and engineering standards. The curriculum available is great, but what I find the most value in, is the structure and questioning. The structure is simple, yet powerful. The best part is how meaningful and interactive it is for the students. I've been able to see this firsthand. The collaboration and conversations students have with each other is awesome!! SLED allows each student to be individually involved in their learning while also working with their peers. Students have to make choices and defend their decisions. The structure and terminology remains consistent regardless of content or standards being covered. I have been able to co-plan 2 units with my awesome coworker Jaime using the SLED structure and incorporate space exploration! The first unit was Lunar Landers about a month ago and the second unit is next week. It's all about the Voyager Spacecraft and the Golden Record! Stay tuned for updates on that. We're really excited about it!! Lunar LanderThe Lunar Lander lesson we modified was a NASA PBS Design Squad Challenge called Touchdown. It is one of six space-themed engineering design challenges in the On the Moon Activity Guide. Our modifications included putting the activity in the SLED structure, utilizing the LAUNCH Cycle (Design Thinking Framework) and Innovator's Compass. Exploring Beyond (2:36) - NASA Johnson This is a great video to get kiddos hooked. I saw it for the first time at a Space Center U Teacher Professional Development at Space Center Houston last summer. SLED STructure1) Design brief - Create a short story that gives meaning, purpose and connection to the activity. Students read a couple paragraphs to determine background information. 2) Identification - Using the design brief, students identify the following & record it.
4) Team Design - All teammates share individual designs and provide ONLY positive feedback. Best way to do this is to have a time limit (1 min) and review expectations for this process.
6) Test - Each team tests their design. *Determine how design will be tested BEFORE testing. 7) Communication - Share results
8) Improve and redesign Check out the Kiddos in ActionAssessment OptionsThis whole design challenge process is a performance assessment. A) Formative Assessment happens throughout this process with the logbook. - Observing student designs and asking them to explain the different features and why they chose them. - Listening in on team design brainstorms. It's a great way to evaluate team dynamic, group member's collaboration and students' abilities to persuade, defend and support their ideas. B) Summative Assessment - Checkpoints - Team Design Data - Did the design meet the requirements, constraints and solve the problem? - Science content -> How is the student able to explain? - Overall Evaluation Rubric - Redesign -> How did they makes changes to improve their design? Instead of using a notebook, we used the SLED structure to create a logbook for students to fill in. Each day we had mission checkpoints. After testing, students also answered journal entry questions to reflect on the process. Students recorded a FlipGrid video to describe their lunar landing from the astronaut's perspective. **I will be adding our logbook to my TPT store. Tech Tool: FlipgridThis awesome tech tool was also introduced to me at Space Center Houston last summer. It is FREE for educators! At first I wasn't sure how I would use it with my kiddos, but it's a great tool for your toolbox. It gives students another way to respond. You create a grid, give students the code and they can record their own video response to questions or prompts that you ask. Like many new tools, especially technology, I would highly recommend reviewing expectations, appropriate responses and commenting, etc. I tell my students that technology is a privilege and they need to use it correctly as an educational tool. *Note:It does requires a device with a camera to use. Settings/Options - Moderator - Allows you to view student videos BEFORE they are added to the grid. - Design - Allows students to add stickers - Reply capabilities - View, rate, comment and/or record a reply post - Rubric and evaluate them. - The free version allows a maximum of 90 second record time. Students love talking with peers, sharing their individual thoughts and ideas, responding to others and making videos, so why not allow them to harness this excitement educationally? I hope that you're able to use some, if not all, of this in your classroom! I've been very happily busy co-designing and teaching projects that I'm excited about. Therefore, I am behind on updating my TPT store with resources. It's a summer project, if not before.
Peace, love and space exploration, -CAPCOM Conrad The title of this post is also the title of this year's Space Exploration Educator's Conference, where this whole thing started. I decided to continue as a SEEC Crew member for my 2nd year in space exploration education. I can explain my year in space exploration, but explaining SEEC is no easy feat. It's one of those, you had to be there situations. Luckily I was able to document my experience. I even had to delete a few apps to make room for all of the photos! It's really difficult to describe it in a way that does it justice. Therefore, this post is going to be formatted in slightly different way to hopefully represent this amazing professional development. It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words, so here goes nothing... This video shows me describing the features of the ISS Above. Check out a recording of our ISS Downlink with Joe Acaba, former teacher and astronaut currently on Station. You can hear the questions I submitted at the end of the video. For those of you who have experienced SEEC - The energy, awesome presentations, lightbulb moments for things you can do in your classroom, reunion with old friends and meeting new ones - know that the reacclimation process can be challenging. After SEEC, I took part in a 2-day Google Level 1 training. Returning to school, I've been very energized and passionate to share my SEEC experience with the teachers and students I work with. I was also able to incorporate FlipGrid and Screencastify as part of Genius Hour for the first time. I'm looking forward to using what I learned from SEEC to create stations for Mission Days for our kiddos. Seeing kids fascinated by the ISS Above, hearing them interested in careers and sparking their curiosity in the SpaceX is AMAZING!!! I would encourage each of you to venture into the unknown to this Destination Beyond. If Elon Musk can send his red Tesla into space, we can do anything :) Whether that's trying a new activity, incorporating a new technology tool, collaborating with teachers, applying to be a presenter or member of the SEEC Crew next year... It's worth it!
Peace, love and Space Exploration, CAPCOM Conrad A new toyIt's been quite a space dream these past few weeks. It all started when I received an e-mail from Liam Kennedy. For those of you who don't recognize that name, he's the inventor of the ISS - Above. He invented it because he wanted to share his passion for space with his grandkids :) I have never met him, but I was very excited to receive his e-mail informing me that my school had been selected to receive a free ISSAbove as part of the ISS-Above is 100 Schools. This project was made possible by funding from CASIS (Center for the Advancement of Science in Space). Well, this earthling and her students are thankful to advance space science at our school. Now, if I lost you at ISS-Above, let me go back. It's a Raspberry Pi that you can't eat. Raspberry Pi is missing an e, but it jam packed with awesomeness. The difference between the ISS-Above and other raspberry pi's, is it's capability. The ISS Above has been programmed to share data about the ISS relative to your location. There are several information screens that go through a slideshow of sorts. You can see a picture of the astronauts on board. You can see the path of the ISS on a world map, it's velocity and countdown to when the ISS will be above you. This little device will light up to tell you how far away the ISS is from your location. Depending on the color and the frequency, you can determine when the ISS will be heading your way. The best part is being able to see a LIVE stream from the cameras on the outside of the ISS. Yes, you can see the Earth from Space LIVE (when it's in daylight). Teachers, it doesn't get much better than this!! The ISS-Above requires an ethernet cable, connection to a monitor or tv and you're good to go! I would highly recommend writing a grant to get one of your own!! Curriculum materials are available to download and the possibilities are endless. I have already been able to experience kiddos' high interest in our new addition and look forward to continue to share this. Teacher LiaisonAfter knowing that an ISS-Above was coming, I was on cloud nine. It got better when I found out that I had been selected as a Teacher Liaison for Flight 15-18. As part of this, I will be able to attend the 34th Annual Space Symposium in Colorado, Springs and continue to share my passion for space-education. I look forward to this new opportunity and the ability to connect with more educators from around the country. There is more than just corn in IndianaI've always been a proud Purdue grad especially because I share that title with many astronauts. The VOSS Model (that I discussed in my previous post) is one of the many space education resources Purdue has. I wasn't sure that there were many other connections, but I was pleasantly surprised when I received a call from Greg McCauley. He is the CEO of the Link Observatory Space Science Institute in Martinsville, Indiana. I hadn't heard of it until a couple weeks ago. I was able to meet with Greg and was very interested to find out that he had worked at JSC for the Apollo 15 - 17 missions!! He definitely shares my passion for space and STEM Education. Through their DiscoverSpace STEM Programs, you can connect your students to NASA Resources. NASA has so many great resources and as educators, we are all aware of the lack of time we have to navigate all of them. You don't have to be in Indiana to access this resource, it's an entirely digital platform and the possibilities are endless! You'll definitely want to look into getting this at your school! These Boots are Made for WalkingYesterday, astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Scott Tingle were on a spacewalk- or more technically known as an Extravehicular activity (EVA) - repairing part of the robotic CanadaArm2. Another teacher called me to make sure I knew that the spacewalk is on and was unaware that one of the ISS-Above screens had told me that it was happening. As NASA TV aired it live, I was able to explain how astronauts train in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) and explain features of the spacesuit thanks to sessions and tours at SEEC, PD from the Indianapolis Children's Museum, and this past summer's Survival Training in the NBL. I absolutely loved seeing kids excited and curious about what was going on. The next scheduled spacewalk is Monday morning January 29th. It's definitely something you should check out with your students. Back to the ClassroomYesterday night, I had my first course as part of the NASA Endeavor Program. After reading more about it and hearing what a great experience it was firsthand from a fellow SEEC Crew member, I decided to sign up. I, like all of you, am a lifelong learner and love school. In the back of my mind, I considered going back to school, but I didn't want to take classes just to say that I did. I wanted to choose something that I was passionate about. So, when I found out that there were classes that used NASA resources to enhance STEM education, I was in. I'll keep you updated as I learn more. Last, but Definitely not least...In T-7 days, I will be returning to Space Center Houston for the 24th Annual Space Exploration Educator's Conference!!!!! To say that I haven't been counting down would be a lie. It's hard to believe that almost a year ago, I began my year in space adventure. When I first saw the 747 and Shuttle outside the Center, I was blown away. When I walked in and saw a lunar capsule hanging from the ceiling, I knew that I was in the right place. Little did I know what a profound impact the stellar conference, the awesome people and the amazing program would have on me as an educator and as a person. I'm thrilled to return this year as a presenter, a veteran, with a new last name, a different job and of course, a whole lot to share. I'm excited to be reunited with the Crew and connect with new space enthusiasts. In case you didn't quite get my enthusiasm, it's gone viral!
It's been great being able to share my space resources with the 6th Grade teachers as they embark on the Earth and Space Science Unit and there's plenty more where that came from. Peace, love and space exploration, CAPCOM Conrad Ever wonder why Russians use the term cosmonaut to refer to an astronaut? Well, part of the answer is in Greek. The Greek word nautes means sailor. The Greek word astron means star. The word kosmos means universe. So, cosmonaut means universe sailor and astronaut means star sailor. Now, you know! I included this in the glossary of the Mission Logbooks I made as for my space-themed class. I put together a variety of activities to teach 3-5th Grade students at Purdue’s Gifted Education Resource Institute (GERI) Super Fall Program. I’m sure this comes as no surprise when I say that my class was all about space. I also created a new word to describe my students, méllonaut. Méllo means future in Greek. So, my students were future sailors training for a future in space. After all, they are the Mars Generation! The rest of the day's activities were a combination from a variety of sources; NASA, Indianapolis Children's Museum Beyond Spaceship Earth PD and SEEC sessions. I separated the activities into phases: Preparation, Training for Space, Take Off, In Space and Returning to Earth. A great book to pair with the activities was Becoming a Spacewalker : My Journey to the Stars by: Astronaut and Boilermaker Jerry L. Ross . > Preparation First, each méllonaut created a mission patch to represent themselves and they put these in buttons that they could wear all day! > Training for Space Before making the journey through our solar system, you need to be aware of what it is. Our solar system is so large that it's difficult to really grasp the concept of size. For students to get a better idea, we used some hands-on activities. Using JPL's Solar System Bead Activity, méllonauts constructed a scaled model of the solar system. It's a great and unique way for kids to visualize how far away the planets are and how large our solar system is. Tips for using in your classroom: pre-cut the string, make sure you have a variety of bead colors. Based on the scale listed, each kid gets 5m of string. I would recommend decreasing the scale or having students attach the beads without using knots. Since we were at Purdue, families could take advantage of the awesome Voss model - an outdoor scaled model of the solar system - dedicated to Janice L. Voss, a Purdue alum and astronaut. they were able to record their observations in their mission logbook that I created. If you can't visit it in person, you can take a virtual tour! > Take Off Communication is a vital part of being successful on space missions and life in general. Students created structures out of legos. The structure was their choice, but they had to name, draw and label their structure. Then, they had to write a how-to-build my structure. This may have been the most difficult task of the day. I would recommend limited the amount of legos that can be used on the amount of time for building and writing. > In Space Being able to notice similarities and differences and make observations and predictions allows us to be ready for obstacles that may arise as well as prevent problems from occurring. Students did a mini-experiment by rehydrating bananas to experience the difference between eating on Earth and eating in space. Students recorded their before and after observations. We also watched some video clips of Former ISS Commander Chris Hadfield preparing a meal in space. The favorite activity of the day was the EVA! Méllonauts walked down the hallway with their regular shoes and built a tower out of ten blocks. Then, they completed the same activities with moon shoes! Both activities were timed to be able to compare and contrast. >Landing The final activity of the day was to build a lunar lander. Using the structure from SLED (Science Learning Through Engineering Design), students identified key components of their task and were able to test their structure and suggest modifications for future improvements. I'm constantly trying to share space information with others and was happy to be able to wear this shirt proudly on my honeymoon in Maui, Hawaii! I was so honored to be asked to share my Year in Space Experience with my alma mater. You can check it out! My Superintendent interviewed me about My Year in Space on our district podcast, Inside the Rock! I was episode 13 on December and my Genius Hour Session that week was titled, Houston, We Have a Problem. So, you bet I didn't miss that Apollo 13 connection! You can listen here! I've been MIA planning a wedding and getting married. Although my last name is changing, my call sign and enthusiasm for space in not! Stay tuned for a unit on an awesome new book, Lost in Outer Space - The Incredible Journey of Apollo 13 by: Todd Olson and an update on Genius Hour at my school!!
Peace, love and space exploration, -CAPCOM Conrad My heart goes out to all of those affected by Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma and the Columbia River Gorge Wildfire. Although I do not live in Texas, Florida or Oregon, my heart is in all of these places. Hurricane Harvey impacted Houston, Texas and surrounding areas. The heart of my year in space is there. Space Center Houston hosted the Space Exploration Educators Conference, which is where this whole journey began. I was fortunate enough to return to Houston at the end of July for an amazing Professional Development with my fellow SEEC Crew mates. The wildfires are still raging along the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. A piece of my heart is there because it's where I got engaged. My fiance and I kayaked on the Columbia River the day we got engaged. We throughly enjoyed out waterfall hikes and beautiful drives along the Gorge . Hurricane Irma will be making landfall in Florida within the next few days. I have visited Florida several times and always enjoy the beach. Remember I live in land-locked Indiana. I hope to visit Kennedy Space Center one day and see a launch. I have been able to read a variety of articles and watch videos from different media sources. Since I family and friends who live in Texas and Florida, I have also been able to see their personal experiences via social media. As an adult, it's difficult to process these events. As a child, I would venture to guess it's a whole different ballgame. Lack of understanding of the science behind these events probably contributes to their confusion, uncertainty and concern. I was trying to wrap my head around how I could be helpful so far away. I wanted to help teachers and students. I was also curious what connections could be made to space education. Therefore, I created a unit to answer the driving questions: What is the lasting impact of natural disasters on people and the environment they live in? Download the unit below or on my Teachers Pay Teachers store for free.
Note: I used 5th and 6th Grade Indiana Academic Standards for Science and Media Literacy, but it can be used in other subjects and grade levels. It is not an exhaustive list of everything about natural disasters, but hopefully provides resources that you can use in your classroom to spark awesome student learning. NASA continues to amaze me as I further explore all that it has to offer. It may be stuck in people's minds as a space agency, but what many may not realize is what they do is so relevant to Earth and can be helpful in our daily lives.
NASA Spinoff is a yearly publication that highlights how NASA research is used in commercial products. You can get a copy or print off pdfs from 1976- present. NASA SPoRT (Short-term Prediction Results and Transition Center) is a "is a NASA project to transition unique observations and research capabilities to the operational weather community to improve short-term forecasts on a regional scale." The International Space Station's mantra is off the earth, for the earth . The research done through CASIS, who runs the U.S. ISS National Laboratory, is Science in space to benefit life on Earth. Images from astronauts aboard station allow us to see and understand Earth in ways we never could before. If nothing else, it helps me realize how connected we are and how we, as Earthlings, can learn from and help each other in this journey we call life. Gus was killed in the Apollo 1 fire with his crewmates Roger Chaffee and Ed White. Learning from this terrible tragedy is a major reason why we were able to land on the moon. Peace, love and space exploration, CAPCOM Conrad signing off. My first experience as CAPCOM Conrad with the Flight Director. Let me start with a little background...December of 2015, my coworker (pictured above) asked if I would dress up like an engineer in Mission Control to start a space unit. For those of you who know me, it's no surprise that with absolutely no hesitation, I agreed! He rearranged his room to create a new setup and we chose NASA call signs. I, a fan of alliteration, chose CAPCOM. For those of you unfamiliar with the acronym, it stands for Capsule Communicator. It is the one person on the ground who communicates directly with the astronauts in space. A famous past CAPCOM was Deke Slayton, a Mercury 7 astronaut grounded due to a heart condition. As a teacher, I thought this was the perfect fit. On a daily basis, I take the information given to me by the state standards, administration and district guidelines and communicate this to the kiddos I am working with. You may be thinking, okay, how do I use this in my classroom? Change your classroom jobs to NASA acronyms that best fit the duties. It not only sounds awesome, but it also gives real-world context and significance. https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/k-4/features/F_People_Behind_the_Astronauts.html The awesome Escape Hunt Houston "Houston, We've had a Problem" Room. I would definitely recommend this amazing experience!! I had a blast with my fellow crew mates in the extremely well designed room. * Notice I'm sitting in the CAPCOMM seat :) As a member of the SEEC Crew, I have definitely felt like a CAPCOM. I have been able to go to Space Center Houston and then bring back all that I've learned to Indiana to help inspire teachers and students. I know that space exploration is a high interest topic that can be incorporated in your classroom, regardless of grade level or content area. You just have to be willing to put yourself in the mindset of Mission Control during the Apollo 13 mission. You may be trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. If there's one thing that my year in space has taught me, it's how vital everyone's unique strengths are. I'm so thankful for the awesome coworkers and crew members that I've been able to collaborate with on this journey. No one on the crew teaches the same thing in the same environment, but we are all committed to working together, helping other teachers and sharing our passion with students. When people think of NASA, they think of astronauts, but it takes a whole team to get to the moon, build a low-earth orbit ISS laboratory, send Voyager rovers to deep space and eventually send humans to Mars. There are so many Hidden Figures and Unsung Heroes to celebrate. Michael Collins was an Apollo 11 astronaut and the Columbia Command Module Pilot, but his impact is not as well known. While Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon, Collins flew around it, alone and outside radio contact. Without him, the astronauts would not have made it home. A great book for a read aloud or as a whole group or in small groups (depending on your grade level) is The Man Who Went to the Far Side of the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins by: Bea Uusma Schyffert. This expository non-fiction text has awesome graphics and photos too! Excerpts have been published in Pearson's Reading Street and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's Storytown and there are several teaching resources available. I never thought teaching would take me where it has. I also never imagined the huge impact this year in space would have on me. I loved being asked questions about the Solar Eclipse and being able to share resources and experience that with my entire school. I know it was significant for at least one kiddo, because a student came to me and asked if we had any books about eclipses! I was ecstatic to help him find one!
I am now in a new role in a new school and loving it! I am working on updating our library to an Innovation Center. Keeping the space theme, I have labelled the doors with the space programs. Why put up a number one when you can use a Mercury mission patch? The capsule only had room for one astronaut anyway, so it's synonymous to me. I have added awesome NASA Mars posters to the walls showcasing the different skills and people needed to make the mission successful. I will co-teaching to facilitate Genius Hour and my goal is to emphasize the importance to students of finding a passion with a purpose. So, teachers, wherever you are, whatever you're teaching, share your passion! If it's space or STEAM and you want to know how to get started or build on what you already have, I would LOVE to help!! Peace, love and space exploration, CAPCOM CONRAD Signing Off My favorite tour at Space Center Houston was the NBL. What is the NBL you ask? No, I am not referring to the men's National Basketball League. Nor am I talking about football, despite the fact that the Super Bowl was played in Houston this year. It's the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory! Based on the name, some of you may have been able to figure out that it's a place where you don't sink or float. Where on Earth would you be able to do that and what does it have to do with space? Well, the short answer is a giant pool in Houston, Texas. Astronauts train here to prepare them for the microgravity environment they experience aboard the International Space Station. I also have to say that it is the COOLEST THING EVER!! Note: Check out my slideshow at the end of the post. I could spend a whole post dedicated to it and plan to in the future. What makes me say that besides my strong personal opinion on the subject? Well, it kept my class of fifth graders excited on a Friday morning in May. As any teacher knows, as summer approaches this task becomes more and more difficult. They were intrigued by the information I was able to share from the tour, asking questions, answering questions and demanding more pictures. I decided to share the images with my students because we just reached the point in Hidden Figures where the switch from NACA to NASA occurs. This switch changes the focus of the administration (and the book) from flight to space flight. I may have introduced it as the moment they had been waiting for. This is also the point that the movie focuses on, so my students who have seen it are more familiar with it. We have 7 chapters left in the book and we're learning something new every day. This past week, we discussed Brown v. Board of Education, Little Rock, Arkansas and Ruby Bridges. I love the multi-dimensional aspects of the book and the ability to incorporate so many subjects and topics with it. Flocabulary, Brainpop and Newsela have all been great resources to incorporate not only technology, but also multimedia. Next week's plan is to discuss The Cold War and it's impact on the Space Race and well as JFK's We Choose the Moon Speech. Students are beginning to work on their Performance Assessment, using creativity to prove that they can answer the two central questions: What does it mean to be a Hidden Figure? How am I/can I be a Hidden Figure? #HiddenFigures #SpaceCenterHou #JSC #NeutralBuoyancyLab #myyearinspace #tranquilitycrew #EDUExpeditionCrew |
AuthorApollo 13 fan. Educator. Lifelong Learner. Third generation Boilermaker. Space Exploration Enthusiast. Collaborator. Click Subscribe to stay updated!Archives
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