Around the New Year, I often see posts of resolutions, goals and the #oneword for the year. A word I particularly like, that aligns with teaching, long duration spaceflights and also happens to be the title of an awesome book is Endurance. The full title Endurance: My Year in Space and How I Got There, captures the essence of the book. I can't quite recall when I came across the Young Readers Edition, but it was published in 2018. One of the many things I love about the book is how relatable it is... I mean as relatable as an astronaut who accomplished the feat of the longest duration space flight can be. With the middle grade students I work with, the Young Readers Edition wass the best fit. If you're in search of a picture book version however, you're in luck. My Journey to the Stars also written by: Scott Kelly and beautifully illustrated by André Ceolin is great! The lifelong learner version has a slightly different title, Endurance: My Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discoveries, but is also worth exploring. I would also recommend checking out the two-part PBS documentary, A Year in Space. It was adapted from Time's original digital video series. It is available to stream on PBS.org, Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Google Play. Subscription fees differ depending on the platform. It would be great to show the trailer before reading and then watch different parts once you get to that point of the book or wait until after you finish as a celebration. It's whatever works best for you. I think kids often see people in careers that they aspire to have, but have a hard time grasping the steps to get there. As he writes, Scott describes his struggle with school. Unfortunately, school can be a difficulty for many students. While I can't change the system, I can share stories of many people who have endured to overcome difficulty and accomplish amazing things. I can also try to expose my students to a wide variety of STEM careers that will hopefully open their horizon and spark their interest along the way. I LOVE creating curriculum. Bringing resources together, finding the best format and sharing with others is my jam! If it involves space exploration, that just intensifies my excitement. My journey began with Hidden Figures. In fact, that is one of my first blog posts. I created a unit over Spring Break to use with my fifth graders. It was an absolute blast. Endurance is my second space exploration unit anchored with a Young Readers Edition novel. Not only is the book itself extremely interesting, but there is a springboard of topics mentioned that students can take a deeper dive. The goals of my units are to
Both of these units are available on my TPT store, CAPCOM Conrad's Creations. Check out this free unit overview to give you more information about all that it entails. WakeletI enjoy using Wakelet to curate resources. I like to think of it as a Hyperdoc 2.0. Wakelet helps keep things organized with titles, editing and the ease of rearranging links. It allows the user to see what the link that they're clicking on is. Plus, you to watch video clips within the platform so that you don't have to go to a separate site. It is easy to create an account, share with others or even search for existing Wakelets. Endurance is split into three parts. So, I created three Wakelets; one to accompany each part. These are all linked within the Unit Overview, but you can also access each one directly by clicking below. Part 1 - Learning to Fly Part 2 - Space Part 3 - My Year in Space LimitlessAnother word that relates to me this year is Limitless. I am excited to be a part of the inaugural group of Limitless Educators representing the Limitless Space Institute. I'm very thankful to Kaci Heins, Director of Education at LSI, and the rest of the team for recognizing the importance of education in making the limitless future possible. SEECIt's also the time of the year again for me to try to convince you to attend the best Professional Development ever... The Space Exploration Educators Conference #SEEC! This amazing three day event hosted by Space Center Houston is an absolute blast! Connecting with educators from around the world, taking behind the scenes tours, learning from experts in the space industry and being able to bring all of the passion, enthusiasm and photos back to inspire your students is priceless! In case I haven't quite persuaded you, check out my previous posts recapping my SEEC experiences. If it's not in the cards for you this year, definitely keep it in mind for the future! There are scholarships available and even a template letter to help communicate the importance to school administrators. Peace, love and space exploration,
- CAPCOM Conrad
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AuthorApollo 13 fan. Educator. Lifelong Learner. Third generation Boilermaker. Space Exploration Enthusiast. Collaborator. Click Subscribe to stay updated!Archives
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