NASA Education: Elementary Educator Professional Development, Instructional Materials, and Student STEM Engagement

Presentation delivered to the 2016 Annual Conference of the Korean Society
​for the Study of Elementary Education, Seoul, South Korea
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NASA and South Korea
​As part of her visit to the United States, President Park Geun-hye of South Korea visited NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD in October 2015.
NASA and South Korea are conducting a cooperative field study of air quality in 2016-17 to advance the monitoring of air pollution accurately from space.
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PRESENTATION MATERIALS
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
NASA Educator Professional Development Opportunities 
These opportunities are offered to K-12 formal and informal educators and include tours of centers, webinars, grants, lectures, and events. Some are time sensitive; others are ongoing.​
Examples of NASA Educator Professional Development Opportunities
  • Preservice Educator Institutes - Each summer, the Education centers host preservice educator institutes as part of NASA's Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP). Fifty pre-service teachers from local university programs attend a 40-hour institute were they meet with research and mission team leaders, engage in hands-on activities, and receive classroom and education resources.The goal of the institute is to support future STEM educators from minority-serving institutions by providing them with NASA resources and connections.
  • AREE (Airborne Research Experiences for Educators) - This professional development activity stimulates interest in NASA's earth science and flight research and, with the help of educators, supports recruitment of the agency's future engineers and scientists. The AREE activity combines unique research-based opportunities with high-quality NASA content-based curricula and student-focused design challenges. Experiences for educators are based on an aircraft, a data collection instrument and a research investigation. 
NASA Educator Resources for Elementary Classrooms
These materials are directed to educator audiences and include curriculum activity guides that address classroom implementation, individual lesson plans, other instructional resources, and the digital learning network (DLN). STEM content is linked to NASA missions and unique NASA-related content.
.Examples of K-6 Educator Guides
  • BEST (Beginning Engineering, Science, and Technology Activity Guide - NASA's Beginning Engineering, Science and Technology, or BEST, activity guides bring the principles of engineering alive to younger audiences. The content in the guides can be used to supplement curricula during the school day or as activities for after-school clubs. Educators may use the materials as a set or as individual activities. The guides accommodate three grade groups (K-2, 3-5 or 6-8), and all follow the same set of activities.​​
  • 21st Century Explorer - NASA’s Vision for Space Exploration depends on our students, the next generation of space explorers.  What is the 21st Century Explorer? NASA's 21st Century Explorer is a 3rd-5th grade standards-based program that uses the Web, animation, and video to introduce science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and NASA space exploration concepts.  Each major question provides links to lesson plans and related multimedia resources (videos, glossary, quiz).
Examples of K-6 Lessons
Examples of General Resources
  • Grades K-5 Our World - Videos that supplement existing elementary learning objectives not only in STEM, but also in reading, writing, and visual and performing arts.​
  • Engineering Design Packet (Elementary) - Educators may use these design packets to introduce students to a formal design process. Students answer questions about each step of their design process. A rubric is included to assist with evaluation. These open-ended packets can be applied to any design project and can be used to enhance existing curriculum.​​
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  • Digital Learning Network - The DLN offers interactive, education standards-based videoconferences (i.e. Common Core State Standards, Next Generation Science Standards) on a number of subjects that add a unique, NASA-authentic experience to your classroom. Examples include:  Flying with NASA, Humans in Space, Roving on Mars, States of Matter, and Toys in Space.
NASA STEM Engagement for Elementary Students 
These materials are directed to student audiences and include multimedia, text-based articles, and interactives on NASA missions and related content.  Many are appropriate for use in classrooms as part of student learning or research.​ Also included in this category are student engineering design challenges.
Examples K-4
  • STEM on Station - Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics: There's a lot of STEM going on aboard the International Space Station. Students may download materials, watch videos, and engage in interactive activities.​​
  • NASA Kids Clubhouse - Children may take a trip with Nebula,  the commander of the Clubhouse. They can look at pictures to see how Earth looks from space,  read about why NASA explores, see how old you would be on other planets, play games, and do other fun things.
Examples 5-8
  • NASA Knows - Articles on many NASA-related topics in age-appropriate language.  Each topic expands into a large article that includes important words to know and additional web-based resources. New articles are added daily and links are provided to both "related" and "latest" articles.​ 
STEM Design Challenges
  • Mars Exploration Design Challenge (Current) - The goal of the Exploration Design Challenge is for students to research and design ways to protect astronauts from space radiation. NASA and Lockheed Martin are developing the Orion spacecraft that will carry astronauts beyond low Earth orbit and on to an asteroid or Mars. Protecting astronauts from radiation on these distant travels is an important -- and very real -- problem that needs solving. NASA would like your help!
  • ​3D Space Container Challenge (2015) - Calling all students! NASA needs your help to design containers that could be used in space. The 3-D Space Container Challenge is the second in series of Future Engineers Challenges where students in grades K-12 will create and submit a digital 3-D model of a container that they think astronauts could use in space. Students ages 5-19 years old are invited to become the creators and innovators of tomorrow by using 3-D modeling software to submit their designs for containers that could be used by astronauts on future space missions.
NASA UAS Activities