Overview
“Space is for everybody. It’s not just for a few people in science or math, or for a select group of astronauts. That’s our new frontier out there, and it’s everybody’s business to know about space.”1
— Christa McAuliffe, Teacher and Challenger Astronaut
Sadly, Christa McAuliffe did not get to teach from space as she had planned, however, space is out there for all to see and learn about. This curriculum unit will examine the Sun, the planets, and the solar system. This unit will bring the Sun, planets, and the solar system into my classroom. If my second-grade students were in school fifty years ago, they would be coming to class with space-themed lunch boxes. The topic of space would be in the news and students would hear about it frequently. They would know that space is for them. When I came to my school, the solar system was not included in the curriculum instruction. Each year I would add lessons on space or the solar system as they related to the instruction, but it always seemed pieced together and felt like it was taught in isolation. This curriculum unit will provide a foundational framework for the students to investigate the Sun, planets, and solar system. This unit will allow students to create reference materials for themselves to utilize. The students will be able to participate in songs created about objects in the solar system. They will also participate in a board game to practice and reinforce their knowledge. The culminating event will be a “Space Day” event in which the second graders will present their completed reference materials and teach a board game to the current first graders. This unit will bring the Sun, planets, and solar system into our classroom and allow the students the opportunity to look to the sky as people have done for thousands of years. It will allow them to wonder and think about the Sun, the planets, and the solar system. This curriculum unit will teach my students that space is for everyone ¾ space is for them.
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