In this paper we present the "Sky on Earth" project funded in 2008 by the Italian Ministry of Instruction, Research and University, inside its annual public outreach education program. The project's goal was to realise a stable and open-access astronomical garden, where children, teachers and citizens could be engaged in investigations…

Creative and Tactile Astronomy is an educational project developed by English and Portuguese teachers. Isabel Borges and Lina Canas from Portugal and Alison Alexander and Ruth Wiltsher from the United Kingdom met for the first time at the 2013 Science on Stage Festival in Slubice-Oder, on the border between Germany and Poland. As a consequence of…

An innate advantage for astronomy teachers is having numerous breathtaking images of the cosmos available to capture students' curiosity, imagination, and wonder. Internet-based astronomy image libraries are numerous and easy to navigate. The Astronomy Picture of the Day, the Hubble Space Telescope image archive, and the NASA Planetary…

Computer-generated simulations and visualizations in digital planetariums have the potential to bridge the comprehension gap in astronomy education. Concepts involving three-dimensional spatial relationships can be difficult for the layperson to understand, since much of the traditional teaching materials used in astronomy education remain…

Scientists and teachers have worked together to produce teaching materials for the Very Small Radio Telescope (VSRT), an easy-to-use, low-cost apparatus that can be used in multiple laboratory experiments in high school and university physics and astronomy classes. In this article, we describe the motivation for the VSRT and several of the…

To capture students' excitement and engage their interest in rocketships and visiting planets in the solar system, the author designed lessons that give students the opportunity to experience the joys and challenges of developing straw rockets, and then observing which design can travel the longest distance. The lessons are appropriate for…

In this article, the author describes a student-centered research project he introduced to his students. In this research project, his students used images collected by telescopes at Kitt Peak National Optical Observatory (KPNO) to look for novas in the Andromeda Galaxy. This project grew out of the author's experience during a Teachers As Leaders…

U.S. AND CANADIAN SOURCES OF INFORMATION ABOUT EARTH SCIENCE FOR ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS ARE CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL. MAJOR SECTIONS ARE DEVOTED TO ASTRONOMY, GEOLOGY, METEOROLOGY, OCEANOGRAPHY, AND PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. EACH SECTION CONTAINS LISTS OF (1) DEGREE-GRANTING DEPARTMENTS IN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, (2) GOVERNMENT…

Evaluated was the effectiveness of the materials of one book, "Charting the Universe," of the six books that comprise the University of Illinois Elementary Science Project. Five hypotheses were tested, including one related to students' general understanding of science, and another related to students' views of astronomy, arithmetic,…

Presented is book two in a series of six books in the University of Illinois Astronomy Program which introduces astronomy to upper elementary and junior high school students. This guidebook is concerned with how celestial bodies move in space and how these motions are observed by astronomers. Topics discussed include: a study of the daily motion…

The operation of the Hall of Science as a museum and as an educational center is noted. Descriptions of 30 science education projects currently underway are provided. (CP)

Describes several of the labs developed by Project CLEA (Contemporary Laboratory Experiences in Astronomy). The computer labs cover simulated spectrometer use, investigating the moons of Jupiter, radar measurements, energy flow out of the sun, classifying stellar spectra, photoelectric photometry, Doppler effect, eclipsing binary stars, and lunar…

Describes efforts aimed at reforming physics courses for first-year engineering and science students at Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey. Discusses the establishment and working of the Physics Learning Center (PLC) and its impact on the retention and performance of students. (JRH)

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center along with their partners at other NASA centers, and in private industry, are designing and beginning to develop the next generation of spacecraft to transport cargo, equipment, and human explorers to space. These vehicles are part of the Constellation…

Presented is book four in a series of six books in the University of Illinois Astronomy Program which introduces astronomy to upper elementary and junior high school students. This document terms the analysis of light as an essential clue to understanding astronomical phenomena. Topics discussed include: thm behavior of light; the wave model and…