Space Science Skyrockets With Teachers (NAPSA)—Teachers across the country have found a fun way to make students’ interest in science skyrocket: space education. A number of educators use tools such as NASA’s Space Science educational Web sites as interesting ways to explain fundamental science concepts and technology to children, and to teach subjects such as mathematics, biology, geology and astronomy— subjects which may otherwise seem boring to somechildren. The sites include interactive activities, images, models and Web chats and have become popular with traditional teachers and homeschoolers alike. Many educa- tors use them to augment their lesson plans, or as stand-alone lessons. Some sites are available in English and Spanish. They can teach children about solar system exploration, the big bang theory, what the universe is madeof, the nature of space and time and the activities of the sun, among other things. Sites include: Amazing Space, http://amaz ing-space.stsci.edu/—a suite of interactive lessons based on data from the Hubble Space Telescope for grades K through 12. Exploring the Earth’s Mag- netic Field, at the Web site http://image. gsfe.nasa.gov/poetry /activities.html—a collection of classroom activities and projects from the IMAGE satellite pro- Many teachers now use educational tools about space sci- ence to spark children’s interest in science and technology. gram at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Exploring Mars, at the site http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/educa tion/modules/webpages/modulel1. htm—acollection of five distinct models to introduce Mars, the planets, astronomy and space exploration. The Space Place, http://space place.jpl.nasa.gov—a popularsite with youngerkids. All of these NASA Space Science educational sites and more can be found through the Space Science Education Resource Directory at http://teachspace science.org. For a listing of sites available in Spanish, visit http: www.nasa.gov/hqpao/espanol.html.
