CURRENT MOON moon info moon phases Learn the Native American names of the full moon
TeachSpace is about Teaching STEM
Using the grandeur of space to teach cross curriculum, hands-on, standards-based lessons to teachers to impact the next generation

Lessons / Information from TeachSpace:

STEM Education in TN website

STEM Education Tennessee actively supports STEM Education. Understanding Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) topics is increasingly important to fully participate in society.   http://www.stemresources.com/

Check out how the earth looked from the orbit of Pluto!  I bet you can come up with some higher order questions to go with this photo.

September, 1977: Voyager 1 took the first picture of Earth and the moon together.
Now Voyager 1 is about to reach interstellar space. If it finds aliens, what will they learn about us? Learn more at the NASA Spaceplace

STEM dates that changed the world or how we view it

Oct. 26, 1959: Earth people see far side of the moon for the first time.
The Lunik 3 spacecraft (Soviet Union) takes the first photo of the far side of the moon. See lots of pictures of all sides of the moon at NASA's spaceplace
 

For grades 3-6 teachers!!!!!

Do you have a child or student who is interested in learning about the night sky?

I have had several calls about students who received a telescope for Christmas or students who are interested in the night sky above us.   This is a wonderful thing, for anything that creates interest in young people in the STEM areas, it is our job to cultivate it.

Here are some ideas that might help:

If you have a telescope, you are wondering, what is up in the night sky?   You should download a free program called Stellarium on your PC or laptop (there is also a version for the Mac as well).  It is excellent and will draw a live version of the night sky above your head..  If you have a laptop, take it outside with you to look at the stars!!

If you have a smart phone, there are several apps that you might consider.   Google Sky is a good one for the Android based phones   I use Star Walk on my iPhone and my iPad and it is excellent!

Remember to just focus on the moon and planets in the beginning of your telescope work.  

Attend a star party and become part of a community that is interested in such things.

A suggestion on helping you teach moon phases

Make the Teachspace.us web site your homepage for one month.  It will work better if you will start at a new moon.  Then each morning as part of your daily warm up, check and record the current phase of the moon.  You will find the current moon at the top of our web site!!!

Here is a great site to support you in your discussions about using IPods in the classroom.   They will cover lots of do's and don'ts that you need to learn about. 

Learning In Hand is the site to learn about using IPods and IPads in the classroom.    You will find their homepage at http://learninginhand.com

Learning in Hand has a series of episodes that talk about issues using this technology... but the one that you should start listening to first is Episode 20.   It deals with classroom management and technical issues to work through when you have a set of iPod touches in your classroom. Listen for some helpful dos and don'ts, including how to name iPods, charging solutions, cheap accessories, playlist use, transferring apps, and much more.

To listen to it, click here. 

We are now on iTunesU!!!   Really!  You need to go and check out the new Tennessee ELC (Electronic Learning Center).  This is the Tennessee Department of Education¡¯s latest educational advancement for students, parents, and teachers.  Resources include content information, scientifically based research, and educational links.   The ELC was designed for anyone...anytime...anyplace!   To see one of our latest show, click on the link for ELC Presents (of the left side of the page) and then look for "Why would a student want to be an engineer".   You will see us interview some young engineers at NASA to see what they are doing.  And there will be some hands on experiments that you can do with your class when we return to the studio.  To find the ELC, just click here at www.tnelc.org (you do have to have iTunes loaded on your computer to view the videos that they have provided for you).

Are you thinking about using iPods in your classroom?  Not sure how to use them - or even a better question, "what could you teach with them?"  Well...  Apple has set up a website where teachers can post the lesson and the application that they used to teach a given lesson.   I think you would find the lesson on Lewis and Clark very interesting.   Also, many math and history lessons.   You need to know that you don't need an iPod for many of them, you just need iTunes running on your computer.  Check out the website http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/search.php?collectionID=714   for more info on this topic. 

How would you like some free science picture vocabulary cards?    Well, here is a set that you can download free from the State Department of Education in FL.   Here you will find more than 80 common science terms.  These cards are also available in Spanish.   To go and download a free set, click here.  

Do you have a flip camera?      We know that a lot of you do, for we have conducted training to 100's of teachers this school year on how to use them.  If you have one and are trying to think of ways to use it, here are some ideas for your classroom. 

To learn more ideas from Dr. R. J. Marzano, follow this link! 

Have you been teaching that the moon is a dry place with no water - if so - you are now in error!    Now we are not talking about lakes or rivers - but at both poles, they find water everywhere.   This is really great, due to the fact that it might make living on the moon easier!  So this might be the find that changes the way we look at going back to the moon.   If you would like to read more about this, click on this link for more information

MTSU has now archived more of our TV shows -  When you go to the link below, you will have to select Science as the area that you would to search and then two of our TV shows will be the first listed.  More of them will be listed in the list of science shows.  You will have to complete a short form with your name and school before the TV will start.   Enjoy!!  http://itsc3.fsa.mtsu.edu/itsc/livewebcast/webcast_selection.aspx

Make TeachSpace your homepage so that each day your students will see the current phase of the moon!

Welcome to TeachSpace.  TeachSpace is an engaging, hands-on, standards base, educational program to excite K-12 teachers about integrating technology and science across the curriculum. 

The TeachSpace program has been given rave reviews by teachers.  The program is conducted by two former public school classroom teachers that are deeply involved in the educational community today.  We believe that every teacher should be able to use the excitement and science of the space program to teach all aspects of their curriculum especially in the STEM areas.  Another goal of this program is to provide sustained and on going contact during the school year.

During the 90's, this program targeted rural and small school systems that might not otherwise had the opportunity to provide their teachers with professional development from instructors with the background of Billy and Terry Sue.  Now TeachSpace has grown and has conducted workshops for  schools from Alabama to Maine.   However, the emphasis is still to target rural or smaller school systems that otherwise would not be able to provide this type of training for their teachers.

There is a charge for this program and the available dates for this program are primarily during the summer months.  Learn more about the program by examining the links on the left.  Please feel free to contact us for more information.