Are you a Grade 6-9 science teacher?

Would you like to learn exciting, interactive ways to bring lunar and planetary science and exploration into your classroom?

DREAM Overarching Question

Upcoming Workshops
June 26-30, 2017 at NASA Goddard

Grade 6-9 science teachers are invited to participate in a workshop focused on lunar and planetary science, exploration, and how our understanding of the Moon, asteroids, and the moons of Mars is growing and changing with new data from current and recent planetary missions. In-service and pre-service science teachers are encouraged to apply. The workshops are sponsored by DREAM2; they are offered to teachers free of charge.


Apply Now: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/dream_workshop


Workshop participants will:


  • Learn about the latest discoveries in science and exploration of Earth's Moon, Near Earth Asteroids, and the moons of Mars
  • Reinforce their understanding of lunar and planetary science concepts
  • Gain tools to help address common student misconceptions about the Moon
  • Interact with DREAM2 scientists
  • Become certified to borrow meteorite sample disks
  • Work with real scientific data
  • Learn how to bring these data and information to their students using hands-on activities aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards


The workshop is held at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The workshop begins at 9:00am each day and ends at 4:00pm on Monday through Thursday and by 2:30pm on Friday. Teachers who complete the training are awarded Certificates of Participation as well as Letters of Completion that indicate the successful completion of 30 hours of instruction, printed on official NASA letterhead. Maryland teachers also receive continuing professional development credits from the Maryland State Department of Education.


Workshop Facilitation, Alignment with Standards, and the Process of Science


The DREAM2Explore workshops are designed such that the content and activities flow logically and build throughout the week, leading to deeper understanding. All activities are taught to the teachers as if they were grade 6-9 students, and then discussed as educators. All activities included in this workshop series have been through the NASA Earth & Space Science Education Product Review and are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. Time is allotted in each workshop to discuss how activities can be modified depending on the needs of each educator's students, and how the lessons can be incorporated into a broader science curriculum. There is a strong emphasis on group learning and learning conversations. Reflective tools and exercises help facilitate learning and make the learning process more apparent to workshop participants.


Science education research highlights the importance of teaching science as a process, rather than as a collection of facts; as a creative, collaborative, dynamic field that is constantly advancing with the introduction of new information. Making science education more closely resemble the way scientists think and work is a central tenant in both the Next Generation Science Standards and the Framework for K-12 Science Education upon which the Standards are based. The DREAM2Explore workshops emphasize the process of science through workshop content, activities, presentations, discussions, and the workshop structure itself.


Teachers are given time for planning during the workshop, and for discussing their plans with other teachers and workshop facilitators. All participants leave the workshop with a strategy for incorporating information and activities from the workshop into their classrooms.


Workshop Follow-Up


The DREAM2 Education Team follows up with workshop participants throughout the following school year, and beyond, to keep them informed of new science results and activities, answer questions, provide opportunities for participant discussions, and monitor progress as teachers incorporate workshop information and materials into their classrooms. All participants are required to respond to follow-up surveys in the fall and the spring following workshop participation, and to participate in-person or virtually in a follow-up session during the winter after the workshop.


Resources


Several of the activities, products, and programs featured in the DREAM2Explore workshop series can be found on the LRO Education and Outreach website and the LPI Education and Outreach website.


 
Top