What's up with the Atmosphere? is a globe book created by NASA/Langely. It is a project connected to reconnecting children to the Earth Sciences, NASA and a real connection to scientific exploration.
It begins with elementary school children leading their teacher to explore the reasons that the sky changes color and in the process discover the joys of working together, taking sky observations and sending information up to the National Science Foundation scientists as a citizen science initiative.
What's different about this particular program led by its graphic novel is that it specifically enlivens the discovery process inherent in STEM and STEAM concepts by harmonizing the sum of its parts. Science is familiarized as a process that can be part of classroom and school yard inquiries and data sharing as part of citizen science making math, science, and projection part of school as much as word problems, measurements, experiments, and associative word lists and collaborative and projective thinking.
Kids are becoming sky observers and in the process including Nature and real science in elementary classrooms. Here's some of the accomplishments, participation numbers:
- 188 Teachers
- 6 Pre-Service Teachers
- 77,261 Data Entries
- 112 Schools
- 3,245 Students
Both boys and girls are experiencing Science at a new level of normalcy. They are part of making the sky familiar and Space an observation or conversation away. A new world at school where the atmosphere and Earth Sciences are becoming familiar and accessible to children and future scholars. Wow!
Virtual Museums:
https://www.fieldmuseum.org/educators/virtual-visits
Access to the World:
http://www.edutopia.org/what-does-world-flat-mean-education
Project Based Learning:
http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning
Research in Benicia and Antioch:
http://www.globe.gov/globe-community/globe-classrooms/benicia-antioch/our-latest-data
http://www.globe.gov/globe-community/globe-classrooms/benicia-antioch/share-discussion/-/message_boards/view_message/14373086#_19_message_14373095
Globe for teachers:
http://www.globe.gov/do-globe/for-teachers
http://www.globe.gov/web/nasa-langley-research-center
Sky Colors and Angles:
http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/science_projects/sky-color-for-kids/
http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/live-access-server/
http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/
The Book:
http://www.globe.gov/web/elementary-globe/overview/aerosols/story-book
Websites with Learning Activities:
http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/lesson-plans/lesson-plans-elementary-educators/
Early Learning:
http://caeyc.org/main/schedule/
Stem language and science familiarity:
http://www.funnelbrain.com/qc-118858-skinner-s-view-learn-language-same-way-learn-other-behaviors.html
Research on the world around us and how we learn:
http://thehumanfaceofbigdata.com/
http://www.amazon.com/The-Human-Face-Big-Data/dp/1454908270
Lyrics to Skylark….children's imaginations can now be confirmed by the colors of the sky and real science:
http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/ella_fitzgerald/skylark.html
http://www.nasa.gov/feature/langley/students-get-real-world-lesson-in-spacecraft-design