Space exploration
We felt that our research was opening a new door in education which led out of the classroom into the real world beyond.
(Bradford Robotic Telescope Team,
PSR 88, May/June 2005)
References to global developments which would support the study of physical processes, such as electricity, light and sound, and forces in primary science, need careful planning.
Partnership projects between science and industry (see page 4), or possibly a wider link with a school in another part of the world (see Unit 2, page 5) benefit both teacher and pupils.
As this unit has noted previously, there are websites which give up-to-the-minute information to keep any primary teacher well informed about current scientific issues and developments.
Primary pupils usually relish a topic planned around the solar system and teachers are able to incorporate many cross-curricular elements, such as poetry and mathematics, into their teaching.
Useful sources on space
The Bradford Robotic Telescope is located on Tenerife and provides teachers or pupils with the chance to take their own astronomical pictures. The service is free and contains a package of teacher support notes. Details can be found at:
If you would like to find images of the Earth and moon from space, the following site is useful and interactive.
Current information regarding space exploration can be accessed on the various NASA websites, such as 'EdSpace', and television and newspaper archives hold information of past launches and flights.
The US Shuttle flight of August 2005 revealed many global issues concerned with space travel which are worthy of debate. Television and newspaper reports mentioned issues ranging from energy conservation, the economic impact of science, environmental protection and human safety, to the growing competition for money and research funds.
Addressing such concerns in a classroom debate is a useful way of involving primary pupils in mature discussion of difficult issues, while practising the key skills of speaking and listening. The Activity on the right will help you prepare to do this.
Activity Resources:
- Images
- Interactive
- Sound
- Text
- Video
Activity
- To review your own knowledge of the Shuttle Programme, there's a mini-quiz to try when you click on the Interactive icon above.
- Under the Text icon above you'll see an article from The Sunday Times which gives a broad background to the 2005 Shuttle mission. Once you have read the article, you might like to consider space exploration in its global context.
- Can you or your colleagues raise three pros and three cons for space exploration in the twenty-first century? Click on Text icon above to see some varying opinions.
