Rendezvous with a Comet Teacher's Guide

Made possible in part by STScI/NASA IDEAS Grant Program HST-ED-90285.01-A

Authored by: Challenger Learning Center of Northwest Indiana (Lisa Austgen, Rebecca Manis),
Challenger Learning Center at Prairie Aviation Museum (Janet Moore, Stacey Shrewsbury),
Illinois State University (Carl J. Wenning), Tarleton State University (Shaukat Goderya),
and Glenn Elementary School of Normal, Illinois (Cathy Bissoondial)

Copyright (c) 2007 Challenger Learning Center at Prairie Aviation Museum
and Challenger Learning Center of Northwest Indiana.

RENDEZVOUS WITH A COMET POWERPOINT

Challenger Center for Space Science Education Comet Booklet

(Last updated 7/16/2007)

Welcome to the Rendezvous with a Comet Teacher's Guide. Here you will find curriculum and instructional materials for implementing a 4-6 week unit associated with the Challenger Learning Center mission by the same name. This unit provides for 3-4 weeks of pre-mission activities, and for several days of post-mission activities. Whole chapters of the Teacher's Guide may be downloaded as PDF's by clicking chapter titles; sections of each chapter may be downloaded individually by clicking section headings.

Chapter 1:
Introduction (contains all of the following individual sections in a single 8-page file)
  • Problem-Based Learning
  • PBL Benefits
  • PBL Methodology
  • Cooperative Learning
  • The Role of the Teacher in PBL
  • PBL Climate Setting
  • Setting Rules of Social Engagement
  • PBL Mentoring
  • PBL Assessment
  • Managing Rendezvous with a Comet
  • Pilot Project Teacher Comments
  • Acknowledgement
  • References
 
Chapter 2:
Design a Space Alien

Initiating PBL1

  Sample Time Line

PBL1: Design a Space Alien

Know Need to Know Form

 
Chapter 3:
Rendezvous with a Comet

Initiating PBL2

  Sample Time Line

PBL2: Rendezvous with a Comet

Job Application

Crew Manifest

Know Need to Know Form

 
Chapter 4:
Whole Group Activities

The Crew of the Challenger Shuttle Mission in 1986

Comets: What Do You Know?

Comet Vocabulary

Comet Word Search

Comet Crossword Puzzle

Job Application

Teamwork Activities for all Teams:

  • Data Collection Sheet
  • Mission Patch Sheet
  • Mission Patch Form
  • Spacesuit Sheet

Can We Talk?

  • Mission Control Instructions
  • Spacecraft Instructions
  • Follow-up Questions

Teamwork Practice Activity

Task Card Practice

Paper Airplane Activity Task Card Set

Paper Airplane Pattern

Proper Procedures Activity

Can Your Notebook Hold a Cup of Water?

Comet Research Companion

Vocabulary
   
Chapter 5:
Team Training
 
COM/DATA
 
ISO
 
LS
 
DATA:
   
MED:
 
NAV
 
PROBE
 
REMOTE
 
PRESS
 
   
Chapter 6:
Classroom Connections
 
  LANGUAGE ARTS
 
   
  MATH
 
   
  SCIENCE
 
   
  SOCIAL STUDIES
 
   
  TECHNOLOGY
 
   
Appendix:
Scoring Rubrics:
 

Support for program number HST-ED-90285.01-A was provided by NASA through a grant from the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Incorporated, under NASA contract NAS5-26555.