Science project based learning is a great way to incorporate science, math, and ELA standards. There are a lot of resources online for all topics, but my absolute favorite source is NASA. They have a large variety of resources on different topics, and the photos are AMAZING. These free resources should not be overlooked during your next science PBL!
I love to use NASA resources in my entry events and as a part of student research during project based learning. If you want to learn how to incorporate your standards in real life scenarios using project based learning, sign up for one of my free trainings, or take the full project based learning course.
One of the members of my Project Based Learning Facebook group, Julie Stoehr Arsenault, shared this amazing Mars colonization unit that is an amazing example of how many of the resources in this blog post can be used.
Without further ado, here is my list of 4 NASA resources you should use in your classroom!
1. The NASA YouTube Channel
Specifically, their video playlists. They’re organized by topic, and there is so much content in here! Many of their videos include a lot of technical vocabulary, so if you’re teaching younger students, you’ll want to preview the videos and prepare to explain to your students what’s happening throughout the video. For middle and high school teachers, many of these videos can be used as a part of student research, if they’re already pretty familiar with the topic.
2. NASA TV & Facebook Video Channel
Live events are cool ways to start your project based learning. One of my favorite science-focused ones started when they landed the most recent Mars Rover. My students were so into the topic after we watched the live updates. You can find NASA TV programming here. You can get the live schedule here.
Even better, their Facebook Video Channel has a “This Week at NASA” show, which would be a great way to introduce students to NASA and get them excited about a project including it. It also has educational programming – that’s completely free.
3. NASA Websites for Students
These materials are by-far the most student-friendly of the resources I’ve listed. This website gives a list of all of the student websites they’ve created, that have pictures and student-friendly wording. These are great resources to link your students to for their individual research!
4. NASA Picture Dictionary
Need vocabulary resources? The picture dictionary is AWESOME!
What resources have you discovered?
