May 2016 Elementary News and Notes

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center released the first issue of its new online news magazine NASA Next.

NASA Next is a news magazine made entirely for kids and teens in grades 5 through 8. The magazine breaks down complex science and brings its audience the latest news on Goddard science, including studies of Earth, the sun, our solar system and the universe. NASA Next is also interactive with clickable links to other NASA webpages, allowing readers to learn more about the missions and technologies they come across.

The magazine includes articles, fun facts, activities and a “For Educators” page filled with lesson plans to help incorporate NASA Next into the classroom. Educators and scientists review all lesson plans to ensure the content is accurate and useful in an educational setting, as well as meets national and state standards of learning.

To download a copy of NASA Next, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/may_2016.pdf

For more information about Goddard’s Office of Education, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/education/index.html

From the Museum of Science, Boston... seven units for grades 3-5 are available with fun, hands-on engineering design challenges based on real events around the world. Units include: flying technologies, rockets and rovers, bubble wands, air drop packages, earthquakes, recycled racers, and invasive species. Explore these resources at: http://www.eie.org/engineering-adventures/curriculum-units.

When students have an opportunity to relate what they learn in school to how it impacts their lives and future careers, they get excited and energized about their education. Tapping into the passion and creativity that all children have is one of the main goals of the Office of Education and Outreach at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. They believe that all children have the potential to do extraordinary things and that innovation can be a powerful vehicle to help students realize their potential and become successful life-long learners.

The "Elementary School" section of their website states: "The opportunity to engage young students actively in the joy of discovery learning and invention helps students build confidence and natural curiosity. This kind of experience will further expand and build upon their education and learning in their middle school, high school and years beyond. The materials in this section focus on the process of invention and design to come up with creative ways to solve problems. Students learn about patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets by taking a turn at inventing and creating their own trademark designs."