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Teaching resources for the eclipse

Jul 31, 2017

Total solar eclipses aren’t too rare, in principle. As Vox notes in this video , they happen around once every 18 months. But they don’t land in the U.S. very often. The last time you could see one in the continental states was 1979!

This year, you can be anywhere in the continental U.S. and see at least 60% of the eclipse.

Early this month, the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network shared a full packet of materials about the eclipse, and it’s too good not to pass along. TSIN is helping schools as well. They’ve already given out 5,000 pairs of solar eclipse glasses and received requests from more than 30,000.

Take a look at the materials below. In the comments, we’d love to hear about what your network or school will do to take advantage of this awesome stellar opportunity.

One cool example: South Carolina’s Coalition for Mathematics & Science will pause their STEM Festival for an event they’re calling “ Total Eclipse of the Park.”

Project-Based Learning Unit

Download this  Eclipse PBL Unit  for grades 6-12 that has student teams create and present their total solar eclipse findings.

Elementary Resources:

Celebrate the Great American Eclipse with Prescott South Elementary School teachers!  PSES teacher teams have developed lesson plans, compiled videos, free downloads, and online activities that they want to share with K-4 teachers that are looking for resources.  Share this valuable  resources page  with others!

The NSTA Press offers an excerpt from  When the Sun Goes Dark , by Andrew Fraknoi and Dennis Schatz, that provides a thought-provoking story between family members that gives a detailed explanation into how eclipses have a cyclic nature and why new eclipses are always on a different part of the Earth when they happen.

Middle and High School Resources:

The Lunar and Planetary Institute offers an in-depth teacher’s  guide  to solar eclipses that includes:

  • Solar eclipse safety
  • Moon phases and eclipses
  • Measuring angular size and distance
  • Ancient eclipses and the length of day
  • And much more!

The Sun, the Moon, and Us –in this hour-long  video lecture , Scott McIntosh, director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s High-Altitude Observatory, shares his expertise and excitement about the Great American Solar Eclipse.  He discusses the Sun and its layers, why we study the Sun, and what we can learn from it—as well as how a total solar eclipse occurs and how viewers can participate in the  Eclipse Megamovie 2017.  While the lecture was recorded for an adult audience, the content is suitable for students ages 12 and up and for astronomy fans of all ages.

By Rob Evans 01 Nov, 2023
by Heather Sherman, Director of STEMx The 2023 STEM Innovation Forum: Activating Collaborations to Advance an Inclusive STEM Workforce was a success! Through our collaboration with STEMconnector and Million Women Mentors, we convened 160 leaders from industry, government, non-profit organizations, and education institutions from all over the United States to discuss strategies and best practices to support the STEM workforce. We were honored to host a variety of dynamic speakers including: Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado Brynt Parmeter, Chief Talent Management Officer, U.S. Department of Defense Dr. Athina Kanioura, Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, PepsiCo and Dr. Lisa Hinkelman, Founder and CEO of Ruling Our eXperiences (RoX). We extend our gratitude to our panelists, Learning Session speakers, and participants who joined us in Denver. Broadening participation We set out share information on trends in STEM education and workforce development, with an emphasis on broadening participation in STEM careers. Resources from sessions highlighting strategies for broadening participation are linked below: DoD STEM: Developing a STEM Workforce to Support the National Security Mission Priming the Pump for High Demand STEM Careers STEM Workforce Readiness for Teen Girls: “If She Can See It, She Can Be It” Driving change Another goal of the forum was to feature high impact strategies, programs and solutions that are driving change, and STEMx members from LASTEM , the PAST Foundation and MBRT showed how they are engaging youth and building career awareness through their workforce programs. Emerging technologies We looked towards the future to better understand how emerging technologies will change the world and the ways we must prepare STEM talent for jobs in logistics, artificial intelligence, research safety , bioenergy , and renewable technologies. Chevron‘s sponsored panel, “Cultivating the Talent to Drive the Innovation and Technologies for Ever-Cleaner Energy” was a rich discussion featuring experts from Chevron, Project Lead the Way and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Dr. Jamie Vernon, Executive Director, and CEO, Sigma Xi Society was a fantastic moderator for this discussion. Next steps We have linked event resources including videos, slide decks and collateral on the event landing page . The event photo gallery is located there as well. If you attended, please complete our 30 second event survey . Five lucky winners will be selected at random to receive a Forum water bottle! More importantly, your feedback matters to us. If you did not attend, mark your calendar for next fall - we’re looking to make next year even bigger! If you are interested in hosting in your state, or have thoughts about compelling content that we should include, please reach out to Heather Sherman .
By Rob Evans 03 Oct, 2023
Join us for The STEM Innovation Forum: Activating Collaborations to Advance an Inclusive STEM Workforce
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