{"id":5105,"date":"2021-07-13T07:31:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-13T11:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.com\/blog\/?p=5105"},"modified":"2021-07-12T19:37:10","modified_gmt":"2021-07-12T23:37:10","slug":"we-have-liftoff-using-better-lesson-to-teach-about-space-and-the-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/2021\/07\/we-have-liftoff-using-better-lesson-to-teach-about-space-and-the-moon\/","title":{"rendered":"We Have Liftoff! Using Better Lesson to Teach About Space and the Moon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Did you know that dust busters, wireless headsets, and invisible braces link back to inventions initially intended for use in space? This interesting\u00a0USA Today article<\/a>\u00a0shares more everyday innovations created for space use. July 20 is Space Exploration Day and Moon Day, which coincides with the annual commemoration of the first moon landing in 1969, Apollo 11\u2019s historic first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The\u00a0Next Generation Science Standards<\/a> include many different contexts for learning about the moon. In younger grades, learning about the moon begins with observations and understandings of the moon\u2019s place in space and the universe. Middle school students begin to explore lunar cycles, eclipses, and using data and graphs to look at patterns in space. As high school students study space, they apply evidence and scientific reasoning, using earth and space materials to understand the movement of the earth, the formation of the planet, and its early history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developing high-quality lessons that meet standards and provide students with opportunities to explore and understand more significant concepts takes time. One starting point for first-rate lessons to use and adapt is\u00a0Better Lesson\u00a0<\/strong>(reviewed here<\/a>). Better Lesson contains a sizeable instructional resource library that includes free lessons, resources, and strategies developed by master teachers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of the lessons found on Better Lesson are correlated to and searchable by English, Math, and Science standards. Each lesson begins with a stated objective and explanation of the \u201cBig Idea\u201d and include all materials needed, such as links to videos, downloadable templates and worksheets, and additional information. Many lessons have teaching strategies embedded within activities and completed student examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A search of Better Lesson to find activities related to the moon delivers\u00a0275 lessons and three strategies<\/a>\u00a0for all grade levels. Many of the site\u2019s users have saved these examples as favorites, and they provide an excellent starting point for grade-level appropriate lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early Elementary Lessons:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n