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If
you liked Thursday's Classroom, try Sky Calls.
Sky Calls is something new from the creators of Thursday's Classroom.
Subscribe and you'll receive, as often as once a week, educational activities
based on breaking science news and astronomy. The materials are suitable
for 4th to 8th graders in home schools or traditional classrooms. Here are
some sample activity sheets: A
Close Encounter with Jupiter, Space
Station Flyby, Water
on Mars, Red
Rovers, Five
Planets, UFO
Planet (Can't see the activity sheets? Download
Adobe Reader.)
What's new about it? In addition
to the activity sheets, all in the
familiar style of Thursday's Classroom, you and your students get
phone alerts reminding you to step outside and view events in the night
sky. For instance, when a lunar eclipse is happening, the phone rings: "A
lunar eclipse is underway. Go outside and look east--and don't forget your
activity sheet." The voice is that of Dr. Tony Phillips, editor of Science@NASA.
Kids love receiving these calls,
and because anyone in the household might answer the phone, they transform
astronomy homework into a fun family activity.
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Subscribe
now | Kudos
| Questions?
Email Dr. Tony Phillips
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Activity sheets
and phone alerts are always connected by events in the night sky.
Activity sheets are typically delivered days in advance with an email
message previewing what's to come. Phone calls arrive on the night of
the event itself. Every phone call is accompanied by a simultaneous
email message, so if your 4-year-old answers the phone, and you miss
part of the message, you can check your email for a complete copy. It's
foolproof.
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Sky Calls is a
family activity
Image Credit: Dennis Mammana.
Copyright 2003-2004. All rights reserved.
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During the 2003-2004
school year, we tested Sky Calls in 25 public school classrooms.
More than 600 students and 20 educators participated. Here's what
some teachers had to say:
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Christine Lachaussee,
Beach Elementary School, Pascagoula, Mississippi: "The Sky
Calls program was wonderful! My students loved getting the calls
from Dr. Phillips and were fascinated when they could actually
identify the planets in the sky. The packets that were sent were
very beneficial to me as a teacher. Parents have even told me
how excited they were to be involved with their children in learning
about the heavens."
Judy Hughes,
Woodville School Woodville, Alabama: "My students at Woodville
School were very interested in the Sky Calls program. Even the
adults--teachers, principals, and parents--who participated
were enthused. Each night we could not wait to see the events
that were unfolding. If there is another opportunity for our
school to participate in any of your astronomy programs, we
would certainly welcome it."
Please
visit our kudos page to read more teacher comments
and to view the results of a survey of participating students,
parents and teachers.
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Sept. 25 - 30:
See the International
Space Station fly over your backyard. |
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Sept. 20:
Winter begins on Mars.
Will Spirit catch a cold? |
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Sept. 22:
Autumn begins on Earth.
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Sept. 27:
Asteroid Toutatis near-Earth
flyby |
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Oct. 14:
Partial Solar Eclipse
(Alaska and Hawaii) |
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Oct. 21:
Orionids meteor shower.
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Oct. 26:
Cassini flies by Saturn's
moon Titan. |
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Oct. 28:
Total Eclipse of the
Moon. |
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Oct. 31:
Halloween Special: Trick
or treating beneath the stars. |
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Nov. 5:
The two brightest planets
converge: Venus-Jupiter conjunction. |
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Nov. 5:
The two brightest planets
converge: Venus-Jupiter conjunction. |
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Nov. 17:
Leonid meteor shower. |
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Nov. 20-30:
See the International
Space Station fly over your backyard. |
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Dec. 7:
The Moon eclipses Jupiter.
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Dec. 13:
Geminid meteor shower.
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Dec. 13:
Cassini visits Titan. |
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Dec. 24:
Huygens probe deployed
to land on Titan. |
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