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published by
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
technical implementer: the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
This is a two-week cross-curricular unit for Grades 1-2 on Saturn and its rings. It integrates reading, writing, art, and science to provide a multi-sensory exploration of the structure of Saturn and its place in our Solar System. Children will draw and write to express their knowledge, read picture books about the Solar System, create outdoor scale models of the distance between Earth and Saturn, design a 3D physical model of Saturn and its moons, and more. The resource is almost completely turn-key and includes detailed lesson plans, pedagogical support, assessments, printable lab notebooks, warm-up questions, and background information. Each lesson draws on data from NASA's Cassini mission as its factual basis.
Editor's Note: This is one of the best resources we have found for teaching space science in the primary grades. Children's picture books provide a framework for the entire curriculum, allowing kids a meaningful basis to understand scale, comparative size, and planetary composition. Students demonstrate knowledge in a wide variety of ways: writing, group discussion, modeling, drawing, and simple data recording. See Related Materials for a similar unit on Saturn for Grades 3-4, also developed by JPL.
AAAS Benchmark Alignments (2008 Version)1. The Nature of Science
1B. Scientific Inquiry
1C. The Scientific Enterprise
4. The Physical Setting
4A. The Universe
11. Common Themes
11B. Models
11D. Scale
12. Habits of Mind
12B. Computation and Estimation
12D. Communication Skills
This resource is part of a Physics Front Topical Unit.
Topic: Astronomy
Unit Title: Astronomy Resources for the K-8 Classroom Want to do a unit on Saturn, but can't sacrifice Language Arts time? This two-week unit integrates reading, writing, art, and science to provide a wonderful multi-sensory exploration of Saturn and its rings. It's completely turn-key with detailed lessons, warm-up questions, printable lab notebooks, content support, assessment, and more. All lessons are based on data provided by NASA's Cassini mission to the outer planets. Links to Units:
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![]() <a href="https://www.compadre.org/precollege/items/detail.cfm?ID=12464">Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NASA Jet Propulsion Lab: Reading, Writing, and Rings I. Washington: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2004.</a>
![]() (National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, 2004), WWW Document, (https://www.nasa.gov/stem-ed-resources/cassini-huygens-reading-writing-and-rings-1-2.html).
![]() NASA Jet Propulsion Lab: Reading, Writing, and Rings I (National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, 2004), <https://www.nasa.gov/stem-ed-resources/cassini-huygens-reading-writing-and-rings-1-2.html>.
![]() NASA Jet Propulsion Lab: Reading, Writing, and Rings I. (2004). Retrieved December 3, 2023, from National Aeronautics and Space Administration: https://www.nasa.gov/stem-ed-resources/cassini-huygens-reading-writing-and-rings-1-2.html
![]() Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NASA Jet Propulsion Lab: Reading, Writing, and Rings I. Washington: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2004. https://www.nasa.gov/stem-ed-resources/cassini-huygens-reading-writing-and-rings-1-2.html (accessed 3 December 2023).
![]() NASA Jet Propulsion Lab: Reading, Writing, and Rings I. Washington: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2004. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 3 Dec. 2023 <https://www.nasa.gov/stem-ed-resources/cassini-huygens-reading-writing-and-rings-1-2.html>.
![]() @misc{
Title = {NASA Jet Propulsion Lab: Reading, Writing, and Rings I},
Publisher = {National Aeronautics and Space Administration},
Volume = {2023},
Number = {3 December 2023},
Year = {2004}
}
![]() %T NASA Jet Propulsion Lab: Reading, Writing, and Rings I %D 2004 %I National Aeronautics and Space Administration %C Washington %U https://www.nasa.gov/stem-ed-resources/cassini-huygens-reading-writing-and-rings-1-2.html %O application/pdf ![]() %0 Electronic Source %D 2004 %T NASA Jet Propulsion Lab: Reading, Writing, and Rings I %I National Aeronautics and Space Administration %V 2023 %N 3 December 2023 %9 application/pdf %U https://www.nasa.gov/stem-ed-resources/cassini-huygens-reading-writing-and-rings-1-2.html Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.
Citation Source Information
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Is Associated With
NASA Jet Propulsion Lab: Reading, Writing, and Rings II
A more challenging and text-intensive unit on Saturn by the same authors, appropriate for upper elementary students with solid reading proficiency. relation by Caroline HallKnow of another related resource? Login to relate this resource to it. |
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