January 5, 2001
WSGC Newsletter for Educators
The Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium's electronic newsletter for teachers provides curriculum ideas, Internet links and other resources to help you better meet the Washington EALRs and the National Science Education Standards.TABLE OF CONTENTS
-- INVITE A SCIENTIST TO SCHOOL
-- SCIENCE LESSONS FROM THE EDGE (6-12)
-- FREE MUSEUM MEMBERSHIPS FOR TEACHERS
-- SCIENTISTS LEARN FROM LIGHTNING
-- I WANT MY NTV!(K-12)
NASA ERC Coordinator Julie Lutz is now available for classroom presentations and on-site teacher training. Programs for students may include the solar system, the moon and its phases and other astronomy topics. Teacher programs include hands-on science activities for students K-12 and ways to utilize NASA materials in the classroom.
A professional astronomer and veteran educator, Dr. Lutz has developed curriculum, conducted in-service workshops and served as an active member of LASER PALS, which assists Washington school districts with accomplishing reforms in science education. All programs meet the state Essential Academic Learning Requirements and/or the National Science/Math Standards.
To request a visit, call 206-543-1943, or e-mail
Supernovas. Pulsars. Exploding galaxies. Black holes and quasars. This spring, Passport to Knowledge's newest program -- Passport to the Universe -- brings alive lessons of Earth's place in the Universe and more. The first two-hour television special, Live from a Black Hole, airs March 6. The second one, Live from the Edge of Space and Time, airs April 3.
The Passport to Knowledge series uses multiple media and hands-on activities to allow students to simulate the science seen on camera and online in their own classrooms. Activities can be adapted up or down in grade, and also provide connections to math, social studies, language arts, and technology while meeting the National Science Education standards. Online discussion groups provide teacher-to-teacher support, as well as interactive projects for student-with-student collaboration.
For more information, visit
The Museum of Flight now offers three-year complimentary family memberships to certified Washington K-12 teachers. The membership was created to encourage teachers to experience the museum's facilities and to provide unlimited access to the NASA/FAA Teacher Resource Center in the museum's library.
To be eligible, a teacher must complete a standard membership application form and submit documentation showing that he or she is currently teaching in either public or private school. For more information, call (206) 764-5711, or e-mail
For most people watching a thunderstorm roll in, the bolts of lightning are just streaks of white light setting the night on fire, ushering in the crackle and rumble of thunder.
But these brilliant flashes of lightning electrical discharges between the positive and negative regions of a thunderstorm -- also illuminate the workings of the atmosphere. Little by little, lightning sensors in space are revealing the inner workings of severe storms. Scientists hope to use the technique to improve forecasts of deadly weather. For more information, visit
Have you ever wondered how you can access NASA Television (NTV)? Spacelink's latest Educator Focus article tells you just that.
"I Want My NTV" describes the different ways your classroom can access NASA Television and also explains NTV programs on topics such as shuttle missions, life aboard the International Space Station, and weather. For more information, go to
Ideas, comments and Web sites of interest to other teachers should be sent to Irene Svete, newsletter editor, at
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