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In an effort to best suit the needs of middle school students and teachers, we have designed Classroom Extensions that address five different content themes related to space science:  Robotics; Living in Space; Physics of Flight; Weather and Climate; and Astronomy.  Classroom Extensions for each of these themes have been further tailored to address the standards outlined in the New York City Scope and Sequence and the New York State Core Curriculum.  For example, the Classroom Extension “Living in Space” addresses what is needed to put people in space. This topic is well suited to meet the standards in the 6th grade when discussing ecology and in the 7th grade when discussing the human body. Different variations of this Classroom Extension exist to accommodate those standards.  Additionally, each Classroom Extension has been developed using recent research in science education and is facilitated or co-facilitated by experienced science teachers.

The following Classroom Extensions are offered for Upper Elementary students and are aligned to the NYC SCOPE AND SEQUENCE.

6th GRADE

Simple and Complex Machines (Destination Lift Off Landing!)
Experience and test airplane AND shuttle flight!

Weather & Climate (Destination Stratosphere!)
Explore how weather affects airplane flight!

Exploring Ecosystems (Destination Living in Space!)
Discover how living in space different than living on Earth as you simulate a mission into space! (Half day only)

Robotics (Destination Robot City!)
Build and program robots AND construct a robotic probe to rendezvous with Comet Halley!

7th GRADE

Geology (Destination Sun Borough!)
Discover how astronomers identifiy different space materials as you simulate a mission to Comet Halley! (Half day only)

Interactions Between Matter and Engery (Destination Sun Borough!)
Discover how different atomic structures make gasses produce different spectral fingerprints AND simulate a mission into space!

Human Body (Destination Living in Space!)
Discover how living in space different than living on Earth AND simulate a mission into space!

Robotics (Destination Robot City!)
Build and program robots AND construct a robotic probe to rendezvous with Comet Halley!

8th GRADE

Humans and their Environment (Destination Stratosphere!)
Investigate the how humans effect their enviroment and simulate a mission into space.

Earth, Sun, and Moon System (Destination Sun Borough!)
Learn about the orbits of comets as you simulate a mission to Comet Halley! (Half day only)

Forces and Motion on Earth (Destination Liftoff Landing!)
Learn about the forces that make an airplane fly and simulate a mission to Comet Halley!

Forces and Motion in Space (Destination Toys in Space!)
Discover how forces and motion in space seem different than forces and motion on Earth AND simulate a mission into space!

Robotics (Destination Robot City!)
Build and program robots AND construct a robotic probe to rendezvous with Comet Halley!