Space+Pathfinder

Grade 6: Space Pathfinder Hi our Grade 6 Space Pathfinder. The earth is just a small part of our solar system that is made up of other planets, stars, moons and the sun and they all interact with each other. Through the use of technology and scientific advances, humans are able to study space and learn about our solar system. Please spend time exploring these creditable resources for your project. If you find other good resources, that you think would benefit your peers, please feel free to add them to the list. Happy Exploring!

=Print Resources: =

__Key Search Words and Call__
= = = = When looking for resources on space, check out the Astronomy section in the 520's! > = =
 * Constellations 398.26
 * Astronomy 520
 * Universe 523.1
 * Solar system 525.2
 * Moon 523.3
 * Planets 523.4
 * Meteors 523.5
 * Comets 523
 * Sun 523.7
 * Stars 523.8

= = Asimov, Isaac. Isaac Asimov's Guide to the Earth and Space. Random House; New York, 1991. This book provides a great overview of the universe in relation to the earth.

Asimov, Isaac. Quasars, Pulsars, and Black Holes. Gareth Stevens Publishing; Miluwakee, 1988. This book has beautiful photographs and detailed and annotated diagrams to teach students about black holes, pulsars and quasars. It is part of the Isaac Asimov's library of the universe collection.

Berger, Melvin. A Star in not a Planet: and other Mix-Ups in Space. Scholastics; New York, 1998. This is a fun book, that explains a lot of wrong assumptions made about space. Boys would really like the format.

Clark, Stewart. An inside look. Discovering the Universe. Gareth Stevens Publishing; Miluwakee, 2000. This book takes a close look at the planets, celestial bodies in the universe and their relationship to each other. It talks about the equipment scientists have developed to study these phenomena and describes the ongoing effort to gather new information about the mysteries of space.

Dyer, Alan. Space. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; New York, 2007. This book starts with an explanation of the big bang theory and then describes all of the objects in space with illustrations. = =

Ford, Harry. The Young Astronaut. D.K Pulbishing Company; New York, 1998. This book has many great, at-home projects for the phases of the moon, gravity, the hemispheres, galaxies and constellations. This book helps the student to enjoy astronomy indoors and out through hands-on learning.

Grego, Peter. Space Guides: Discovering the Universe. Mankato:Child's World; Maine, 1993. This book introduces the sun and all of its natural satellites including moons, comets and asteroids.

Gouck, Maura. The Solar System. QEB Publishing; California, 2007. This book has child friendly language, beautiful photographs and detailed and annotated diagrams. It gives an in depth look at galaxy families, black holes, star clusters, telescopes and gas clouds. There is also an historical section on myths and legends about space.

Hacker, Carlotta. Great Canadian Scientists. Weigl Education Publishing Ltd.; Alberta, 2000 This book has a chapter on Roberta Bonder, the first Canadian woman and second Canadian in space. Ontario curriculum requires knowledge of the Canadian contribution to Space Exploration.

Lampton, Christopher. Stars and Planets. Doubleday; New York, 1998. This book explains the difference between stars and planets with many great pictures.

Lippincott, Kristen. Astronomy. DK Eyewitness books; New York, 2008. Talks about how the planets relate to one another in terms of distance. Focuses mainly on the history of astronomy and the discovery of each planet. Lots of information on famous astronomers, the Copernicun Revolution, spectroscopy and the optical telescope.

Mechler, Gary. Auburn first Field Guide: Night Sky. Scholastics; New York, 2007. This is a great field guide, which explains how and where to find space features in the night sky. It also explains what the features are and explains astronomy.

 Redpath, Ian. Facts of File Stars and Planets. Facts on File; New York, 2004. This book provides a great overview of the solar system.

__Reference Books__
//__Journey Through Space__// My First Britannica. 2008, Volume 2, pgs 6-44 __//Solar System//__ Britannica Student Encyclopedia. 2009, Volume 18, pgs 125-128 //__Solar Sytem__// World Book Encyclopedia. 2009, Volume 18, pg 580 __//Space Exploration//__ Britannica Student Encyclopedia. 2007, Volume 12, pgs151-152 __//Space Exploration//__ World Book Encyclopedia. 2009, Volume 18, pgs 693-728

== =Non-print resources: videos, CD-Roms, DVD =

__**DVD'S**__
**Comets and Meteors Bill Nye: The Science Guy,** 1994- Disney Educational Productions. Bill Nye, in his usually quirky manner, discusses the facts about comets, meteors, and smaller debris that fall to the Earth, other planets, and their moons throughout the solar system.

**Destination: Space,** National Geographic Video, Looks at our prospects for space explorations in the future, including interviews with astronomers and astronauts.

**Outer Space**: Bill Nye: The Science Guy, 2007- Disney Educational Productions. Bill Nye talks about the stars, galaxies, light-years, constellations in the sky and the position of Polaris. He visits an observatory a a group of students at a NASA space camp.

**Planets and Moons** Bill Nye: The Science Guy, 1995 -Disney Educational Productions. Gives details about our eight neighbouring planets, how they orbit as well as what causes an eclipse.

**Space Exploration** Bill Nye: The Science Guy, 1994- Disney Educational Productions. Looks at the tools we have invented to explore space.

**The Moon** Bill Nye: The Science Guy, 1993- Disney Educational Productions. Discusses how and why the moon's appearance changes.

**The Sun** Bill Nye: The Science Guy, 1998 -Disney Educational Productions. Discusses the composition of the sun and it's impact on the earth as a planet.

**The Planets**, A&E Entertainment, 2000 - Explore the worlds, past and future of the solar system. There are four volumes with eight episodes entitled, //Different Worlds, Terra Firma, Giants, the Moon, Stars, Atmosphere, Life Beyond the Sun and Destiny.//

= = =Internet resources: hotlinks to web sites, encyclopedias, periodicals =

__Websites __

 * NASAQUEST [] An interactive and informational website that offers accurate and scientific information. It allows you to investigate scientific and technological advances that allow humans to adapt to life in space as well as exploration of technological tools and devices needed for space exploration.
 * [|THE CANADIAN SPACE AGENCY] this is a fun website to investigate and explore. There are many great interactive activities, videos and podcasts that you can use to learn about:
 * Canadian [|astronauts] and their [|missions]
 * [|earth observation satellites] and other [|satellites], what they are used for and view their images
 * [|science] in space
 * [|The International Space Station] - living in space
 * Resources for Educators - [|Image Gallery], [|books and videos], [|links to other sites], [|lesson plans], [|teaching packages and fact sheets].
 * [|Podcasts]
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Science Net] Has a great Astronomy section where you can search for websites that have creditable information.
 * [|The Science Spot] - Kids Zone allows you to search for creditable websites on space.
 * [|National Geographic: Space and Science Stories] Kid friendly news articles about new scientific discoveries.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">__On-Line Databases__
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Accessible through your School Library Websites (TDSB)
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Kids InfoBits [|Space & Astronomy] section has lots of encyclopedia, newspaper and magazine articles that you can use to explore space.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|InfoTrac] Student Addition allows you to search encyclopedias, reference books, magazines and newspapers for articles on space. Just enter your search criteria into the find box and you can create and save your own lists.

__<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">On-Line Encyclopedia __
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Accessible through your School Library Websites (TDSB)
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Grolier Encyclopedia]This site is free through many school boards.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|The Canadian Encyclopedia] This is an online encyclopedia, that has lots of great information and is Canadian too!
 * [|Kids Online Britannica] This is an excellent subscription service with two encyclopedias. One is geared toward children from 8-11 and the other is for ages 11 and up. A search for the word "Solar System" reveals 238 results.

__Blogs__

 * <span style="background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Creative Kids at Home] A blog created by home schooled students with many activities, projects such as, make your own rocket launcher, planisphere and Mars Rover.
 * [|Steve Spangler Science Blog] <span style="color: #202020; font-family: Arial,Tahoma,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Steve Spangler is a science author, teacher, professional speaker with an Emmy award winning television science show. The solar system b<span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">logs are entitled "Earth's Sunset is Spectacular but Not Rare from Space" and "Young Engineers Build Homemade Rockets"
 * [|Steve Spangler Science Blog: The Moon] Steve Spangler again with three blogs on the Moon. "Is the Blue Moon really real?" "NASA bombs the moon" and "Customer Captures Amazing Moon Pictures with Reflector Telescope"

__RRS Feeds__

 * [|NASA RSS FEEDS] There are no feeds for NASA Kids, but these feeds are full of excellent news stories on specific missions, general interests and topical news.
 * SPACE.com RSS feeds Fascinating articles about the most up- to- date Scientific finds.
 * Space Jokes!! jokesbykids.com Get jokes about space, written by kids just like you.

__YouTube Videos__

 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Life in Space: Living on the ISS] This is a short video about a Russian Astronaut who teaches students about what it is like to live on the I.S.S.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|What Causes Earth's Seasons?] This video uses great visuals to explain why the earth has different seasons.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|What Causes an Eclipse of the Moon?] This video demonstrates to the viewer what causes an eclipse.

__Images__

 * [|NASA Image of the Day] Check out the image of the day and the entire gallery, of colourful, stunning pictures.
 * [|SPACE.com Image Gallery] The categories are, Deep space, solar system, planet earth exploration and entertainment. Photographs and images are beautiful.
 * [|Pics4learning] Get free images for your project or assignment.

__Glossary Web Sites__

 * <span style="background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Star Child]
 * <span style="background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; color: #003466; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Glossarist]
 * [|Kidstronomy]

__Planetariums and Educational Services__
** Science Pathfinder Created by: Edana McHutchon (edana_m@hotmail.com) and Kristine Remmel (Kristine.Remmel@tdsb.on.ca) **
 * W.J McCallion Planetarium : Learn about the most astonishing discoveries in the Universe. Discover mysterious supernovae and black holes to galaxies at the edge of existence. Located at McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West L8S 4M1. (905) 525-9142 [|McCallion Planetarium]
 * Ontario Science Centre Planetarium : See the IMAX Hubble movie, enjoy two launch demos- a film canister rocket and a balloon rocket or enjoy the planetarium experience. Located at 770 Don Mills Road, Toronto, Ontario, M3C 1T3 , (416) 696-1000 [|Ontario Science CentreCana]
 * David Dunlap Observatory Provides school programs on Thursday morning and public programs on Friday and Saturday evenings (spring and summer) It is located at P.O. Box 360, Richmond Hill ON L4C 4Y [|David Dunlap Observatory]
 * Royal Astronomical Society of Canada : Can provide you with a of great information. [|Royal Astronomical Society of Canada]
 * Royal Ontario Museum <span class="wiki_link_ext">, Provides teachers and students with lots of great information including mobile planetariums. (416) 586-5801. [|Royal Ontario Museum,]