Space exploration allows for an interdisciplinary moment between science and social studies. Use these 5 PBS LearningMedia resources to add richness and depth to your lessons. PBS LearningMedia has thousands more classroom-ready media to enhance classroom learning.
1. Hubble’s Expanding Universe Video(4:14) Grades: 6-12
Use this video and accompanying support material to spark astronomy fascination among your students featuring a view into Edwin Hubble’s discoveries: galaxies outside of our own and the constantly expanding universe.
2. Building Curiosity: Rover Rocks Rocker-Bogie Video (2:00) Grades: 9-12
Use this NASA video to show a behind-the-scenes view of how NASA engineers designed Curiosity to be sturdy but light and to be highly maneuverable and stable. Curiosity is NASA’s Mars rover that will, over a 23-month mission, collect and analyze Martian soil and rock samples.
3. Mass vs. Weight: Introduction Video (5:42) Grades: 6-12
In this video from NASA's Teaching From Space initiative, two astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) describe mass and weight and the differences between the two. Embedded animations and demonstrations support the video's learning goals and are highly entertaining.
4. Life on Mars? Video (2:59) Grades: 6-12
With this video and additional support material, invite your class to ponder the mysteries of water on Mars. Assess the clues and learn the facts behind the discovery of ice on the red planet. Delve into the question: Could evidence of life exist in buried ice?
5. Gabriela Talks to an Astronaut Video (2:10) Grades: Pre-K-1
Use this video to how your young students how astronauts train and what astronauts do. Your class will learn directly from an astronaut engineer who helps build and fix things in space.
