Overview

Our goal is to spark students' interest in science and motivate them to continue in the field -- perhaps to become part of the next generation of space scientists.

Lessons on SpaceClass are designed for grades 5-12. Each lesson is a multi-media program using an instructional video featuring young hosts, NASA astronauts, and experts like Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson to liven up our topics.

Online quizzes follow video segments, and students work in interactive virtual labs on research actually being conducted for space exploration. These labs are a hallmark of SpaceClass. We also have lesson extensions available at the link called Classroom Resources.

Our lessons meet National Learning Standards and are developed with industry scientists and professionals to ensure accuracy and timeliness. Lessons are flexible. Teachers may use them in their entirety or select video segments, quizzes and virtual labs based on curriculum priorities and time available.

How to Use SpaceClass

To log in, click on Request a Login. Complete the registration form that appears. Your username will be your email address, and you can choose your own password. Once you log in with your email username and your choice of a password, you will be able to check out our lessons and register all of your students in the program.

To check out our lessons, click on Virtual Lessons and select the one you want to see. You will see an itemized list of all the items in the lesson, called a Mission Map. Start with the first item and go through the lesson following the order of the Mission Map. Be sure to see the virtual labs, which usually appear later in the lesson.

Video segments repeat, so when you are ready to move on from a video, click twice on Continue. If you want to skip a segment, click on Mission Map at the top, and select the segment you want. You can always pick up where you left off, by clicking on Mission Map.

To register your students, complete the class registration form for teachers. Enter the classroom size, dates you intend to start and finish a lesson, and a generic password that you create for the whole class.

When your class meets, give students the class username, which is your email address, and the class password to begin their log-in process. Students then complete a personal log-in registration form. Their email addresses become their usernames, and they create their own passwords. This lets them have individual access to the site so that they can work at their own pace.

Once the class log-in process is complete and a lesson is underway, you can monitor the progress of each student online by going to your class roster and checking the projects and lesson segments.

Requirements for Using SpaceClass

To get started --- For optimum results, each student should have access to a computer with sound, headphones, internet access, and the most current version of Flash, to download the videos and animated virtual labs. Talk with your IT manager to find out if your school requires a temporary security approval in order to download SpaceClass. If you don't have headphones, you can use ear buds.

Video downloads --- If all of your students simultaneously download video segments and you notice that videos do not run properly, you may have a server access limitation in your school and may need to download the lesson on each computer before the students begin. Once all the video segments in a lesson have been downloaded on a computer, it is cached and will run well for the rest of that day.

Computer lab access --- If you have access to a computer lab only one day a week, consider having students do some of the lesson in class and some at home. It might be best to have them do the virtual labs in class, so you can be there to help.

Teaming up --- If you have more students than computers, two students can work on a lesson at one time, as long as they can use headphones or ear buds. They will need to work as a team. You can give them hard copies of the quizzes, using our link to printable versions of the quizzes.