Teacher Tools
The Teacher Tools contain the Activity guides below for teachers to implement in their classroom to engage students in the Space Messengers project. Through these activities students will explore the universe to develop artistic, scientific and humanistic literacy, and expand their identity as planetary citizens. The activities are aligned with the national science standards (NGSS) for middle and high school students. Through this project students will contribute their ‘space messages’ which become part of the final Space Messengers mixed reality sci-art installation that travels the world.
How it Works
This online curriculum is designed for teachers that would like to be part of the Space Messengers project. It can also be used by teachers just wishing to explore sci-art activities on their own. The icon menu above contains all the resources needed to participate in the project: Teacher Tools, Design Challenge, Creative Team, Speakers and Installation. The Design Challenge is the Get Started guide that takes you through the stages of the design process to complete the project. The Installation page has all the information about the Space Messengers installation. Creative Team shows all the artists and interdisciplinary speakers that are part of the creation of Space Messengers. The Speakers page includes the video presentations of each interdiscipinary workshop guest that has contributed to the Space Messengers project. The STEMarts Standards page provides a breakdown of how each project aligns with national and international standards. Contact us if you would like to register for the Space Messengers project.
Space Messengers Lesson Guide
In this lesson guide you will prepare your students for the Space Messengers project, a multi-school and multi-country collaboration where students explore the universe through the diverse perspectives of experts in the field of science, art, philosophy, futures thinking and native science. Our hope is to expand our awareness, understanding and connection to the universe as planetary citizens.
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Science, Art & Philosophy
In this lesson you will prepare your students for the unit called Science, Art & Philosophy. Students will learn about Dr. Catarina Pombo Nabais who will introduce the connection between art, science and philosophy that will be integrated throughout the workshop.
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Building an Anti-Colonial Policy Framework for Space Exploration
In this lesson, Frank Tavares, Affiliated Researcher, Space Enabled Research Group at the MIT Media Lab, shares with us how space exploration today is accelerating and offering amazing possibilities for our future. Yet at the same time we are often repeating the ways of thinking from our past that created the environmental and social problems of the present. Students will learn about bio-spills on Mars, satellite pollution and moon advertising and mining. He shows how using science fiction is a powerful tool to imagine alternative futures for space exploration that are more sustainable and equitable.
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Particle Physics Meets Native Science
In this lesson you will prepare your students for unit called Particle Physics Meets Native Science. Students will explore the universe through the lens of particle physics, Lakota cosmology and native science. They will discover how they each contribute to modern science to provide a greater understanding and connection to our universe.
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Futures Thinking: Reimagining Humanity
In this lesson you will prepare your students for the unit called Futures Thinking: Reimagining Humanity. They will learn about ‘futures thinking’ and how it is applied to solve global problems and in our everyday life. They will use these ideas to synthesize what they learned throughout the workshop.
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Meet & Greet
In this lesson you will prepare your students for the first unit called Meet & Greet. In this unit they will be introduced to the Space Messengers project, get familiar with and register in the Space Board, the collaborative platform that will be used to collect student space messages which will become part of the final Space Messengers installation.
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Multi Messenger Astronomy
In this lesson you will prepare your students for the unit called called Multi Messenger Astronomy. Students will learn about Dr. Nicole Lloyd-Ronning an Astrophysicist at Los Alamos National Laboratories who will explore gravitational waves, black holes and space-time.
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Body as Language
In this lesson you will prepare your students for the unit called Body as Language. In the workshop students use light and shadow to develop gestural silhouettes that express our connection to the universe, to each other and to other species. They will create video clips using simple light and shadow techniques to communicate science concepts.
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Sound & Light
In this lesson you will prepare your students for the unit called Sound & Light. Students will learn about the artful physics and creative applications of light and sound. This unit was created by David Novack, the sound engineer that created the Space Messengers soundscape.
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