PROJECT S.P.A.C.E.
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Students Participating in Astronomy through Classroom Enrichment Science as a class in the middle school is a general, water-downed overview of basic concepts, which gives a student very little opportunity to become interested in any one science topic. With the decrease in the number of students entering higher education to pursue a science career, the need for science enrichment programs at the middle school level should be created to catch the interest of students at an early age. By exposing students to science concepts by involving them in engaging enrichment activities can lead to higher interest levels, improved comprehension of material concepts, improved performance on standardized test and less classroom distractions. S.P.A.C.E. (Students Participating in Astronomy through Classroom Enrichment), is a program that is being used to give students the needed experiences through hands-on activities and experiences in the field of astronomy. This program focuses on enriching the students base knowledge of the stars, galaxies, planets and earth's place in our solar system. This program does and will address the need for creating an interactive learning experience for the students that are involved in this program. By giving the students an opportunity to become involved in the learning process by actually having a stake in the choice of the various activities within the S.P.A.C.E. program. This involvement will create a a higher level of interest and comprehension among the students involved. Due to the limited amount of time dedicated to the science curriculum, students may never get a chance to fully explore the topic of Astronomy. The incorporation of this enrichment program in the classroom however can fill gaps left by the issues of instruction. This program was initiated with the eighth grade classes that I have taught in the past year. When this program becomes fully integrated, it will also include seventh and sixth grade students as well at Salisbury Middle School. This program is designed to fall inline with state and federal science curriculum standards. This program is designed with flexibility in mind when working with community leaders, academic institutions, the school's P.T.A. and local and non-local business. This program needs the help and support of the school's administration on allowing us to use the school's facilities after school hours to conduct night time stargazing, access to the school's computers to participate in live web chats with various scientists across the country. P.T.A.'s involvement will consist of helping to spread the word on the program and to help me (the teacher) with informing parents and guardians about the program. Local business will be asked to help sponsor the program by coming into the classroom and discussing the importance of hard work and dedication which can lead to success in both school and life after school. This project's potential for ongoing funding is determined on the amount of participation in the program. The need for scientific equipment (telescopes, cameras, PDAs ) consumables (supplies for the labs) can and will draw the majority of the funding needs.
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