3rd - 4th Grade School Programs
A Challenger Learning Center Micronauts experience is an exploration in science, engineering, and mathematics for your students. It is an interdisciplinary experiences designed specifically for classes that are completing a Solar System unit. Students will put their classroom knowledge to the test through three main activities at the Challenger Learning Center.
| Activity #1 - Athena Simulated Space Mission |
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| Students will take a ride in the CLC Athena spacecraft in a daring attempt to track a lost satellite through the Solar System. Students must use their knowledge of the Solar System to locate and secure the damaged satellite. | |
| Activity #2 - Discovery Lab |
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| Students will work in pairs as they rotate through 9 Science Stations in the CLC Discovery Lab. Science Station topics include electricity and circuits, microscopes, weather patterns, predator-prey relationships, magnetism, comparing mass, states of matter, laboratory procedures, nutrition, and planets in the Solar System. | |
| Activity #3 - Engineering EVA |
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| Students will be challenged to solve a problem posed to them by a CLC instructor. They will have to create and test a prototype for the solution, taking into consideration time, materials, and technology restrictions. | |
| Teacher Professional Development |
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| If you plan to bring your class to the CLC, you must attend a CLC professional development workshop. At the professional development workshop, you will participate in a simulated space mission and then receive the curriculum materials that you will need to prepare your students for a CLC mission.. | |
| Classroom Preparation |
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| After attending a professional development workshop, you will spend approximately 4-6 weeks using the CLC-provided curriculum in your classroom. NOTE: This Challenger Learning Center curriculum is not 4-6 weeks of extra material. The curriculum is aligned with over 70 Illinois Learning Standards in Science, Mathematics, Language Arts, Social Studies, and Technology. | |
| Package Options |
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| A Micronaut Adventure lasts approximately 2 hours, 30 minutes.Package Options are a way for you to extend your educational experience by visiting the Prairie Aviation Museum and the Illinois State University Planetarium. | |
| Educational Benefits | |
| • In addition to aligning with the Illinois Learning Standards, the Challenger Learning Center experience provides your students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills:Problem solvingCommunicationTechnologeTeamworkInterdisciplinary connections
• Help teachers become better educators by prompting them to use teaching strategies consistent with the National Science Education Standards, thereby moving teacher-centered instruction to student-centered instruction • Provide professional development opportunities for teachers to give them the confidence and competence to facilitate science and mathematics learning for today’s technology-driven world • Furnish teaching resources that are interactive and interdisciplinary as well as offer programs that are scientifically accurate, fun, and inspiring • Present opportunities for the development of community-based learning that includes teachers, students, and parents • Raises public awareness of the importance of and need for a scientifically literate populace |
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