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Overview

To download the lesson plan as a pdf, see the document below.

Lesson Plan: Creativity in Science PDF Document

Humans are very curious and have been seeking knowledge since ancient times. Scientists are especially curious. They want to know many things. Scientists and engineers, who know a lot about technology, worked together to create satellites so many different things could be studied. Today, satellites are used for navigation, television broadcasts, communication, and for studying space.

Objectives

Students will

• Research various satellites and their uses
• Explore the different job roles in the development of satellites and web pages used to communicate scientific discoveries from those satellites

Assessment Strategies

Discussion of Swift satellite data and involvement of many different roles in the project. See Teachers Notes PDF Document for elaboration.

Grade Level: 5-8

Suggested Time

45 minutes

Multimedia Resources

• Teamwork in Science QuickTime Video

Materials

• GPS unit if available (for demonstration only)
• Computers and internet connections

Procedures

See Teachers Notes PDF Document for elaboration.

Part 1: Discuss with the students how satellites are part of their everyday life. The weather channel is a good example.

Part 2: Next, show the students Video 6:

Teamwork in Science QuickTime Video

Part 3: Allow students complete the Explore Swift Data and Contributors (Student Handout PDF Document) in groups and ask them share their ideas for Part 2