This videotape compilation of all the previous LFS programming will provide a resource for teachers whose classes were unable to participate in the live events. The program will also indicate the continuing availability of on-line materials, and suggest ways to integrate print, video and on-line to engage student interest.
A good field trip provides new perspectives and increased knowledge. However, it's rare on any field trip that all student or teacher questions get answered. In fact, the most successful field trips create experiences that continue to challenge the mind. A starry sky becomes all the more beautiful with a richer understanding of what we're seeing. One goal of Passport to Knowledge is to leave you and your students with an intense curiosity for unanswered questions, questions that will take them on future adventures in science.
Even after the final Live from the Stratosphere videos, students can remain part of the project on-line through the Internet. Many of the astronomers and Kuiper crew members will stay connected for several weeks after the field trips, at least through November 17, 1995, supporting Researcher Q&A. This will give students time to reflect on what they've learned and to follow up with additional questions. The background materials will stay accessible on-line indefinitely.
The results of the classroom experiments, activities and collaborations that have been posted by schools will also remain available. You'll find instructions on-line about how to post your students' work to share with others. Their work may inspire similar projects by other students who are just starting their own adventure.
Depending on the interests of your students, some of the Expand activities described under each of the programs and activities may serve as follow-up projects. This section of the Teacher's Guide will provide additional ideas to encourage your students to reflect on what they've seen, heard and experienced on their electronic field trip. Educational research has shown that student review of and reflection on their experiences is a vital step in the learning process. One or more of these activities would provide an excellent way to organize their thoughts and bring closure to this activity.
For students to reflect on their writing over the course of the project, and to select some part of the project to highlight and share with others.
If your students have been keeping Astronomer's Logs as suggested in the Opening Activities, it makes sense to use these Logs to help your students review what they've learned while engaged in Live from the Stratosphere.
Evaluation: Have students review their logs. What was the most interesting activity they did? What was the most original idea that came to them? Was there an activity that absolutely made no sense? What would they now like to know more about?
School Astronomer Logs: Have students write a summary of their adventure. Set a target of 1, 2 or 3 paragraphs to put some structure on this. The summary might include a description of a favorite hands-on activity, use of an on-line resource or a segment from one of the videos. Or comments on a set of Q&A interactions that took place on-line. Or a reaction to one of the Field Journals received on-line.
There'll be a "Gallery" space on-line for students to
post these summaries, so that students can read what their peers
in other regions thought about their experience.
