Space Math @ NASA

Resource List: Space Math @ NASA -- Connecting the CCSSM and the NGSS

Overview

Brief Description of the Resource: One of the great things about the Internet is that it can be used to connect ideas and concepts. NASA has already done some of my work for me! As I continue my quest to help teachers connect math and science, Space Math @ NASA is phenomenal resource. This particular page which I'm reviewing links to lists of combined math and science activities sorted by the Common Core math and NGSS standard areas.

Technical and Cost Considerations: Gotta love government agencies giving back; this site is completely free! There are numerous resources for all grades and connections to the sciences. Teachers should have Adobe Acrobat Reader (also free) to view the downloadable PDFs.

Evaluation

1. Learning Activity Types

This resource, since it's an organized links list, has the potential to connect teachers with many types of learning activities. As the specific page is more about connecting teachers with information, the best description of it is:

• LA-Present - (read or attend to) presentation of new content/ideas

2. What Mathematics Is Being Learned?

No mathematics is being learned on this specific page. However, links connect teachers with problems that offer their students opportunities to work on counting, equations, fractions, numbers, functions, geometry, measurement (Oops! There's a typo on this page.), operations and statistics.

Proficiency Strands
Having previewed a number of the available resources, I can say that all the proficiency strands are addressed in various activities.

Additional comments on what is being learned
While the links between the CCSSM and the NGSS are not clearly drawn on this page, selecting areas listed under the NGSS connects teachers with resources that are math-based and science-connected or science-based and math-connected. It's a treasure trove! 

3. How Is the Mathematics Represented?

As mentioned previously, there is no specific math represented on this page. This said, the linked activities allow teachers to represent the math in a variety of different ways (e.g. numerically, virtually, etc.). Each method of representation has its own strengths and weaknesses in terms of its ability to capture or obscure the math involved. 

4. What Role Does Technology Play?

Technology plays a big role in this resource. Without technology, linking to the various math and science domains would be cumbersome and would probably require the cross-referencing of many pages. The flexibility of the hyperlink streamlines the process and allows teachers to quickly access material related to their area of interest. One disadvantage of technology here is that the sheer amount of storage space (a.k.a. no more paper page limits of the past) results in less careful pruning of activities, and thus, there are some true duds as a result.

Affordances of Technology for Supporting Learning

• Computing & Automating: Because of the hyperlinks, teachers can easily access resources that might have previously required minutes or hours of skimming books. 
• Accessing Information: The free platform (thank you, NASA!) allows teachers to find materials that might otherwise have been expensive. 

5. How Does the Technology Fit or Interact with the Social Context of Learning?

Depending on the resource, these activities can best suit individuals, groups of students or the whole class. Additionally, the shared resources help in the social context of adult learning. In my experience, one of the subjects elementary teachers can be scared of is science because of the required background knowledge. Armed with these resources, PLCs can plan out integrated units of study and learn alongside each other as they read through resources and decide on the best lessons and units.

6. Additional Comments

I would like to be clear that not all these resources are created equal. Some of them are little more than glorified worksheets. Others are well-thought-out, careful lessons with multiple forms of technology integration and representation. Teachers should expect to have to sift through them. However, there is no denying that they are made by people who know their stuff. The connections they are able to make between science and math far outpace those I would be capable of creating.