Clark Planetarium offers classroom resources and lesson plans. We also offer professional development workshops for teachers. Workshops are typically scheduled through district science specialists for all teachers within their district. Workshops include resource kits, some of which teachers can take back to their schools, with others that can be borrowed from their district.
Please email clarkeducation@saltlakecounty.gov with questions.
In this workshop focused on Strand 4.4, educators will learn how to implement a kinesthetic activity to teach that the Earth rotates and orbits the Sun. Educators will also learn to demonstrate why our sun is the brightest star in the sky and how stars of different distances make up a constellation. A kit of resources to replicate the activities will be offered to each school following the workshop.
This workshop utilizes watertight tanks with two compartments and a removable divider to explore how temperature affects the density of air and water through an inquiry-based learning model. Educators will learn about molecules, the water cycle, and density in the Solar System while also being able to experience the classroom activities first-hand. A kit of resources to replicate the activities will be offered to each school following the workshop.
In this workshop, educators will examine the temperatures of various objects using infrared laser thermometers, try to explain why differences are observed, and participate in controlled experiments with heat lamps and specific materials. Through the recording and graphing of collected data, educators will see first-hand how various materials respond to heat and make connections to weather and climate. Resource kits for these activities are available for loan to trained teachers from your district or the Planetarium.
In this workshop focused on Strand 6.1, educators will develop a model for seasons using four titled Earth globes and a simulated Sun. By collecting and graphing data on the amount of light received on each globe at different latitudes during different seasons, educators will see first-hand how the seasons are caused by the Earth’s tilt and the angle of incoming sunlight. Educators will also learn how to lead students through a kinesthetic simulation for why we see phases of the Moon. Resource kits for these activities are available for loan to trained teachers from your district or the planetarium.
Universe Sandbox is an interactive physics-based space simulation. This “video game” program allows teachers and students to explore gravity and the movement of objects in space. In this workshop, Clark educators will introduce educators to the program, guide them in using the software for both demonstrations, and provide student-led lesson plans. Attending educators will each receive a license to install the software at their school.
In addition to professional development workshops for teachers, Clark Planetarium offers lesson plans, classroom resources, and a variety of vetted sources of information to enhance learning and classroom experiences.
When Clark Planetarium outreach educators visit your school, we can only visit for a short time. These activities are designed to complement our outreach lessons to help your students prepare for our visits or to extend our visits after we are gone. You can try out these lessons and modify them however you need to.