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Dear Middle School Science Teacher,

We are looking for your feedback and interest regarding a new potential project.

With funding from the National Science Foundation, teachers and researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and Penn State University have developed an innovative 8-session curriculum designed to help middle-school students understand why we experience Seasons. This is a key concept in the Next Generation Science Standards that many students struggle to understand.  The team is also researching how model-based study of spatially rich topics like Seasons can help to support students’ spatial reasoning, a skill that has been shown to be improved through practice, and which is critical for success in many STEM fields.  The free WorldWide Telescope (WWT) computer program is used in the curriculum (called a “ThinkSpace Lab”).  WWT's astronomy visualizations offers time controls, user-controlled viewing locations, and a rich, realistic 3D environment, which have been shown to engage students and to improve their understanding of these challenging topics.  WWT visualizations are used in conjunction with hands-on models to help students visualize the complex phenomena that lead to Seasons.  Video and web-based versions of the WWT content allow students access without having to install WorldWide Telescope.

If you teach Seasons in your science class, your responses to this brief survey will provide us with important feedback for the project's continued growth.  In particular, we are exploring whether there would be interest in an online professional development program that trains teachers how to implement the ThinkSpace Seasons Lab.  If you are interested in potential participation as a field-test site, please indicate that as well.

FEEDBACK SURVEY LINK: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ThinkSpaceSeasonsWWT3

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Patricia Udomprasert by e-mail at pudompra@cfa.harvard.edu.  We look forward to your response by Friday, November 8, 2019.

Teachers interested in learning about this survey's results can email me after November 8th.

Best regards,

Patricia Udomprasert, Ph.D.
Project Director | Research Associate
WWT Ambassadors Program | Science Education Department
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Office: (617) 495-7832
60 Garden Street | MS 42 | Cambridge, MA 02138

wwtambassadors.org