NASA: Solar System Exploration
Highly visual, interactive site could overwhelm with so many resources
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NASA: Solar System Exploration
Pros: Flashy website is eye-catching, with extensive info on the solar system, vivid images, and interactive multimedia.
Cons: The volume of information on each page can seem overwhelming, as can navigating the kids' area. Some features are not compatible with all browsers.
Bottom Line: This NASA product provides extensive resources about astronomy, space technology, and space history, but navigating the site to find specific resources takes patience.
Teachers will find many resources to supplement their own space knowledge and curricula, from current events and historical timelines to scientist profiles. The site has a large multimedia library that can help spruce up lectures with vivid imagery and stunning computer animations. Teachers may also find it useful to assign some of the interactive Web animations to help deepen students’ understanding of the solar system and space exploration. In the kids' section, teachers can find instructions for making various types of planetary and spacecraft models, from simple to advanced.
In the Education section, teachers will find lesson plans on Earth science, astronomy, and astrophysics topics for grades K-12. Lessons are searchable by grade level, planetary body, or NASA mission using the Fast Lesson Finder tool. Many lesson plans include objectives, National Science Standards correlations, teaching tips, handouts, lesson wrap-ups, assessments, and extensions.
NASA: Solar System Exploration is designed to raise awareness of -- and teach about -- a variety of astronomical topics, including space news, NASA missions, scientist profiles, planets, and the history of space exploration. Although the site is well organized, the vast amount of information can be overwhelming at first glance. The site offers an impressive multimedia library, with stunning NASA images and animations, as well as a separate section for kids age 10+. Resources here include simple games, puzzles, DIY activities, and planet facts. Younger kids might have trouble navigating the kids' area without help due to the video game-esque navigation system, which takes some getting used to.
The Planets section is the go-to area for information about the solar system. The planet articles from the main page are slightly different from those in the kids' section (which are more interactive), but seem to contain essentially the same information. Although few opportunities exist for social learning, the planet pages provide a useful tool for researching the solar system, ensuring accurate, up-to-date data and fantastic imagery from NASA. The text level is too difficult for younger kids and may even be a bit of a challenge for the intended age group (10-14). Text supports are available, however, including numerous images, links to related NASA pages, summary facts, and relevant multimedia access. An in-text glossary might make the articles more accessible.
It’s important to note that some features require Java, the latest version of which is incompatible with some browsers, so users may have difficulty accessing the games on the kids' site. Also, interactive multimedia features may require a download before use.
Learning Rating
Community Rating
This is a great website with a lot of information, activities, and interactive features that covers the solar system from creation to the present.
This site is an excellent teaching tool. I like the way the way the site is organized with links clearly delineated and the information categorized clearly to allow students to find specific data more quickly. I like the way this site allows for a complete solar system presentation including information and images, to be created.
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